What to Do After Water Damage: A Room-by-Room Checklist

The first hour: safety and stopping the water

1. Check for electrical hazards. If water is near outlets, cords, appliances, or the breaker panel, stay out of it. Turn off power at the panel only if you can reach it without standing in water.
2. Leave if you smell gas and call 911 or your gas utility from outside.
3. Stop the water. Close the valve at the fixture or appliance, or shut off the main. It's worth finding your main shutoff before you ever need it.
4. Keep people and pets away from sagging ceilings and from any water that could be contaminated.
5. Move what you can safely lift: electronics, documents, photos, rugs, and small furniture.

Figure out what kind of water it is

Restoration professionals commonly sort water into three categories. The category affects what can be dried and what must be thrown out:

• Clean water (Category 1): from a supply line, faucet, or rain before it touches anything dirty. Lowest risk.
• Gray water (Category 2): from washing machine or dishwasher drains, or toilet overflow with urine but no feces. Contains contaminants that can cause illness.
• Black water (Category 3): sewage, outside floodwater, or water that has sat long enough to grow bacteria. Treat as hazardous. See sewage cleanup and flood cleanup.

The first day: document and get help

• Take wide shots of each room and close-ups of damage, the water source, and serial number labels on damaged appliances.
• Record a short video walking through the affected area.
• Keep receipts for anything you buy: fans, tarps, hotel stays.
• Contact your insurance company if you intend to file a claim, and ask what they need from you.
• Decide whether you need professional water extraction and drying. If water reached walls, subfloor, or ceilings, the answer is usually yes.

Days two through seven: drying and decisions

Drying commonly takes several days. During that time, materials should be measured with a moisture meter, not judged by touch. Our guide to how water damage drying works explains what should be happening.

What can usually be saved

• Hard, non-porous items: metal, glass, hard plastic, sealed stone
• Solid wood furniture, if dried promptly and slowly
• Carpet exposed briefly to clean water and extracted quickly (the pad is often replaced)
• Drywall that got briefly wet with clean water and dried quickly without sagging

What often has to go

• Anything porous touched by sewage or floodwater: carpet, pad, mattresses, upholstered furniture
• Particleboard furniture and cabinet bases that swelled
• Wet insulation, especially blown-in insulation that compacted
• Drywall that sagged, crumbled, or stayed wet for days
• Food, medicines, and cosmetics exposed to contaminated water

Signs something was missed

• A musty or earthy smell after drying ends
• Baseboards pulling away from walls, or paint bubbling
• Floors that cup, buckle, or feel soft
• New stains appearing days later
• Visible mold spots

This guide is general information, not professional, insurance, or legal advice. Conditions in every home differ.