What to Do After Water Damage in Your Home

Water damage gets worse by the hour. Drywall, insulation, carpet pad and wood soak up water quickly, and the EPA advises drying water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold. What you do in the first two days decides whether this is a weekend of cleanup or a months-long repair.

Here's what to do, in order. Keep this page open on your phone while you work.

Quick checklist

1. Make sure it's safe.
2. Stop the water.
3. Document the damage.
4. Call your insurance company.
5. Remove standing water.
6. Move belongings out of wet areas.
7. Start drying right away.
8. Know what kind of water you're dealing with.
9. Check for hidden moisture.
10. Watch for mold.

1. Make sure it's safe

Water and electricity don't mix. If water is near outlets, appliances, extension cords or the electrical panel, don't walk through it. Turn off power to the affected area at the breaker only if you can reach the panel from a completely dry spot; otherwise call your utility or an electrician. Also watch for:

• Sagging ceilings. A bulging, water-filled ceiling can collapse. Stay out from under it.
• Gas smells. Leave immediately and call your gas company from outside.
• Slippery floors and hidden objects under water.

After outside flooding, the American Red Cross recommends returning only when officials say it's safe and wearing protective clothing during cleanup.

2. Stop the water

Shut off the main water valve. It's usually where the water line enters the house: in the basement, a crawl space, a utility closet, the garage, or near the water heater. In some homes it's at the meter by the street. For an appliance or fixture leak, close the small valve behind the toilet, under the sink, or behind the washer.

If the water is coming from the roof or gutters, put a tarp over the damaged area only if you can do it safely. Don't climb onto a wet roof.

3. Document the damage

Before you move or throw anything away, take photos and video of every affected room, the water level on walls, damaged belongings, and the source of the leak if you can see it. Save the failed part (a split hose, a cracked fitting) for the adjuster. Write down when you found the water and what you did.

4. Call your insurance company

Report the claim early and ask what they need from you, whether they have preferred restoration companies, and whether you can start drying before the adjuster visits (you almost always can, and should). Most homeowners policies cover sudden, accidental water damage, like a burst pipe, but not gradual leaks or outside flooding. Flood damage needs a separate flood policy, such as one through the National Flood Insurance Program. For the details on mold coverage, read does homeowners insurance cover mold?

5. Remove standing water

For small amounts, use a wet/dry vacuum, mops, buckets and towels. For more than an inch or two, water that has soaked into walls and under floors, or anything in a finished basement, professional extraction equipment removes far more water, far faster, than you can with a shop vac. That shortens drying time and reduces the chance of mold.

6. Move belongings out of wet areas

• Lift furniture and set the legs on aluminum foil or wood blocks so they don't stain the carpet or wick up water.
• Move rugs, electronics, papers, books and photos to a dry room.
• Freeze wet photos and important documents in zip-top bags if you can't dry them right away; they can be dried later.
• Hang wet curtains and remove cushions to dry separately.

7. Start drying right away

Airflow and low humidity dry a house. Open windows if the air outside is drier than inside, run fans, run a dehumidifier, and run the air conditioning in warm weather. Pull up wet area rugs. Wall-to-wall carpet can sometimes be saved if it's dried quickly, but wet carpet pad usually has to be replaced. Open cabinet doors and remove drawers so air can reach the inside.

Restoration companies use high-volume air movers and commercial dehumidifiers and check progress daily with moisture meters. With that equipment, most rooms dry in about three to five days.

8. Know what kind of water you're dealing with

Clean water left sitting for a few days can become contaminated, so speed matters even with a clean leak.

9. Check for hidden moisture

Water wicks up drywall and travels under flooring and into wall cavities you can't see. Signs include soft or swollen drywall, peeling paint, warped baseboards, cupping wood floors and a musty smell. Professionals use moisture meters and thermal cameras to find it. Drywall that stays wet usually needs to be cut out a foot or more above the waterline, and wet insulation behind it removed.

10. Watch for mold

Over the following days and weeks, watch for a musty smell, spots on walls, ceilings or baseboards, and allergy-like symptoms. The EPA says mold patches smaller than about 10 square feet can usually be cleaned by the homeowner. Larger areas, mold inside walls, and mold after sewage or floodwater should be handled by professionals. State health agencies like the Virginia Department of Health also publish practical guidance on water intrusion and mold.

Estimate mold remediation cost

What to keep and what to throw away

• Usually saveable: solid wood furniture, metal, glass, hard plastics and tile, if cleaned and dried quickly.
• Often replaced: carpet pad, wet insulation, drywall that stayed wet more than a day or two, particleboard furniture and cabinets.
• Thrown out after sewage or floodwater: mattresses, upholstered furniture, stuffed toys, and food that touched the water.

Photograph everything before you throw it out, and make a list for your insurance claim.

What water damage restoration costs

Costs depend on how much area is wet, the water type and how long it sat. Small clean-water jobs, like drying one room after a supply line leak, can cost a few hundred to a couple of thousand dollars. Whole-floor drying with drywall, insulation and flooring replacement often runs into the thousands or more. If mold has already started, remediation typically adds $10 to $25 per square foot, which you can estimate with the mold remediation cost calculator.

Prevent the next one

• Replace rubber washing machine hoses with braided stainless steel, and check them yearly.
• Install water leak sensors near the water heater, washer, dishwasher and sinks.
• Make sure everyone in the house knows where the main shutoff valve is.
• Insulate pipes in crawl spaces, garages and exterior walls before winter.
• Replace old galvanized or polybutylene pipes. See signs you need to repipe and PEX vs copper, or price it with the repipe cost calculator.
• Keep gutters clean and downspouts extended away from the foundation. See how long gutters last, or price new ones with the gutter cost calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• U.S. EPA: A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home
• American Red Cross: Safety Steps for Returning Home After a Flood
• FEMA FloodSmart: National Flood Insurance Program
• Virginia Department of Health: Water Intrusion and Mold

Costs are 2026 national estimates for planning only. Your price depends on your home, your area and the contractor. See how we estimate.