Use Call Now when you are ready to describe what you found and an independent provider serving the Orlando area will pick up.
Signs of water damage
- Warped, buckled or cupped flooring and swollen baseboards
- A musty smell, especially when the air is still
- Bubbling, peeling or cracking paint and wallpaper
- Soft or crumbling drywall and sagging ceilings
- Brown or yellow stains on ceilings and walls, often with rings
- Higher water bills or the sound of running water when nothing is on
Where to look
- In basements, crawl spaces and garages
- On ceilings below bathrooms, laundry and roofs
- Beneath windows, doors and roof penetrations
- Around the water heater and AC air handler
- Under sinks, around toilets, tubs and appliances
What a restoration inspection covers
- The source and how long the area was wet
- The category and class of the loss
- Which materials can be dried and which must be removed
- A written scope and a documented baseline
- Moisture readings and thermal imaging of affected areas
What to do right now
- Keep receipts and notes of every step
- Stop the source and photograph the damage
- Move belongings out of the wet area
- Call your insurer and a restoration company
- Ventilate if the weather is dry and avoid running fans on contaminated water
Myths and facts
- Myth: fans are enough. Fact: without dehumidifiers the moisture stays in the building.
- Myth: all water is the same. Fact: category 3 water needs special handling.
- Myth: you can wait a week to call. Fact: mold risk rises after a day or two.
- Myth: if it looks dry, it is dry. Fact: wet framing and insulation can hide behind a dry-looking surface.
- Myth: insurance covers every leak. Fact: policies differ on causes and exclusions.
A checklist for this week
- Photograph the main rooms for a home inventory
- Check the AC drain line and the drain pan
- Clean gutters and make sure downspouts discharge away from the house
- Review your insurance policy for water damage and flood coverage
- Check under sinks, around the water heater and behind the toilet for leaks
- Locate the main water shutoff and make sure everyone knows where it is
Restoration terms explained
- Pack-out: moving contents off site for cleaning and storage
- Dry standard: the moisture reading that matches comparable dry materials
- LGR dehumidifier: a low-grain refrigerant dehumidifier used in most drying jobs
- Mitigation: actions that stop damage from growing, such as extraction and drying
- Flood cut: cutting drywall a set height above the water line to remove wet material
- IICRC S500: the industry standard for water damage restoration
- Reconstruction: the repairs that rebuild finishes after mitigation
- Air mover: a high-velocity fan used to move air across wet surfaces
What shapes the written scope
Losses never match exactly, so look for a written scope that states the findings and the factors that applied. With that, you can compare estimates fairly.
- Access, the number of rooms and levels, and any contents that need to be moved or cleaned
- The source of the water and how long materials stayed wet
- The water category: clean, gray or contaminated
- The materials affected: drywall, insulation, carpet, hardwood, subfloor, cabinets
- The class of the loss, which depends on how much material is wet and how fast it will dry
Safety, contamination and the standards
Professional water damage restoration follows the IICRC S500 standard, which defines water categories, loss classes and drying goals. Water from a supply line starts clean but becomes more contaminated the longer it sits, whereas sewage and flood water are always treated as contaminated.
Do not touch electrical equipment while standing in water, and do not use household vacuums on water. If there is sewage, a gas smell or structural movement, leave and call for help. Wear gloves and boots in affected areas and keep children and pets out.
Questions to ask a restoration company
- What will you remove and what will you dry in place?
- What water category and loss class do you assess, and why?
- Is repair included, or only mitigation, and who does the rebuild?
- What is your dry standard, and who confirms it?
- What do you document for my insurer?
What to do before the crew arrives in Orlando
- Take photos and videos of the damage and the source before you move anything
- Open windows for air if the weather is dry, but do not run fans on contaminated water
- Move valuables, papers and electronics to a dry place
- Turn off electricity to wet areas at the breaker only if you can reach the panel without standing in water
- Stop the source if you can do so safely, and shut off the main water supply if a pipe has failed
Mistakes that make water damage worse
- Treating sewage or flood water as clean water.
- Covering wet materials with paint, flooring or baseboard before they are dry.
- Throwing out evidence before the insurer sees it. Photograph first.
- Waiting. Materials that stay wet for more than a day or two risk mold and permanent damage.
- Drying with household fans only. Without dehumidification the moisture just moves into the air and other materials.
When to call a professional
Water that has been present for more than a day, water from a dirty source, damage to walls, ceilings or flooring over a large area, and a musty smell are all reasons to call. Use Call Now at the top of the page and describe what happened, and an independent restoration company will answer, confirm your address and assess the property in person.
What this means for a home in Orlando
Orlando has a hot, humid subtropical climate with daily summer thunderstorms and a hurricane season from June through November. Most homes are built on concrete slabs with stucco walls, so leaks often show up at baseboards, floors and ceilings.
AC systems run for much of the year, and clogged condensate drains are a frequent source of ceiling and wall water damage. High humidity slows drying and supports mold if wet materials are not dried quickly. Ask each provider how these local details bear on your house, and use them to judge the advice you are given.
Getting help in Orlando and nearby cities
Through Water Damage Restoration in Orlando, you can reach independent restoration companies near Orlando, Florida and in places such as Winter Park, Kissimmee, Apopka, Oviedo and Altamonte Springs, with coverage checked address by address.
Use Call Now at the top of the page and describe what happened. The provider confirms your address, assesses the damage and puts the scope in writing.
Keep reading
Related pages for Orlando homeowners: Comparing damage restoration quotes; Moisture inspection; Water damage restoration; Interior repair after water damage. For the area list, see the service areas page.