Water Damage: What Do I Do Now?

So you think you have water damage? The very first thing to do is to determine the source of the water damage and see if water is still coming through. You can't begin to fix water damage if the water is still coming in. Once you've sorted where the water damage originated from, you can then sort the issue of water damage. There are three different types of water than can leak into your home; Clean, Grey, and Black. Clean water being a leak from a water line or a leaky roof, grey water being relatively clean water from drains of sinks, showers, washing machines, dishwashers etc., and black water, being the worst of the three, is waste water from the drain of a toilet.
If you are dealing with grey or black water leaks, there are potential health risks, including exposure to pathogens. It's best to leave the clean up to the professionals for the black water leaks, but the grey water leaks can be dealt with at the discretion of the homeowner. We'll mainly be covering a clean water leak. This is probably the most common type of water damage for homeowners. For more information on classification of water, see here.
The most important thing after stopping the inflow of water is time. You have a limited amount of time to clean the water before it causes issues and is reclassified as grey or black water and starts to mold. The quicker you are, the better. It's time to start drying. Soak up all standing water with a mope or a towel. Bring in fans to the area and point them at the wet spot. If it's bad enough, you may need to remove the sheet rock on the walls or ceiling to be sure the space between is dry enough.
If there was a lot of water damage, but everything has dried up nicely, be sure to consult a contractor and see if anything needs repairs that you aren't comfortable doing. Remember to consult your local code enforcement officer and local codes.

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