The Quick Check
DIY is a reasonable call when every one of these is true:
- The water is clean: a supply line, an ice maker line or a sink, not a toilet, a drain or the outdoors
- The area is small, and you caught it soon after it started
- It has not reached the walls, the ceiling below or a lower floor
- No outlets, cords or fixtures are wet
- You have a wet vacuum, fans and a dehumidifier, and can keep them running
- You are not planning an insurance claim, or you have spoken to your insurer first
If any one of those is false, the rest of this page explains why it is worth a call.
When to Call a Restoration Company
The water is contaminated
Water from a toilet, a backed-up drain or outside flooding is a different job from a burst supply line. Angi notes that contaminated water from sewage or flooding requires more extensive cleanup, and calls the type of water the primary driver of restoration costs (Angi). Keep children and pets out, and wear boots and gloves if you have to go in.
You can't dry it within 24 to 48 hours
The EPA's guidance: "In most cases, mold will not grow if wet or damp items are dried within 24-48 hours" (EPA Mold Course, Chapter 4). If the leak ran for days before you found it, or the area is bigger than your fans and dehumidifier can handle, that window is the reason to bring in emergency water extraction and professional drying equipment, which has far more capacity than household gear.
The water reached walls, ceilings or the floor below
What you can see is not always all of it. The EPA lists places mold may hide, such as "the back side of dry wall, wallpaper, or paneling" and "areas inside walls around pipes (with leaking or condensing pipes)" (EPA, A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home). A ceiling stain, a soft spot in the drywall or a wet baseboard with no obvious source is a sign the water went further than the floor. Finding it takes a moisture meter and someone who knows where to look.
Power and water are mixed
If water has reached outlets, cords or light fixtures, switch off the breakers for those rooms if you can reach the panel without standing in water. If you can't, leave it and say so when you call for help.
There is visible mold over a larger area
The EPA says: "If the moldy area is less than about 10 square feet (less than roughly a 3 ft. by 3 ft. patch), in most cases, you can handle the job yourself" (EPA). As guidance, a bigger patch, or mold you think is hidden, is worth a professional look. For hidden mold, the EPA's advice is: "If you believe that you may have a hidden mold problem, consider hiring an experienced professional." Mr. Fresh offers mold remediation as a separate service.
Not sure which side of the line you're on?
Call or text with what happened, where the water came from and which rooms are wet. Mr. Fresh offers 24/7 emergency dispatch from Fairfield.
Doing It Yourself, Properly
If the quick check passes, this is the order to work in.
- Stop the water. Close the fixture valve or the main shutoff.
- Photograph everything before you move it. Angi's guidance is to document damage with photos for insurance purposes before restoration begins.
- Pull standing water out with a wet vacuum. Never a household vacuum.
- Lift the carpet and pad. The EPA's carpet guidance is: "To dry carpet and backing within 48 hours, remove water with a wet vacuum, pull the carpet and pad off the floor and dry them using a fan to blow air over them" (EPA).
- Run a dehumidifier and fans. The EPA says a dehumidifier can be used to reduce the humidity in the room where the carpet and backing are drying, while fans can be used to accelerate the drying process.
- Dry what is underneath. Per the EPA, wet under-flooring should be dried using a vacuum or by exposing it to the air.
- Deal with furniture. The EPA says water should be removed from upholstered furniture with a water-extraction vacuum.
- Check it is actually dry, ideally with a moisture meter compared against a dry part of the same material, before you put things back.
Watch for a musty smell, dark spots or bubbling paint over the following weeks. Those are the signs something stayed wet.
Where DIY Goes Wrong
- The carpet is dry on top, the pad is not. This is why the EPA's guidance pairs the fan with pulling the carpet and pad up. If a carpet stays damp, see why a carpet can stay wet for days.
- Reaching for bleach. The EPA says the use of a chemical or biocide that kills organisms such as mold, chlorine bleach for example, is not recommended as a routine practice during mold cleanup, and that "dead mold may still cause allergic reactions in some people, so it is not enough to simply kill the mold, it must also be removed." The CDC's bleach-solution guidance is for hard surfaces only (CDC). Never mix bleach with ammonia cleaners.
- Drying without fixing the source. The EPA: "If you clean up the mold, but don't fix the water problem, then, most likely, the mold problem will come back."
- No record of what was done. If a claim comes later, you will want the photos and readings from the first day.
If There Is an Insurance Claim
Call your insurer before you start repairs. Angi's guidance is to contact your insurance company before initiating repairs, because the carrier will want a water damage restoration professional to assess the damage before deciding which repairs it covers. On coverage, Angi's summary is that homeowners insurance may cover water damage if it is sudden and accidental, while gradual damage, such as from slow leaks, is typically not covered (Angi). Your policy is what decides.
In California you can choose who does the work. The Residential Property Insurance Bill of Rights says: "A consumer is also entitled to select a licensed contractor or vendor to repair, replace, or rebuild damaged property covered by the insurance policy" (Insurance Code section 10103.5). How to compare companies is covered in Fairfield water damage companies compared, and what moves the bill in what drives water damage cost in Fairfield.
What to Tell the Company
Whoever you call, these answers make the first conversation short and the advice better:
- Where the water came from
- Roughly when it started, and whether it is still flowing
- Which rooms and floors are wet
- What is wet: carpet, wood, tile, drywall
- Anything you can see or smell, like a stain spreading or a musty odor
Mr. Fresh is family-owned and based in Fairfield since 2013, with IICRC-certified technicians, and offers water damage restoration across Solano County and the greater Bay Area. It documents the damage with photos and moisture readings and works with your adjuster. Call or text (707) 816-7103, or start at mrfreshcarpetcare.com. For the first hours after a leak, see the first 4 hours after water damage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I clean up water damage myself?
Sometimes. A small spill of clean water from a supply line or sink, caught quickly, on surfaces you can reach and dry, is often a DIY job. The EPA's guidance is that in most cases mold will not grow if wet or damp items are dried within 24 to 48 hours, so the real question is whether you can get everything dry in that window, including what you cannot see.
When should I call a professional instead?
When the water is contaminated (a toilet, a backed-up drain or outside flooding), when it has reached walls, ceilings or the floor below, when power and water are mixed, when you cannot dry it within 24 to 48 hours, or when you plan to file an insurance claim. Angi notes that contaminated water from sewage or flooding requires more extensive cleanup.
How do I dry wet carpet myself?
The EPA's guidance is: "To dry carpet and backing within 48 hours, remove water with a wet vacuum, pull the carpet and pad off the floor and dry them using a fan to blow air over them." It adds that a dehumidifier can be used to reduce the humidity in the room, and that wet under-flooring should be dried using a vacuum or by exposing it to the air.
Can I remove mold myself?
For small areas, the EPA says: "If the moldy area is less than about 10 square feet (less than roughly a 3 ft. by 3 ft. patch), in most cases, you can handle the job yourself." Larger areas, or mold you suspect is hidden behind drywall or wallpaper, are worth a professional look. The EPA notes that removing wallpaper can lead to a massive release of spores if mold is growing underneath.
Should I spray bleach on it?
Not as a routine step. The EPA says the use of a chemical or biocide that kills organisms such as mold, chlorine bleach for example, is not recommended as a routine practice during mold cleanup, and that dead mold may still cause allergic reactions, so it must be removed. The CDC's bleach guidance is for hard surfaces only. Never mix bleach with cleaners that contain ammonia.
Will my insurance cover it if I do the cleanup myself?
That depends on your policy, so ask your agent before you start. Angi's guidance is to contact your insurance company before initiating repairs, because the carrier will want a water damage restoration professional to assess the damage first, and to document damage with photos before restoration begins.
Do I need a plumber and a restoration company?
Often, yes. A plumber fixes the source. A restoration company deals with the water that already came out and dries the structure. The EPA's point applies here too: mold cleaned up without fixing the water problem will most likely come back.
More reading: water damage restoration in Vacaville.
Not Sure if You Need a Pro?
Call or text with what happened and which rooms are wet. Mr. Fresh answers 24/7 across Solano County and the Bay Area.
Call or Text (707) 816-7103