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Cleaning Up After Water Damage: What Not to Do

After a water loss, the urge to start cleaning up straight away is strong. The house is wet, belongings are at risk, and doing something feels better than waiting. But some of the things a homeowner might do first are the things that cause the most harm, either to the person doing them or to the house itself. Knowing what not to do is as important as knowing what to do, and it is often more important in the first hour, when the damage is fresh and the risks are highest.

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This guide sets out what homeowners should not do after a water loss, in general terms. It is not a cleanup guide, and it gives no DIY advice for sewage or floodwater. For the service that handles the loss itself, the water damage restoration page sets out what is offered in general terms.

Do not enter a flooded building

Do not enter a building that is flooded, and do not wade through standing water to reach a room, a shut-off valve, or a belonging. Floodwater is not safe water: it may carry sewage, chemicals and debris, and it may hide sharp objects, open drains, or uneven floors under the surface. The water may also be deeper than it looks, and it may be moving. A building that has been flooded may also have structural damage that is not visible from the doorway, such as a weakened floor or a ceiling that is ready to come down.

If water is near electrics, stay out and call for help. Do not go in to switch off the power, and do not touch electrical items, switches or sockets in or near standing water. Shut off water or power only if it is safe to do so from a dry place, never by wading in to do it. The first step after a flood is a call, not an entry, and the people who enter a flooded building are the people who do this work as their trade, with the right approach for the job.

Do not handle electrics in standing water

Water and electricity are a dangerous combination, and standing water in a house should be treated as live until a professional says otherwise. Do not touch switches, sockets, appliances or light fittings that are in or near standing water, and do not unplug an appliance that is standing in water. Do not use a household vacuum, a mop with a metal handle, or any electrical equipment in a wet area. Even a small amount of water around an appliance is enough to be dangerous, and the risk is not visible.

If an appliance has been in water, do not switch it on to see whether it still works. Leave it where it is, keep everyone away from it, and let a professional deal with it as part of the cleanup. Homeowners in Odessa and across the state who find water near electrics should stay out of the room and call for help, rather than trying to deal with the electrics themselves. The power can be dealt with from a dry place, or by the utility, and there is no reason to take the risk in person.

Cleaning Up After Water Damage: What Not to Do — Texas water damage guide

Do not clean up sewage yourself

Do not try to clean up sewage yourself. Sewage is Category 3 black water, treated as a health hazard, and the cleanup is professional-only. That applies whether the sewage is from a backup, a toilet overflow, or floodwater that has brought sewage into the house. Avoid all contact with the water, do not enter contaminated water, keep children and pets away from it, and call a professional. Mopping, vacuuming or scrubbing sewage with household equipment does not make it safe; it spreads contamination through the house and brings the person doing it into contact with the water.

The same applies to anything the sewage has touched. Do not try to wash and reuse soft furnishings, clothing or toys that have been soaked in sewage, and do not carry wet items through dry rooms. Leave the affected area as it is, close it off if you can, and let the professional cleanup deal with the water, the affected materials, the cleaning and the drying. The sewage cleanup page explains the service in general terms, and it is the service to call for this kind of loss.

Do not use a household vacuum on standing water

Do not use a household vacuum on standing water. A household vacuum is not built for water, and using one on a wet floor can damage the machine and put the person using it at risk, especially where the water is near electrics or where the floor is wet through to the wiring underneath. A wet and dry vacuum is a different tool, but even that is not the right move for floodwater or sewage, because that water is Category 3 and the cleanup is professional-only. The right tool for standing water is the equipment a professional crew brings with them.

There are other things worth not doing as well. Do not paint over a stain or a patch of growth to hide it, because that does not deal with the moisture underneath. Do not seal a damp room up and forget about it. Do not start repairs, such as new flooring or new drywall, before the property is dry, because repair work on a damp structure will not hold. And do not throw away damaged materials that an insurer may want to see, until the adjuster advises otherwise. An emergency water removal visit covers the removal of standing water, and it is the first stage of dealing with a loss properly.

What to do instead

What to do instead of the things this guide warns against is, in most cases, a short list: stay out of the water, keep children and pets away from it, shut off the water or the power only if it is safe to do so from a dry place, and call a professional. Those four steps cover most water losses, and they are worth remembering in the first hour, when the damage is fresh and the urge to start cleaning up is strongest. The call is the step that sets the rest in motion, and it is the step that should come first, before any attempt to deal with the water itself.

While you wait for help, the useful steps are the quiet ones: take photos of the affected rooms before anything is moved, note when the loss was discovered and where the water came from, keep damaged materials until the adjuster advises otherwise, and keep the affected area closed off. Those steps do not deal with the water, but they deal with the record, and the record is what the restoration and any insurance claim are built on. Do not start repairs, do not paint over stains, and do not throw away damaged materials until you have been advised to. The professional who comes will deal with the water, the drying, the cleaning and the repair, in that order, and the household's part is to keep everyone safe and to keep the record straight until they arrive. The things this guide warns against are the things that feel most natural in the first hour after a water loss, and that is what makes them worth warning against. Entering a flooded room to rescue a belonging, touching a switch in standing water, mopping up sewage with household equipment, and using a vacuum on a wet floor are all acts that feel like helping, but each of them brings a person into contact with water that should have been avoided, or spreads contamination through a house that should have been kept clean. The help that matters in the first hour is the help that keeps people safe: staying out of the water, keeping children and pets away from it, shutting off water or power only from a dry place, and calling a professional. Those are the steps that set the restoration in motion, and they are the steps that should come first, before any attempt to deal with the water itself.

Key Takeaways

Do not enter a building that is flooded, and do not wade through standing water to reach a room, a shut-off valve, or a belonging.
Water and electricity are a dangerous combination, and standing water in a house should be treated as live until a professional says otherwise.
Do not try to clean up sewage yourself.
Do not use a household vacuum on standing water.
What to do instead of the things this guide warns against is, in most cases, a short list: stay out of the water, keep children and pets away from it, shut off the water or the power only if it is safe to do so from a dry place, and call a professional.

Your Next Step

If this guide matches what you found at home, the next step is a visit — not a guess. Call and describe what you found, and the visit is arranged from what you describe. The Water Damage Restoration page explains what that service covers, and the flood damage cleanup page explains how flood water is removed and the rooms are dried.

Do not step in standing water near electrical outlets or appliances while you wait, and if water is still coming in, turn off the shut-off valve for that fixture where you can reach it safely.

Keep the guides on this site bookmarked: the first guide, the signs guide, and the preparation guide cover the checks worth repeating — after moving in, and after bringing used appliances home.

Water damage help is available across Texas. See water damage restoration in Comanche, TX for one local example, or find your town on the service areas page.