Things like water damage can cause a lot of problems around and within your home. Not only is it a huge hassle to clean up when you find puddles on the floor, but it can also lead to long-term damage if not found and taken care of properly. This can lead to things like having to completely replace your walls, seek foundation repairs, and replace any of your possessions that could have been damaged by the water, such as furniture or boxes of items held in a leaky attic. If you believe you might have water damage in your home, it’s important to call in a restoration service as soon as possible to have the issue assessed and taken care of. Discussed below are signs that indicate you likely need professional help with water damage.

Visible Signs of Water Damage

One of the first signs that you might have water damage can be the visible signs, such as dark or wet spots along your walls, cracking, bubbling, or flaking of your paint or plaster, standing pools of water, or a damp and musty smell. There are also the increased utility bills since the water is constantly running in places it shouldn’t be. Visible signs can also include warped flooring and generally discolored ceilings and walls. These signs will let you know that there is definitely some sort of problem, but on their own, they can also be deceiving. Sometimes only finding one or two indicators of water damage can mean something else is going on. Nevertheless, it’s important to be aware of what water damage looks like before you can truly rule it out as a possibility.

Strong Odors

Strong odors are another sign that indicates you should call in a restoration service immediately. These odors are typically caused by bacteria, such as mold or other fungi that are allowed to grow where it’s dark and moist, leading to other problems in your home if left alone. If your home smells like rotten eggs, mildew, or anything else out of the ordinary, you should call someone to come and take a look.

Standing Puddles of Water

Standing puddles of water are never a good sign for homeowners. Not only does standing water mean you have an excess amount of moisture that needs to be dealt with, but it also means that there is probably some leak somewhere in your home. Whether it’s hidden behind the wall or under the floorboards, or out in the open around the dishwasher or the regular washer, doesn’t matter. It’s important to find and fix these leaks as soon as possible because they will only cause more problems if left alone. The longer the water is allowed to stand there and soak into everything, the more damage it’s able to do, and the more expensive the repairs are going to be.

Your Furniture Is Damaged

Furniture damage is one of the biggest signs of calling for restoration service right away, and often one of the most immediately inconvenient to deal with. If the furniture in any room of the house is soaked, warped, or smells like mildew or mold, then you should get in touch with a restoration company, one like Servpro of Beaufort County, as quickly as you can to find and fix the problem. From the damage, it will be clear there’s some sort of leak in your house, at the very least that room. When there is permanent damage to furniture pieces, there could also be damage to structural and electrical components in the room as well, which can lead to more problems down the road.

In regards to your furniture, it’s best to dry them out as best you can. This includes keeping them in dry temperatures, possibly on the warmer side. Depending on how long the damage has been allowed to last, it’s possible that mold has started to grow. For some surfaces, simply cleaning it off with dish soap and water will be enough. If not, distilled vinegar can be a very powerful cleaning agent. If you’re still having trouble removing the mold, you may have to replace that particular piece or section. This mainly applies to upholstered furniture, such as couches or chairs, as mold is much harder to remove from fabric and porous surfaces than it is from hard ones such as tables or drawers.

Signs of water damage are often deceiving or barely noticeable on their own, especially if you only notice one or two signs that could easily be explained as something else. Dark spots and stains on the ceiling or walls, strong odors, and constant standing puddles of water can be very obvious signs that you have a problem, but they could all mean different things on their own. It’s only when you see them together that most people realize what’s going on, and by then it’s very possible it’s too late and your house is incredibly damaged.

That’s why it’s important that when in doubt, you should try to call for a restoration service’s aid right away. You can take care of your concerns properly, even if it’s just peace of mind or to rule out water damage as a possibility. After all, it’s entirely possible something else is going on with your house, but you won’t know for sure until you can effectively rule different possibilities out. Whether that be a simple consultation or proceeding with having work done will entirely depend on how far the damage has gone.