When it’s your belongings or business on the line, you do not have the luxury of time when it comes to disaster cleanup. This is especially true when water damage has come into play, which can happen from various events such as flooding, appliance and/or plumbing failures, storm damage and fire damage, as water is used to put out the fires.

It only takes mere minutes for water to spread throughout your property, where it will saturate anything and everything in its path. The walls, the floors, upholstery and your belongings are fast casualties of water.

The effects of water damage within the first 24 hours include:

• Drywall beginning to swell and break down
• Metal surfaces beginning to tarnish
• Furniture beginning to swell and crack
• Dyes and inks from cloth and paper items spreading and staining
• The beginning of a musty odor

As time goes on, the damage will continue to worsen. Between 48 hours and a week later, you could begin to see:

• The growth and spreading of mold and mildew
• Swelling and warping of doors, windows and studs
• Metal beginning to rust and corrode
• Paint beginning to blister
• Wood flooring swelling and warping
• The possibilities of serious biohazard contamination

If water damage is left unchecked for over a week, it will lead to dramatically increased restoration costs and time, as well as impact structural safety.