Answers to the questions we get most.

Usually, yes, as long as the damage was sudden and accidental: a burst pipe, a failed water heater, a washing machine hose that split. Policies generally exclude gradual damage, like a slow leak that ran for months or deferred maintenance, and they exclude flooding from outside, which needs a separate flood policy. When we inspect, we document the cause of loss carefully, because that's the first thing the adjuster looks at.

Yes. On covered losses we bill your insurer directly, so you're not writing a large check and waiting for reimbursement. You pay your deductible and we settle the rest with the carrier, backed by the photos, moisture readings, and daily drying logs adjusters ask for. You don't need a claim to hire us, though. A lot of our residential work is paid directly by the homeowner.

Yes. The deductible is your agreed share of a covered loss, and it applies before insurance pays anything. Be wary of any contractor offering to waive or absorb it; that misrepresents the claim and can put you at risk. If the damage is small enough that filing makes no sense against your deductible, we'll say so after the free inspection.

Four things: photos of the damage before work starts, moisture readings from every affected material, daily drying logs, and an itemized scope of what was done and why. We produce all of it as we work, and you get copies whether or not you file. If a failed part caused the loss, like a supply line or a burst hose, keep it, because adjusters often ask to see it.

You can push back. Denials usually argue the damage was gradual or maintenance-related, and a re-inspection with our documentation (photos, moisture readings, notes on the cause of loss) sometimes changes the outcome. If the denial stands, we'll walk you through what the work requires and what can safely wait. The inspection and estimate cost nothing either way.

No, and your policy almost certainly agrees. Insurers require you to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage, so extraction and drying should start promptly instead of several days later, once materials have soaked through and mold has had time to start. We photograph and document everything before and during mitigation, so the adjuster sees what condition the property was in.

Stop the water if you safely can, at the main shut-off or the fixture valve. If water is near outlets, cut power to that area at the breaker, but never stand in water to do it. Move what you can off wet floors, and don't run a household vacuum on standing water. Then call (845) 262-6530; the sooner extraction starts, the more we can save.

Same day, usually within hours. When you call, a person answers, asks what happened, and gives you an arrival window based on where you are and what's already on the schedule. The truck comes loaded for extraction and drying, so work starts as soon as we're in the door.

Often yes. Clean water from a supply line, contained to one area, usually doesn't mean leaving home. Clear out or stay away when there's sewage or outside floodwater, electricity in contact with water, or a sagging ceiling that could come down. During drying our equipment is loud but safe to live around, and at inspection we'll tell you plainly which situation you're in.

Find the main shut-off valve now, before you need it. In most homes around here it's in the basement where the water line enters, near the meter: a round wheel handle or a lever. Turn the wheel clockwise, or turn the lever a quarter-turn so it sits across the pipe. For a single fixture, use the small valve under the sink or behind the toilet. If the main is stuck or you can't find it, call your water utility.

The line is answered 8am to 6pm, Sunday through Friday, and you get us rather than an answering service. If water comes in overnight, shut off the main valve if you can reach it safely, move what you can out of the wet area, and call when we open at 8am — morning emergency calls are dispatched first and get same-day response. If the situation is dangerous, call 911 or your utility company.

No. We're a Shabbat-observant business, so the phones are off on Saturday. The other six days, the line is answered 8am to 6pm. If water damage happens on Saturday, shut off the main valve, move what you can out of the wet area, and leave a message — Saturday messages are the first ones we return when we reopen. If the situation is dangerous, call 911 or your utility company rather than waiting for us.

Three to five days for most homes. It depends on what got wet, since drywall and carpet dry faster than hardwood, plaster, or subfloor, and on how long the water sat first. We take moisture readings daily and keep equipment running until the wet materials match dry ones nearby, not until the surface feels dry. Pulling equipment early leaves moisture inside the wall.

It depends on the water and how long it sat. Clean supply water extracted quickly usually means the carpet survives, though the pad underneath typically gets replaced, since it holds water like a sponge and costs less to replace than to dry. Water that sat for days, sewage, or outside floodwater means the carpet comes out, because that's contamination rather than a drying problem. We'll tell you which one you have at the inspection.

With moisture meters and thermal imaging. Water moves through drywall, along subfloor, and into wall cavities that look fine from inside the room. The meters test the materials themselves, thermal imaging shows the cool damp areas behind walls and under floors, and we dry against what those readings show. A surface that feels dry tells you very little; the reading inside the material is what decides when drying is done.

It's the industry scale for how contaminated the water is. Category 1 is clean water from a supply line or water heater, the easiest case. Category 2 is "gray" water with some contamination: washing machine discharge, dishwasher overflow, tub water. Category 3 is "black" water, meaning sewage and outside flooding, and it's treated as contaminated no matter how clear it looks. The category decides what can be dried and saved and what has to come out.

It can. Growth can start on wet materials within 24 to 72 hours, which is why drying should start the same day. If everything dried fast and completely, verified with moisture readings, mold is unlikely. If materials stayed damp inside walls or under floors, that's where growth shows up. A musty smell weeks after a leak usually means something didn't fully dry, and it's worth a look.

Mold can irritate eyes, nose, and throat, trigger allergic reactions like sneezing and skin rash, and aggravate asthma in people who have it. Sensitivity varies a lot from person to person. That's the EPA's position and ours. It's worth taking seriously, but it isn't the health catastrophe some sites describe. Mold is a moisture problem in the house, and it's a fixable one.

"Mold removal" is a misleading term. Spores exist naturally everywhere, indoors and out, so no company can remove all mold from a house. Remediation is the accurate word: contain the affected area, take out materials too far gone, clean what can be cleaned, filter the air, and fix the moisture problem that caused the growth. Skip that last step and the mold comes back no matter how thorough the cleanup was.

Usually not. EPA guidance says that if you can see or smell mold, sampling is generally unnecessary, since you already know it's there and the fix is the same regardless of species. Testing is worth paying for in three situations: verifying a completed remediation, a real-estate deal that requires clearance numbers, or a persistent musty smell with no visible growth. If yours is one of those, we'll explain why before you spend anything.

Containment keeps a mold problem in one room. Disturbing moldy material sends spores airborne, so before any demolition we seal the work area with plastic sheeting, cover HVAC vents, and run HEPA-filtered machines that hold the space under negative pressure, meaning air flows in and not out. Without it, cutting out moldy drywall spreads spores through the rest of the house.

One to two days for a small, contained area like a patch behind a vanity or a closet wall. Multiple rooms, flooring removal, or a wet structure that has to be dried first runs several days to a week or more. Repairing the source and rebuilding usually add more time than the remediation itself. After the inspection you get a schedule with each of those steps laid out.

Yes, if it's small. The EPA's rule of thumb is about 10 square feet, roughly a 3-by-3 patch. Under that, a careful homeowner can handle it with gloves, an N95 mask, and detergent, as long as the moisture source gets fixed too. Call a professional when it's bigger, inside walls or the HVAC system, involved sewage, or when someone in the house has asthma or mold sensitivity. We'll tell you at the inspection if it's a DIY-sized job.

Only if the moisture comes back. Mold needs water, so fixing the leak, the drainage, the ventilation, or the humidity is what keeps it gone. That's why our remediation includes finding the moisture source and not just cleaning the visible growth. Cleaning without the repair means doing the job over again. Afterward, keep indoor humidity down, run the bath fans, and call early about new leaks.

Four to eight hours for carpet; upholstery is similar, sometimes longer for thick cushions. Fiber type, humidity, and airflow all play a role, and running ceiling fans or the HVAC fan speeds things up. We do extra extraction passes to pull out as much moisture as possible. Walking on damp carpet in clean socks is fine, but keep shoes, pets, and heavy furniture off until it's fully dry.

Yes. Our standard residential line is non-toxic and biodegradable, chosen because we work in houses with kids, pets, and sensitivities every day. The rinse matters as much as the product: thorough extraction leaves no sticky residue in the fiber, which is what attracts soil back and causes irritation. Mention allergies or chemical sensitivities when you book and we'll use the mildest effective option.

Yes. The solutions we use in homes are child- and pet-safe at the dilutions we apply, and a thorough rinse means nothing harsh stays behind in the fiber. Keep kids and pets in another room during the work, mostly so nobody trips on hoses. Socks on damp carpet are fine right away; let pets back on once it's dry.

Yes, and pickup and delivery are free. Wool, hand-knotted, and delicate rugs shouldn't be steam-cleaned on your floor; they need an off-site wash where we can dust out the dry soil, test the dyes, immerse, rinse, and dry the rug flat under controlled airflow. You're also welcome to drop off and save the trip. Most rugs are back within about a week, and we confirm timing at pickup.

Every three to five years for most homes, consistent with NADCA guidance. Clean sooner after a renovation, if you see mold or had water in the ducts, with heavy pet dander or a smoker in the house, or if they've never been done. We run a camera inspection first and show you what's in the ducts, and if the runs are clean we'll tell you to wait.

Inspect every year, and sweep when the inspection calls for it. That's the NFPA standard, and it applies even to barely-used chimneys, because flue damage and animal nests show up whether or not you burn. Creosote buildup is what triggers a sweep, so a fireplace that runs most of the winter needs one more often than an occasional-use one. We inspect first and tell you whether this is a sweep year.

With low-moisture hot-water extraction, so the mattress is dry by bedtime. It pulls out what builds up in a mattress over the years: dust mites and their debris, dead skin, sweat, and dander, which are common triggers for people who wake up congested. Stains get treated individually and deodorizing is available. It's an easy add-on to a carpet or upholstery visit, and worth doing yearly in dust-allergy households.

Usually, yes, by treating the source instead of spraying over it. Pet accidents, smoke, cooking oils, and dampness each need different chemistry; enzymes break down pet odors, while smoke needs a different approach. One caveat: old urine that soaked into the carpet pad may need the pad replaced for the odor to go completely. If that's your situation, we'll tell you at the inspection.