Water damage cleanup
Drying deals with the building. Cleanup deals with everything in it — and with the question nobody enjoys, which is what is worth saving.
The question under every decision
Two things decide whether an item stays: whether it can be dried all the way through, and what was in the water. A sealed hardwood table and a foam mattress can sit in the same inch of water with completely different outcomes, because one releases water and the other holds it.
Where the water came from a sewer or from outside, the second factor takes over. CDC's position on floodwater is that nobody knows exactly what is in it at any given point in time, and that it can carry human and livestock waste, hazardous waste and coal ash containing arsenic, chromium and mercury. That is not a drying problem.
What to do with contents early
Three things are worth doing before anyone arrives, assuming the room is safe to enter at all. Photograph the room as it is, including the water line if there is one. Move dry items out of the wet area so they stay dry. And get anything paper-based — documents, photographs, books — into a freezer if it is already wet, because freezing stops the damage advancing while a decision is made.
What not to do first
CDC says never to turn power on or off, or to use an electric tool or appliance, while standing in water. If you would have to step into standing water to reach the main switch, CDC's guidance is to call an electrician rather than to do it yourself.
Cleaning, and what it does not fix
Hard surfaces clean. Porous ones often do not, and cleaning the face of something that is still wet inside produces a room that looks finished and is not. This is why cleanup and drying run together rather than one after the other: there is no point cleaning a wall cavity that has not dried.
It is also why a persistent smell after cleanup is information rather than an inconvenience. Something is still holding water.
Where insurance comes into it
Contents and structure are often handled differently by a policy, and contents claims lean heavily on evidence you can only collect before the cleanup. Photograph first, keep a written list as things are discarded, and keep receipts. What a given policy covers is set out, in general terms and with sources, on our insurance page.
Questions people ask
What usually cannot be saved?
Porous things that were soaked, especially if the water was not clean: mattresses, upholstered furniture, carpet pad, particle-board furniture and cardboard-boxed goods. The rule is less about the object than about whether it can be dried through and cleaned, and whether it is worth the cost of doing so.
Can documents and photographs be rescued?
Sometimes, and the decision is time-sensitive in a way most other contents are not. Freezing wet paper stops the damage progressing and buys time for specialist drying later. That is worth knowing on day one rather than day four.
Do I have to throw out everything the water touched?
No, but what the water was changes the answer a lot. Hard, non-porous surfaces can be cleaned. Where the water came from a sewer or from outdoors, CDC advises washing contaminated clothes in hot water and detergent before reusing them, and washing any skin that contacted the water with soap and clean water as soon as possible.
Should I move things out myself?
Moving dry, light items out of the wet area is useful and lowers what has to be dried. What is worth not doing is lifting anything heavy that has absorbed water, working in standing water, or handling anything in a room where power is still on and water is present — CDC is explicit that you should never use an electric tool or appliance while standing in water.
Does cleanup include the smell?
Odour usually goes when the source goes — the wet material. A smell that survives drying generally means something is still wet or something porous was left in place, which is a reason to look again rather than to add a fragrance.
Where this comes from
- EPA — A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home — Where the 24 to 48 hour drying window and the 10-square-foot rule of thumb come from.
- CDC — About Mold — Federal guidance to clean up and dry out fully within 24 to 48 hours of a flood.
- CDC — Safety Guidelines: Floodwater — What floodwater can carry, and why the advice is to stay out of it.
- CDC — Safety Guidelines: Reentering Your Flooded Home — Power, gas and when not to go back inside.
- FEMA — National Risk Index — County-level flood, hurricane and riverine risk used on the city pages.