What to Do First After Water Damage: 24 Hour Checklist

Every minute water keeps flowing, it spreads farther into floors and walls. So the first job is always to stop it.

• A single fixture is leaking (toilet, sink, washer, dishwasher): turn the small valve behind or under it clockwise until it stops.
• A pipe burst or you cannot find the source: shut off the main water valve for the whole house.
• The water heater is leaking: close the cold water valve on top of the tank and turn off its gas or breaker.

Where is the main shut-off?

In many Kirkland and Eastside homes, it is in the garage, a utility room, a crawl space access, or where the water line enters the house. Some homes also have a valve in a box near the street by the water meter. Find yours today, before there is an emergency.

Tip: If water is coming from outside, like rain or a flooded yard, you cannot shut it off. Focus on safety and moving belongings, then call for help.

Water and electricity are a deadly mix. Before you walk into a wet room, ask yourself these questions.

1. Is water near outlets, power strips, or appliances that are plugged in?
2. Is a ceiling sagging or bulging with water?
3. Could the water be dirty, like from a toilet, sewer line or outside flooding?

If the answer to any of these is yes, stay out. Turn off power to that area at the breaker panel only if you can reach it while standing somewhere dry. If not, leave it and call an electrician or your utility.

Sagging ceilings

A ceiling that bulges can fall without warning. Keep people and pets out of the room. Do not poke it unless you know how to do it safely. Our ceiling water damage crew handles this every week.

Dirty water

Water from a toilet, sewer or flood can carry germs. Do not touch it with bare hands. Read our guide to clean, gray and black water to understand the risk.

Your insurance company will want to see what happened. Photos taken before cleanup are the best proof you have.

• Take a wide video of each wet room, slowly, from the doorway.
• Take close photos of the source: the broken pipe, the cracked hose, the failed valve.
• Photograph water lines on walls, wet carpet, and damaged items.
• Keep the broken part if you can. Put it in a bag.

Then call your insurance company or agent to start a claim. Ask if they want you to wait for an adjuster before throwing anything away. Our guide on what homeowners insurance covers explains what they usually look for.

Once it is safe, move things out of the water. Start with what matters most and what water ruins fastest.

Open closet doors and drawers in wet rooms so air can reach inside. Move items to a dry room, not a damp garage.

For a small amount of clean water, you can start the cleanup yourself.

• Use towels, a mop, or a wet-dry vacuum on hard floors.
• Open windows if it is dry outside, and run fans to move air.
• Run your home's heat or air conditioning to help dry the air.

Stop and call a pro if water soaked into carpet pad, ran under baseboards, or reached a lower floor or crawl space. Water hides in these places, and household fans cannot reach it. That is why our crews use moisture meters, truck-mounted extractors and commercial drying equipment.

Do not use a household vacuum on wet floors. It can shock you and ruin the vacuum.

Some water problems are fine to handle on your own. Others get much worse with time. Call a restoration company if any of these are true:

• More water spilled than a few towels can soak up.
• Water came from a toilet, a sewer line, or outside.
• Water got into walls, ceilings, carpet pad or a crawl space.
• The leak ran for hours or days before you found it.
• You smell something musty, or someone in the home has asthma or allergies.

Mold can start growing on wet drywall and carpet in as little as 24 to 48 hours, according to the EPA. Read how fast mold grows after a leak to learn why waiting is risky.

When you call us, a real person answers and helps you through the steps above. When our crew arrives, we:

1. Find the source and confirm the water is stopped.
2. Map how far the water went with moisture meters and thermal cameras.
3. Remove standing water with powerful extractors.
4. Set air movers and dehumidifiers, and check the readings every day.
5. Give you photos and moisture logs for your insurance.

Most homes dry in about three to five days. Our guide on how long drying takes explains why. We serve all of Kirkland and nearby cities like Bellevue, Redmond and Bothell.