What to do in the first hour after water damage

How to use this checklist

Work through these steps in order: safety, then stopping the water, then keeping a record for your insurer. If someone else is home, split them up.

Step 1: Stay clear of water near electricity

Water that reaches outlets, power strips, extension cords, appliances or the electrical panel is the biggest danger in the first minutes. Don’t walk through it.

The CDC’s advice is direct. If you have standing water and can turn off the main power from a dry location, do it, even if it delays the cleanup. If you would have to step into standing water to reach the main switch, call an electrician to turn it off.

• Never switch power on or off while standing in water. The same goes for using any electric tool or appliance.
• Don’t touch wet appliances that are still plugged in. The Consumer Product Safety Commission warns against it.
• Get the system checked before the power goes back on. The CDC says to have an electrician check it, and that all electrical equipment and appliances must be completely dry before they go back into service.

If the power stays off, the CDC warns never to run a generator or any gasoline-powered engine inside the house or garage, or less than 20 feet from a window, door or vent.

Step 2: Stop the water

Close the valve closest to the leak first. Toilets, sinks, washing machines and refrigerator lines usually have a small shut-off valve on the supply line behind or under them.

If you can’t find that valve, or the leak is inside a wall or ceiling, close the main shut-off for the house. The City of Phoenix says that valve is usually at the front of the home, near a hose bib, where a pipe comes out of the ground and goes into the house. Some older homes have it at the back of the property. Turn it by hand. Old or corroded valves can break if you force them.

Don’t touch the valve inside the city’s water meter box. The City of Phoenix asks residents not to: it takes a special tool, and you may be held responsible for damage to the meter. If your own valve won’t close, call your city’s water department and ask them to shut off service at the meter.

Our shut-off valve guide shows what the valve looks like and how to test it before you need it.

Step 3: Work out what kind of water it is

Where the water came from decides how it should be handled. The water damage industry’s standard, IICRC S500, sorts water into categories. People often shorten them to clean, gray and black water:

• Clean water comes from a source that isn’t a health concern, like a broken supply line or a sink that overflowed with nothing in it.
• Gray water carries some contamination, like the discharge from a dishwasher or washing machine.
• Black water is what the IICRC calls Category 3: “grossly contaminated” water that can contain harmful agents. Its examples include sewage, wasteline backflows from beyond any trap regardless of visible content or color, and rising water from rivers or streams.

The IICRC notes that time and temperature can change water’s category, and the CDC warns that a flooded home may also be contaminated with sewage.

Treat anything from a toilet, drain or sewer line as contaminated:

• Keep children and pets away from it, as the EPA advises.
• If you have to go near it, the CDC says to wear rubber boots, rubber gloves and goggles.
• Never mix bleach with ammonia or other cleaners. The EPA and CDC warn it can create toxic vapors.
• The EPA advises calling in a professional with experience cleaning buildings damaged by contaminated water.

See sewage backup cleanup for what that work involves.

Step 4: Take photos and video

Record the damage before you move or throw away anything. Arizona’s Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions (DIFI) advises taking pictures before any water mitigation company, plumber or restoration contractor shows up. The Insurance Information Institute gives the same order: photograph or videotape the damage, then take reasonable steps to protect your property.

Get these shots:

• Each wet room, wide first, then close-ups.
• The source: the split supply line, the leaking water heater, the overflowing toilet, the ceiling stain.
• How high the water reached on walls, cabinets and furniture.
• Damaged belongings, including brand and model labels where you can see them.

A narrated video walk-through covers a lot in a few minutes. Note the time you found the water, too.

Step 5: Move what you can

Once the area is safe and recorded, get things out of the water:

• Rugs, papers, photos and books. Paper and fabric soak up water quickly.
• Electronics, but only if they’re unplugged and you’re not standing in water.
• Small furniture. Lift larger pieces off wet carpet if you can do it safely.

Keep the damaged items. The Insurance Information Institute advises holding on to them until the adjuster has visited, and making a list of what was damaged with a copy for the adjuster.

Step 6: What not to do

Some moves that seem sensible make the damage worse or cause trouble with a claim.

• Don’t use a regular household vacuum on water. It isn’t built for it, and the CDC warns against using any electric appliance while standing in water.
• Don’t blow air across contaminated water. The EPA says not to use fans before you’ve determined the water is clean or sanitary. Joint EPA and CDC guidance adds that fans can spread mold once growth has started. Hold off on heaters with blowers for the same reason.
• Don’t throw things away before you document them. The photos, the list and the items themselves may all matter to the adjuster.
• Don’t tear out walls or flooring yourself in an older home. The EPA says homes built before 1978 are more likely to have lead-based paint, and that sanding, cutting and demolition in those homes can create lead-contaminated dust. Plenty of Valley homes are that old: Census data shows 41.6% of Phoenix homes were built before 1980. The EPA recommends hiring a contractor trained in lead-safe work practices, and by law contractors have to use those practices on emergency renovations in pre-1978 homes.
• Leave suspect materials alone. The EPA lists vinyl flooring, textured paint and patching compounds among materials that may contain asbestos, and says testing is the only way to be sure. Its advice: “If in doubt, treat the material as if it contains asbestos and leave it alone.”

Step 7: Call your insurance company

Call early. The Insurance Information Institute says to phone your insurance professional immediately, and the NAIC says to contact your agent or company as soon as possible. DIFI suggests making that call before you call a contractor and confirming what will be covered and for how much.

While you’re on the phone or waiting for a callback:

• Write down the claim number, who you spoke with and when. The NAIC suggests keeping notes and the dates of every conversation with your agent or adjuster.
• Keep receipts for anything you buy or pay for. The Insurance Information Institute says you may be able to submit them for reimbursement later.
• Ask what the insurer needs from you before cleanup starts.

Policies generally expect you to protect your home from further damage. The NAIC’s example is cleaning up water from a backed-up drain. Our insurance guide covers sudden leaks, floods, sewer backups and mold coverage in more detail.

Step 8: Call a plumber, a restoration provider, or both

These are separate jobs, and you may need more than one.

• A plumber repairs the pipe, fixture, water heater or drain that failed. The City of Phoenix’s advice for a broken pipe is to shut off the main valve and call a plumber.
• A restoration provider removes the water, dries the structure and deals with damaged materials. Call one when there’s standing water, when water has soaked carpet, drywall or cabinets, or when the water came from a toilet, drain or sewer line. See emergency water extraction for what that work involves.
• An electrician if water reached the panel, outlets or wiring.

Before anyone starts work, look up their contractor license with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors and get the scope of work in writing. DIFI also advises avoiding high-pressure sales and people who show up at the door offering services you didn’t ask for. And don’t take a contractor’s word for what your policy covers. Ask your insurer.

Step 9: The next 24 to 48 hours

The EPA advises drying water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth. Joint EPA and CDC guidance goes further: if you weren’t able to dry the home and its contents in that window, assume you have mold growth. The EPA also calls the 48 hours a guideline. Mold can start even when things dry in time, and it doesn’t always appear after 48 hours.

Drying takes more than it seems:

• Water spreads out of sight. It wicks up drywall and runs under flooring and cabinets. The EPA says the subfloor under wet carpet has to be cleaned and dried too.
• Dry desert air only reaches surfaces. It doesn’t get inside a wall or under laminate. Moisture meters show what’s still wet. Read more about structural drying.
• Some materials usually can’t be saved. For clean-water damage, the EPA’s cleanup table says to discard wet ceiling tiles and insulation. Drywall may be dried in place if there’s no obvious swelling and the seams are intact.

Keep a running log. DIFI suggests recording times, dates, names of technicians and the equipment they bring, such as dehumidifiers and air movers.

In the weeks after, watch for a musty smell, new stains or bubbling paint near where the water was. Our guide to the signs of hidden mold covers what to look for.