Water Damage Restoration Guides · Water Damage Restoration Guides

Cleaning Up After Water Damage: What Not to Do

After a water loss, the urge to start cleaning up straight away is strong, and it is understandable. Water is on the floor, belongings are getting wet, and doing something feels better than waiting. But some of the things people do first after a water loss are the things that cause the most harm: to themselves, to the home, and to the work that follows. Knowing what not to do is as important as knowing what to do, and it is the subject of this guide.

📞 Call Now — (888) 855-7081 All Water Damage Restoration Services

✓ Written for California homeowners
✓ Visit first, then a plan
✓ Call to arrange a visit

This guide sets out the things homeowners should not do after a water loss: do not enter a flooded building, do not handle electrics in standing water, do not clean up sewage yourself, and do not use a household vacuum on standing water. Each point is explained in general terms, and each one ends with the same advice: call a professional.

Do not enter a flooded building

Do not enter a building that is flooded, and do not wade through standing water inside a home. Floodwater can hide sharp debris under the surface, it can be deeper than it looks, and it can be in contact with electrical outlets, switches, or appliances. A floor that has been under water can be slippery, or damaged, or weakened, and it may not hold your weight. The water itself may be contaminated, carrying sewage, chemicals, or debris that you cannot see.

If water is still rising, leave the property by a dry route if you can do so safely, and call for help. Do not try to save belongings from a flooded room, because the risk is not worth it, and belongings that have been in floodwater need professional cleaning in any case. If the water has stopped rising and you are outside the flooded area, keep the doors to the affected rooms closed, so that the water does not get tracked into clean rooms. The flood damage cleanup page describes the professional response in general terms, and it starts with the same message: stay out, and call a professional.

Do not handle electrics in standing water

Do not handle electrical items in or near standing water, and do not step into water to reach a switch, a socket, or a breaker panel. Water and electricity together are a serious hazard, and the risk is not visible: water that looks harmless can be carrying current from an appliance, a socket, or a damaged cable. Do not unplug appliances that are standing in water, do not switch off lights from inside a flooded room, and do not touch any electrical item that has been in contact with water.

If the water is near electrics, stay out and call for help. Shut off water or power only if it is safe to do so from a dry place, and never wade in to do it. If you can reach the main shut-off for the water from a dry place, do so, because that stops more water from entering the home. If you cannot, leave it to a professional. The same rule applies to gas appliances: if you smell gas, leave the property and call for help from outside. No belonging, and no attempt to limit the damage, is worth the risk of handling electrics in standing water.

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

Do not clean up sewage yourself

Do not try to clean up sewage yourself, whatever its size. Sewage is Category 3 black water, and it carries bacteria and other contaminants that can cause illness. A household mop and bucket cannot remove it safely, and cleaning products from a supermarket shelf are not a substitute for professional cleaning. Mopping spreads the contaminated water across the floor and into grout and skirting boards, and it does not deal with the contamination that has soaked into porous materials.

The sewage cleanup page describes the professional response in general terms, and it carries the same safety message as this guide: avoid contact, do not enter contaminated water, and call a professional. Keep children and pets out of the affected area, keep the door closed, and do not handle belongings that have been in the water. The cleanup covers the removal of the contaminated water, the removal of affected materials where necessary, cleaning, and drying, and it is done with protective equipment and with the contaminated materials handled so that they do not spread into clean areas.

Do not use a household vacuum on standing water

Do not use a household vacuum on standing water, even a wet-and-dry vacuum, unless a professional has told you to. A household vacuum is not designed for the volume of water in a flood or a major leak, and it can be damaged by the water, or can become a hazard itself if the water reaches its electrical parts. A vacuum used on contaminated water spreads the contamination into the air and onto other surfaces, and it contaminates the vacuum, which then needs to be dealt with as contaminated equipment.

The same rule applies to mopping up large volumes of water with towels or a household mop. A mop can deal with a small spill, but it cannot deal with standing water across a room, and it spreads the water into grout, skirting boards, and the edges of the room as it goes. Standing water needs professional removal, and the emergency water removal service covers that in general terms. Homeowners in water damage restoration in Los Angeles and across California should remember the same rule after any water loss: the things not to do are the things that put people at risk, and the safe course is to stay out of the water, keep the family away from it, and call a professional.

The safe order of events

The safe order of events after a water loss is worth knowing before the water arrives, because it is hard to think clearly when the floor is wet and the household is in a hurry. Stay out of any water that may be contaminated, and keep children and pets out of it. Do not handle electrics in standing water, and do not step into water to reach a switch or a shut-off. Shut off the water if it can be done safely from a dry place. Keep the doors to the affected rooms closed, so that the water does not get tracked into clean rooms. Then call a professional, and let the inspection decide what happens next.

That order matters because each step protects the next one. Staying out of the water protects the family. Shutting off the water from a dry place stops more water from entering the home. Keeping the doors closed stops the contamination from spreading. Calling a professional brings the equipment and the protective gear that the job needs. Waiting for the professional, rather than starting the cleanup yourself, is not doing nothing. It is the safest thing to do, and it is the step that makes the professional's job smaller, because the water has not been spread into clean rooms and the contamination has not been disturbed.

When the professional arrives, tell them what happened, in the order it happened, because the history is what the inspection follows. Say when the water arrived, where it came from as best you can tell, how deep it was, and whether it may be contaminated. Say what was done first, whether the water was shut off, and whether anyone has entered the affected area. Those details help the professional judge the job, and they are the details that are hardest to remember later if they are not noted at the time. A note made in the first minutes after a loss, even a short one, is worth more than a memory reconstructed a week later.

Key Takeaways

Do not enter a building that is flooded, and do not wade through standing water inside a home.
Do not handle electrical items in or near standing water, and do not step into water to reach a switch, a socket, or a breaker panel.
Do not try to clean up sewage yourself, whatever its size.
Do not use a household vacuum on standing water, even a wet-and-dry vacuum, unless a professional has told you to.
The safe order of events after a water loss is worth knowing before the water arrives, because it is hard to think clearly when the floor is wet and the household is in a hurry.

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 Emergency Water Removal page explains what that service covers, and the Water Damage Restoration page explains what that service covers, and the services hub lists every service in one place.

Do not use a household vacuum on standing water 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 fixtures home.

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