What Should I Do Immediately After Water Damage?

The first hour after water damage decides how big the restoration job becomes. Most homeowners freeze for the first fifteen minutes because they do not know where to start. This is the sequence professionals use — follow it in order.

Step 1: Stop the Water (If Safe)

Find the water main and shut it off. For most Toronto homes, the main shutoff valve is in the basement near the front wall, usually close to the water meter. Turn it clockwise until the water stops. If you cannot find it or cannot reach it safely, call the City of Toronto emergency water line at 311 — they can shut water at the street.

For specific source failures: for a burst sink or toilet supply, the local shutoff valve is usually under the fixture. For a hot water tank rupture, there is a shutoff above the tank. For a washing machine hose, valves are behind the machine.

Step 2: Cut Power to Wet Areas

At your electrical panel, shut off breakers feeding any area with standing water or soaked drywall. Do not enter rooms with water touching outlets, appliances, or floor receptacles until power is off. Electrocution risk is real — especially in a flooded basement where the furnace, hot water tank, and laundry circuits all sit in water.

Step 3: Document Everything Before You Move Anything

Take photos and video of every affected area before you touch anything. Wide shots of each room, close-ups of damaged materials, photos showing how far the water spread. This documentation is what your insurance adjuster will reference for the claim scope. If you rush to clean up, you lose evidence.

Step 4: Call a Restoration Company

Call before you call your insurance company. The restoration company needs to be on-site within the first hour — that is the window where most of the preventable damage happens. A professional crew arrives with industrial extractors, fans, and dehumidifiers, and starts the mitigation that your policy expects you to begin immediately under its duty-to-mitigate clause.

Our 24/7 line is (647) 424-5549. A real technician answers, not a service.

Step 5: Move What You Can Off the Floor

While waiting for the crew, move furniture, electronics, rugs, and valuables off wet floors. Lift curtains that are touching wet carpet. Put aluminum foil or wood blocks under furniture legs to prevent staining on hardwood. Do not try to extract water yourself with a shop-vac unless you are certain the electrical is off.

Step 6: Open the Claim

Call your insurance company and open the claim. Have your policy number ready and be prepared to describe what happened, when, and what the source was. The adjuster will assign a claim number — that goes to the restoration company for coordination. See our insurance claims page for the full claims process.

What Not to Do

• Do not use household fans in a sealed room — they just circulate moisture and can actually speed mold growth
• Do not pull up carpet or tear out drywall before the adjuster and restoration crew have documented the damage
• Do not throw away damaged items until they are inventoried for insurance
• Do not run the HVAC system if water has entered any ductwork — the system will spread contamination through the house
• Do not wait until Monday morning for a weekend emergency — the 48-72 hour window for mold growth is real

Why the First Hour Matters So Much

Materials wet for under 4 hours mostly survive. Materials wet for 24 hours need aggressive drying to save. Materials wet for 48-72 hours usually cannot be saved and mold begins to grow. The difference between calling within 30 minutes and calling the next day is often the difference between a $4,000 restoration and a $12,000 one.

That is why we built our operation around fast response — our water damage restoration service is 24/7 with a 45-minute target across the GTA. When you call, we dispatch immediately and stay on the line to guide you through these first steps until we arrive.