Water Damage in Your Home: What to Do in the First Hour (and What Not to Touch)

We get the call at 3 a.m. on a regular schedule: a supply line ruptured, a dishwasher hose let go, a roof valley failed during an atmospheric river. The next sixty minutes decide whether you're looking at a clean four-day dry-out or a six-week reconstruction with a mold subcontractor. Most homeowners do two or three things very right and one thing very wrong in that window. This is the sequence we walk our own families through.

Stop the water

Almost every interior water loss has a single shut-off that stops the bleeding. Find it first — fixing the source is more valuable than mopping the floor.

• Supply-line leak under a sink or toilet: the angle-stop valve directly under the fixture (turn clockwise).
• Washing machine or dishwasher: the hot/cold shut-offs behind the unit, or the main water valve if those don't move.
• Whole-house: the main shut-off, typically in the garage, crawlspace access, or against the wall where the water main enters the house.
• Roof or window leak from a storm: there is no shut-off — go to step three (photograph everything) and call.

Kill the power to the affected area

If water is anywhere near outlets, an extension cord, or a fixture, throw the breaker for that area before you go in. Standing water plus live wiring is the most common preventable cause of restoration injuries we see. If you can't reach the panel safely, stay out and call us — we work with the fire department on power isolation routinely.

Photograph the loss before you touch anything

Your insurance claim will hinge on what's in your phone's photo album in the next ten minutes. Open the camera and shoot:

• Wide shots of every affected room from each corner.
• Close-ups of the visible water source (the burst line, the failed appliance, the ceiling stain).
• Standing water depth — put a tape measure or ruler in frame.
• Affected contents (rugs, furniture, electronics) before you move them.
• The exterior of the property if storm-driven — broken windows, damaged siding, fallen trees.

Get porous, valuable items off the floor

Rugs, books, paper records, family photos and electronics are the first total losses in a water event. Move what you can to a dry, elevated surface — but don't injure yourself doing it and don't risk an electrical contact. Wood furniture legs sitting in water for more than an hour will stain hardwood floors permanently; aluminum foil under the legs is a five-minute fix that saves a refinish.

Don't do these things

1. Don't run a household vacuum on standing water. They're not designed for it and you will electrocute yourself.
2. Don't lift wet drywall, insulation or carpet pad. It tears, it gets heavier, and you contaminate the rest of the house. Wait for us.
3. Don't run fans or open windows yet if it's a sewage or contaminated-water loss — you'll spread the contamination.
4. Don't strip wallpaper, peel paint or pull baseboards. Restoration starts cleaner if you leave the structure intact.
5. Don't agree to demolition over the phone with any contractor before the loss is scoped. Mitigation comes before demolition.

Call your insurance and a restoration contractor in that order

File a first notice of loss with your insurer so the claim is open. Then call a restoration contractor — ideally one who is IICRC certified and can bill insurance directly. The contractor will dispatch emergency mitigation while the adjuster is still scheduling their visit. Your policy almost always pays for emergency mitigation; you don't need to wait.

If you're in Vancouver, WA or anywhere in the Portland metro and you'd rather skip the research call us at the number at the top of this page. We're 24/7 and the technician you'll meet at your door already has your address by the time we hang up.