What to Throw Away After Water Damage, and What to Keep

Start With Where the Water Came From

The supply line under the sink let go overnight. By morning the hallway carpet is soaked, the bottom of a bookcase has swollen and a box of papers is sitting in a puddle. You want to start carrying things out. Before you do, settle one question: where did the water come from?

The EPA's flood cleanup page draws the line itself: damage from a pipe leak or rainwater "typically presents fewer hazards" than a flood. Flood water is the harder case. The CDC warns that "floodwater can contain dangerous bacteria from overflowing sewage and agricultural and industrial waste" (CDC, Guidelines for Cleaning Safely After a Disaster). The EPA says flood water "can bring microorganisms, including from sewage and other sources, inside buildings" (EPA, Flood Cleanup to Protect Indoor Air and Your Health).

Both pages were written for floods and natural disasters, and most of the lists in this post come from them. A leak caught early gives you more room to save things. Sewage is its own job, covered in sewage backup in the basement.

The Rule: Does It Soak Up Water?

One test sorts most of the house. The EPA's version: "You can usually clean and dry materials that do not soak up water. You should throw away materials that soak up a lot of water and can't be cleaned and dried" (EPA).

A glass jar sheds water. A foam cushion drinks it. So the question for each item is how much it soaked up, and whether it can be cleaned and dried in time. The EPA's mold guidance sets the clock: "In most cases, mold will not grow if wet or damp items are dried within 24-48 hours" (EPA Mold Course, Chapter 4). The CDC's advice for after a flood matches it: clean up and dry your home within 24 to 48 hours if possible.

Save or Discard, Item by Item

This table puts the CDC and EPA guidance in one place. The right-hand column says which page each line comes from, so you can check it yourself.

Sources: CDC, Guidelines for Cleaning Safely After a Disaster and EPA, Flood Cleanup to Protect Indoor Air and Your Health. The CDC's list reads "anything that you can't clean or dry quickly", so the test is whether an item can be cleaned and dried, not what it cost or how old it is.

A Leak, Caught Early

The CDC list is written for flood water. For drying wet items before mold can grow, the EPA's mold guidance gives these steps (EPA Mold Course, Chapter 4):

• Carpet and pad. "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." The EPA adds that a dehumidifier can be used to reduce the humidity in the room while the carpet dries.
• Upholstered furniture. "Water should be removed from upholstered furniture with a water-extraction vacuum. Fans, dehumidifiers and heaters may be used to accelerate the drying process."
• The floor underneath. "If the under-flooring is wet, it should be dried using a vacuum or by exposing it to the air."

If an item can't be dried inside that window, it moves toward the discard column. Mr. Fresh offers emergency water extraction and water damage restoration, plus upholstery and rug cleaning for the pieces worth a second look.

The Judgment Calls

Some things sit between the two ends of the rule. Wood floors, cabinets, subfloor, trim and drywall soaked by clean water are the usual ones. The CDC lists flooring and molding among the surfaces to clean, and says to discard drywall and insulation contaminated with sewage or floodwater. Neither page says when a wood floor, a cabinet box or a wall hit by a clean supply line can still be saved. That call gets made after someone measures.

Ask for the reasons behind each call: the moisture readings, what the company plans to do and why, and what would change the plan. Mr. Fresh documents the damage with photos and moisture readings and works with your adjuster.

Look past what you can see. The EPA's drying advice is to open inside doors and cabinets and remove drawers, shelves and built-in furniture such as cabinets "to allow hidden surfaces to dry" (EPA). If mold turns up behind a wall later, that is its own job, covered in mold behind drywall after a leak and on the mold remediation page.

Photograph Before Anything Goes

Angi's guidance is to "document damage with photos for insurance purposes before restoration begins," and to contact your insurance company before starting repairs, because the carrier will want a restoration professional to assess the damage before deciding which repairs it covers (Angi). A soaked chair already on the curb is hard to show anyone.

What to capture for each item you plan to throw out:

• One wide shot of the item in the room where it got wet
• Close-ups of the item and of any visible damage, such as stains, swelling or peeling
• The brand, model or serial number if you can see one
• A line in a running list with roughly when you bought it and what it cost, if you remember

Keep anything you are unsure about. Set it on a dry surface, photograph it and ask before it goes. The order of the rest of the first day is in the first 4 hours after water damage.

Insurance: Read the Policy First

Whether your policy pays for what you throw away depends on the policy and the cause. Angi's summary: "Homeowners insurance may cover water damage if it is sudden and accidental. However, damage that is gradual, such as from slow leaks, or results from a lack of maintenance, negligence, or general wear and tear is typically not covered." It adds that standard policies usually exclude natural floods, which need a separate flood policy (Angi).

The California Department of Insurance puts the reading on you: "Read exclusions in your insurance contract." Its list of perils generally not covered by a homeowners policy includes flood, mold, wear and tear, and water damage from seepage or leaks (CDI, Residential Insurance guide). Policies differ, so yours may read differently. Ask your agent or the insurer before you assume either way.

If there is a claim, California's Residential Property Insurance Bill of Rights lists "an itemized, written scope of loss report prepared by the insurer or its adjuster within a reasonable time period," and 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" (California Insurance Code 10103.5). That is what the statute text says, not legal advice. Ask the adjuster how a contractor you pick will be paid, and get the answer in writing.

Five Mistakes to Avoid

1. Throwing things out before you photograph them. Photos first, curb second.
2. Disinfecting before cleaning. The EPA says to first use clean water and detergent to remove contaminants. Disinfectants "do not work on surfaces that have not been cleaned," and many are not meant for surfaces that absorb water, like fabrics or unfinished wood (EPA).
3. Mixing bleach with anything. The CDC says never mix bleach with ammonia or any other cleaner. The EPA adds chemicals brought in by flood water to that list.
4. Drying the house with an HVAC system that got wet. "If any part of your HVAC system was affected by the flood, do not use it to help dry out your house," says the EPA, which adds that cleaning and drying it is best done by a professional.
5. Closing up too soon. The EPA says not to seal wall cavities that were flooded, and not to paint or seal any wet surface "until you are sure the materials are completely dry on the inside."

The EPA calls flood cleanup "difficult and dangerous work" and says people with asthma or weakened immune systems, children and pregnant people should not take part in it. If you do the sorting yourself after a flood, its gear list is an N-95 respirator, goggles without vent holes, gloves, pants, a long-sleeved shirt and boots or work shoes (EPA).

If you hire help, the EPA's advice is to ask about qualifications, training and experience and check references. One check you can run alone is the IICRC Global Locator. Mr. Fresh is a family-owned business that has served Solano County and the Bay Area since 2013, with IICRC-certified technicians and 24/7 dispatch from Fairfield to Vacaville, Suisun City and the rest of the area.

Frequently Asked Questions