What to Do in the First 24 Hours After Water Damage

The first 15 minutes

Step 1: Stop the water

Turn off the water at the source. For a single fixture, use the valve under the sink or behind the toilet. For anything bigger, turn off the main shutoff valve. In most Buckeye homes, it is on the front wall of the house, in the garage or near the water heater. There is also a shutoff inside the meter box near the street.

For a water heater leak, turn off the cold water valve on top of the tank and turn off the power or gas to the heater.

Step 2: Make it safe

If water is near outlets, cords or appliances, turn off power to that area at the breaker panel, but only if the panel is dry and you can reach it without standing in water. If you cannot do that safely, stay out of the wet area and call for help.

Stay out of any room where the ceiling is sagging. A ceiling full of water can collapse.

Step 3: Protect people and pets

If the water is sewage or outside floodwater, keep children, older adults, pets and anyone with health concerns away from it.

The first hour

Step 4: Take photos and video

Before you move anything, document it. Take wide shots of each room, close ups of the source and damaged items, and a slow video walking through the home. Note the date and time. This is the most important step for your insurance claim.

Step 5: Call for help

Call a water damage restoration company. The sooner drying starts, the more can be saved. You can reach us at (623) 555-0148 day or night.

Step 6: Call your insurance company

Report the damage and get a claim number. Ask what they need from you. Read our insurance claim guide for more.

Step 7: Move what you can

Lift rugs, electronics, papers, photos and small furniture out of the water. Put aluminum foil or plastic under furniture legs that must stay in place to keep stains and swelling from spreading. Hang up wet drapes and move books and papers to a dry area.

The first few hours

Step 8: Remove what water you safely can

For small amounts of clean water, towels and mops help. A wet vacuum made for water can help on hard floors. Never use a regular household vacuum on water.

Do not try to clean up sewage or floodwater yourself without protective gear.

Step 9: Open things up, carefully

If it is safe, open cabinet doors under wet sinks and pull out drawers so air can move. Leave larger demolition, like pulling up carpet or cutting drywall, to the professionals so it can be documented and done right.

Step 10: Control the air

Keep your AC running at a normal setting. In Buckeye, cool, dry air from the AC helps. Do not turn the heat up, which can speed up mold growth. If the AC unit itself is the source of the leak, turn it off and call an HVAC technician.

The rest of the first day

Step 11: Let the professionals map the damage

A restoration team uses moisture meters and thermal cameras to find water you cannot see behind walls, under tile and inside cabinets. This is where most of the damage hides.

Step 12: Start professional drying

Commercial air movers and dehumidifiers go in. They need to run day and night. Leave them on even if they are loud.

Step 13: Get the source repaired

Call a plumber, roofer or HVAC technician to fix the cause. The restoration team can plan drying around their repair.

Step 14: Keep receipts

Save receipts for everything: supplies, plumber visits, hotel stays, meals. Many of these may be covered by your policy.

What NOT to do in the first 24 hours

• Do not walk through standing water if the power is on.
• Do not use household vacuums on water.
• Do not use electrical appliances while standing on wet floors.
• Do not turn on ceiling fans or lights if the ceiling is wet.
• Do not throw away damaged items before photographing them.
• Do not paint over water stains.
• Do not put new flooring down over a wet floor.
• Do not assume it will dry on its own. Buckeye's dry air dries surfaces, not what is inside walls and slabs.

Why the first 24 hours matter so much

Water keeps moving long after the leak stops. Here is roughly what happens:

• In the first hour, water spreads across floors, soaks carpet pad and moves under baseboards.
• Within a few hours, drywall starts wicking water upward. Wood furniture, doors and cabinets begin to swell.
• By 24 hours, drywall can be wet well above the floor, and clean water may start turning into gray water, especially in summer heat.
• Between 24 and 48 hours, mold can begin to grow on wet materials.
• After a few days, wood warps, flooring buckles, odors set in and more materials must be replaced rather than dried.

Every hour you save in the beginning is money and material saved at the end.

Quick checklist

1. Stop the water.
2. Turn off power to wet areas if safe.
3. Keep people and pets away from dirty water.
4. Take photos and video.
5. Call a restoration company.
6. Call your insurance company.
7. Move valuables and small furniture.
8. Remove small amounts of clean water.
9. Open cabinets under wet sinks.
10. Keep the AC running if it is not the source.
11. Let professionals find hidden water.
12. Keep drying equipment running.
13. Fix the source.
14. Save all receipts.