If your home recently suffered a flood, you might be asking, “How long does it take for water damage to dry?” On average, it takes about three days (72 hours) for a room to dry out. However, this timeframe depends on several factors, including the size of the room and the severity of the damage. Water damage in a home is often overwhelming, but all it takes is hiring the right people for the job to mitigate the damage.
Here’s what you need to know about water damage and how it is handled.
Common Causes of Water Damage in Home
Before we dive into how long it takes to get rid of water damage, let’s review what commonly causes it.
Water damage can be caused by many different factors. These factors include burst pipes, leaky sinks, poor weather conditions, and broken appliances. As such, water damage is not limited to just one area. Instead, water damage can occur everywhere, including your basement, attic, bedroom, and bathroom.
Another common place to look for water damage is actually in your closets. The walls inside your closet usually house your home’s pipes. If one of these pipes bursts, it could be a long time before you notice water damage in this area.
How to Dry Your Home After Water Damage
The dishwasher in your kitchen burst open and now water is leaking onto the floor. Your pipes burst and now there’s water everywhere. An unexpected but severe thunderstorm led to a leaky ceiling. If you’re dealing with one of these situations, you’re going to want to know how to properly clean up.
Before you can dry out the room, you first have to make sure to wipe up the water. Cleaning up after a broken dishwasher is going to be easy. Other types of water damage caused by burst pipes or poor weather may be more difficult and require the help of a water damage restoration team.
Regardless of the severity, there are several options you can take to dry out a room anytime you’re dealing with water damage:
Open the Windows
If you suffered water damage, the easiest way to dry out the affected room is to open the windows. This is especially beneficial if you have a cross breeze, so fresh air is hitting the room from all sides.
If you opt for this method, be mindful of the weather. Don’t do this when the forecast is calling for either rain or humidity. Rain will just make it harder for the area to dry. Humidity can actually foster mold growth. Mold loves moisture and humidity. When those two elements are present, it makes it very easy for mold to grow and spread. When it does, you’re going to have to call in a mold remediation team to treat it.
Turn on the Fan
If you don’t want to open up the windows, or you did but aren’t seeing any progress, then try plugging in a fan. If you opt for this method, you’re going to want to get a heavy-duty and high-powered fan. This kind of fan will work best for quickly drying out a wet space.
Keep in mind that this method is usually geared for smaller rooms, like a bedroom or bathroom. If your home was damaged in a flood, a fan will be too small for the job.
Plug in a Dehumidifier
While a dehumidifier alone won’t be able to dry out your room, you should plug one in (if it is safe to do so, of course). As briefly mentioned above, mold thrives on both moisture and humidity.
After a flood or other type of water damage, it’s common for the air to hold moisture. So, even if you keep the windows open and dry out the room, you could still be facing the threat of mold.
If you’re setting out to dry your room, don’t forget to also plug in the dehumidifier. The dehumidifier will grab excess moisture from the air. In other words, the dehumidifier will dry the air while the other methods dry the walls and carpet.
Treat Water Damage in Home with the Pros at PNW Restoration
Dealing with water damage in the home can be frustrating and time-consuming. Luckily, the team at PNW Restoration makes the process of treating water damage in the home easy.
Whether big or small, we can handle it all. Just give us a call at (971) 247-3381 to set up an appointment. Our team is proud to offer 24/7 emergency response in the event of a flood.
The team at PNW Restoration provides water damage services to residents of Portland, Gresham, Tigard, and Lake Oswego, OR. Let us know what you need help with, and we’ll get to work.
