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Water Damage in a Home with Children or Pets: Safety First

A water loss in a home with children or pets is a different kind of problem from the same loss in a home without them, because the people at risk are the ones least able to judge the danger. A child will walk into a room without thinking about what is on the floor. A dog will drink from a puddle. A cat will walk through standing water and then through the rest of the house. The steps that keep them safe are simple, but they need to be taken straight away, before anyone has had a chance to come into contact with the water.

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This guide sets out those steps in general terms: keep children away from standing and contaminated water, keep pets away too, do not enter flooded rooms, and call a professional. It gives no health advice beyond avoiding contact with contaminated water. The steps here are about keeping the family safe while professional help is arranged.

Keep children away from standing and contaminated water

Children are more likely than adults to come into contact with standing water, and less likely to understand the danger. A young child will walk into a flooded room, will touch the water, and will then touch their face, their toys, and their food. An older child may try to help, by mopping up the water or by moving belongings out of the room, and that help puts them in contact with water that may be contaminated. The safest course is to keep children out of the affected area entirely, and to keep the door to that room closed.

If the affected area is a room the family needs to pass through, find another route, even if it is less convenient. If the water has reached a bedroom or a playroom, move the children to another part of the house, and keep their toys, bedding, and clothes out of the affected area. If a child has come into contact with sewage or floodwater, wash the skin thoroughly with soap and clean water, and change any clothes that got wet. This guide gives no health advice beyond avoiding contact, and any health concern should be taken to a medical professional.

Keep pets away too

Pets need the same care as children, because they behave in the same way around standing water. A dog will drink from a puddle, will walk through it, and will then walk through the rest of the house, spreading the contamination on its paws. A cat will do the same, and will then groom itself, taking the contamination into its mouth. A pet that has been in sewage or floodwater needs to be kept out of the affected area, and needs to be washed if it has come into contact with the water.

Move pet beds, food bowls, and toys out of the affected area if you can do so without stepping in the water, and wash any bedding or bowls that may have been splashed. Keep the door to the affected room closed, so that pets cannot wander in while no one is watching. If a pet has drunk floodwater or sewage water, or has come into contact with it and seems unwell, seek veterinary guidance. The same rule that applies to children applies to pets: the affected area is out of bounds until a professional has dealt with it.

Water Damage in a Home with Children or Pets: Safety First — California water damage restoration guide

Do not enter flooded rooms

Do not enter a room where water is standing, and do not wade through it to reach something on the other side. The water 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. Children should not be sent into a flooded room to fetch something, and adults should not go in to save belongings, because the risk is not worth it, and belongings that have been in floodwater need professional cleaning in any case.

If water is near any electrical item, do not touch the item, do not step into the water to reach a switch, and do not try to shut off power from inside the flooded area. 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. 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.

Call a professional

Calling a professional is the step that deals with the problem, and it should come as soon as the family is safe and the affected area is closed off. A professional visit covers the removal of the 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. The water damage restoration service covers the wider response in general terms, and the emergency water removal service covers the removal of standing water.

While you wait, keep the affected area closed, keep children and pets out of it, and do not try to start the cleanup yourself. Take a note of when the water arrived, which rooms were affected, and whether the water is still coming, because those details help the professional judge the job. Homeowners in water damage restoration in Sacramento and across California can use the same steps after any water loss in a home with children or pets: protect the family first, keep everyone out of the water, and call a professional.

A family routine after a water loss

A family routine after a water loss is worth agreeing in advance, because it is hard to organise a household when the water is on the floor and everyone is in a hurry. Decide who does what: who calls the professional, who keeps the children and the pets out of the affected area, who closes the doors to the affected rooms, and who notes what happened and when. Keep the routine simple, and keep it written down where it can be found, because a routine that is agreed in advance is a routine that is followed, and a routine that is improvised in the moment is a routine that is forgotten.

After the professional leaves, the routine continues: keep the affected area closed off, keep children and pets out of it, and check the room again in the weeks that follow. Teach children not to enter a room where water is standing, and teach them to tell an adult if they find water where it should not be. Keep a record of what happened, when it happened, and what was done, because the record is useful for the next visit and for any insurance claim. A family that has a routine is a family that acts quickly and safely, and a family that acts quickly and safely is a family that gives the home the best chance of recovering well.

Pets deserve the same care as children, because they behave in the same way around standing water, and they need the same protection. A dog that has walked through contaminated water should have its paws washed with soap and clean water, and a cat that has done the same should be kept from grooming itself until it has been cleaned. Move pet beds, food bowls, and toys out of the affected area, and wash any bedding or bowls that may have been splashed. If a pet has drunk floodwater or sewage water, or has come into contact with it and seems unwell, seek veterinary guidance, because this guide gives no health advice beyond avoiding contact, and any concern about a pet should be taken to a vet.

Key Takeaways

Children are more likely than adults to come into contact with standing water, and less likely to understand the danger.
Pets need the same care as children, because they behave in the same way around standing water.
Do not enter a room where water is standing, and do not wade through it to reach something on the other side.
Calling a professional is the step that deals with the problem, and it should come as soon as the family is safe and the affected area is closed off.
A family routine after a water loss is worth agreeing in advance, because it is hard to organise a household when the water is on the floor and everyone 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 Water Damage Restoration 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 Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA for one local example, or find your town on the service areas page.