What to Throw Out and What to Save After a Flood

Deciding what to throw away after a flood comes down to three things: how dirty the water was, whether the item is porous, and how long it stayed wet. Porous items soaked by sewage or outdoor floodwater go, including carpet pad, mattresses, upholstered furniture and wet drywall. Hard, non-porous items such as metal, glass, solid wood and hard plastic can usually be cleaned and kept. Photograph everything before any of it leaves the house.

Before you throw anything out: document it

This step protects your insurance claim, so do it first unless an item is a health hazard where it sits.

1. Call your insurer or broker and ask what they need before items are discarded. Some adjusters want to see certain things in person.
2. Photograph and video each room, then each damaged item, including labels, model numbers and serial numbers.
3. Write a list as you go: what it is, the brand, roughly how old it is and what you paid if you know.
4. For carpet and flooring, cut and keep a small sample if your insurer asks for one.
5. Keep receipts for anything you buy or rent for the cleanup.

What to throw away after a flood with contaminated water

If the water came from the sewer, from outside over the ground, or sat for days, these items generally cannot be cleaned well enough to keep:

• Carpet underpad, and carpet that was soaked with sewage or floodwater.
• Mattresses, box springs, pillows and foam.
• Upholstered sofas and chairs.
• Particleboard and MDF furniture, which swells and crumbles once soaked.
• Drywall and insulation that got wet.
• Cardboard boxes, paper goods and most books and magazines of no special value.
• Stuffed toys and soft baby items.
• Food that touched the water, including anything in cardboard, plastic wrap, screw-top jars or home canning.
• Medications, cosmetics and toiletries that got wet.
• Laminate flooring, which does not survive soaking.

Public health guidance on flooded food is strict for a good reason. If you are unsure about a food item, discard it. Your local public health unit publishes specific advice on canned goods and how to sanitize them.

What can usually be saved

• Solid wood furniture, once cleaned and dried slowly. Finishes may need work later.
• Metal furniture, shelving and tools. Dry them promptly and oil tools to prevent rust.
• Glass, ceramic and china.
• Dishes, pots and cutlery, after washing and sanitizing.
• Hard plastic bins and toys that can be scrubbed and disinfected.
• Clothing, bedding and towels, washed in hot water with detergent, separately from other laundry. Repeat the wash if odour remains.
• Concrete, brick and wood framing, which are cleaned, disinfected where needed and dried as part of the mitigation work.

Items that depend on the situation

Some things fall in between, and the answer turns on the water type and how fast you acted.

• Carpet wet with clean water for a short time can often be dried and kept, with new pad underneath.
• Area rugs of value can be sent for professional washing, even after dirty water in some cases.
• Hardwood flooring sometimes recovers from clean water if dried quickly. Check it with a moisture meter before deciding.
• Appliances and electronics that sat in water should not be plugged in until a qualified technician or electrician has checked them. Furnaces and water heaters that were flooded need inspection by a licensed technician.
• Photos and important papers can often be rescued. Separate them, lay them flat to air dry, or seal them in bags and freeze them until a document restorer can look at them.
• Clean-water drywall that was wet briefly may be dried in place if readings come down in time.

Sentimental items deserve a second look before they go in the bin. Rinse them off, set them aside in a dry spot and decide later. The things you cannot replace are worth the extra effort.

Handling and disposal

Wear waterproof gloves, boots and a mask when handling items that touched dirty water, and wash up afterward. Bag small items before carrying them through the house so they do not drip on clean floors. Move discarded items outside promptly, since wet contents left indoors keep the humidity up and give mold a place to start. Check your municipality's rules for bulk pickup or drop-off of flood debris and for appliances, because requirements differ between London and the surrounding towns.

How the building materials get decided

Contents are your call. The structure is where measurements help. We use a moisture meter and thermal camera to see which walls, floors and framing are wet, remove what cannot be saved for that type of water under IICRC S500 practice, and dry the rest to under 16% wood moisture content with daily logged readings. You get before and after photos, readings and an itemized invoice you can submit to your insurer. Most water damage jobs here run $1,950 to $11,000, and a firm written quote goes out within 2 hours of you sending photos, between 7 am and 9 pm.

Start with the camera, then the list. Once every room is photographed, begin with the wet cardboard and soft furnishings and work toward the harder decisions.

Common questions