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Mon–Fri 8am–6pm · Sun 8am–6pm · Closed Saturdays4.9 · 279+
(845) 262-6530
Strauss Cleaners
Water emergency? We're here to help.(845) 262-6530

Passaic County, NJ · ~48 min away

Water Damage Restoration in Clifton, NJ

When extraction starts the same day, less drywall gets cut out and the flooring often dries in place. So we run same-day emergency response six days a week, and we keep drying until the meters read dry. Clifton is about 48 minutes out for us.

Ida in September 2021 dropped more than eight inches of rain on this stretch of Passaic County and pushed the Passaic River out of its banks nearby. Clifton's low east side toward the river and the Weasel Brook corridor through town are the areas we watch when that kind of rain lines up.

A person answers — not an answering service. Closed Saturdays for Shabbat. Covered claims are billed directly to your carrier.

Same-day emergency response

Response promise

8 counties

NY & NJ service area

Since 2019

Locally owned & operated

IICRC Certified

Certification

Local knowledge

What we see in Clifton

The housing stock, the terrain, and the drainage in Clifton all change how we plan a job. Here's what we run into:

The housing stock

Botany Village's older two-families put two households over one basement, while the post-war neighborhoods carry standard finished lower levels. In the two-families we contain and document per unit, so one leak doesn't turn into two disputes.

Getting to you

About 50 minutes via Route 17 and the Parkway. Clifton is big enough that we confirm the exact neighborhood at booking; Allwood and Botany Village are different trips, with different parking.

Water & drainage

The city tilts from Garret Mountain's slopes down to the Passaic River flats. Storm water leaves the high west side fast and collects in the river neighborhoods, so the same storm plays out very differently across town.

Process

What happens after you call.

Every water loss runs the same way: we ask what happened on the phone, extract the same day, verify the drying with meters, and keep a documented file your adjuster can work from. Here's the short version. The service page covers each step.

  1. Emergency call & triage
  2. Inspect & map the moisture
  3. Extract & remove
  4. Dry & monitor daily
  5. Document the dry-out
  6. Build it back

The full water damage restoration process, step by step →

Heavy rain in the forecast

Before and after a storm in Clifton

We schedule crews around the rain forecast. A few things done before the storm save a basement, and a few things done right after save the insurance claim.

Before the rain

  • Move stored boxes, rugs, and anything you care about off the basement floor.
  • Test the sump pump by pouring a bucket of water into the pit. If it does not run, that is the problem to fix before the rain.
  • Clear the window wells and the downspout outlets. Know where the main water shutoff and the electrical panel are.

If water gets in

  • Do not go into standing water until the power to that area is off.
  • Photograph the water line and everything it touched before you move or throw anything out.
  • Call for extraction the same day. Wet drywall and carpet pad grow mold within days.

Full walkthrough: what to do when your basement floods in a storm. Water in the house now? Call (845) 262-6530. Same-day emergency response, six days a week.

Common problems

The problems we're usually called about.

Insurance wants documentation you don't have

Adjusters pay on documentation. We photograph everything before we touch it, log every moisture reading, and itemize removed materials, then bill the carrier directly so the claim runs on our file instead of your memory.

Wood floors cupping after a leak

Boards swell from the bottom and the edges rise. Caught early, controlled drying (sometimes with floor-drying mats) can bring hardwood back flat without replacement. Wait too long and the finish or the boards are done, so call as soon as you see the edges lifting.

A slow appliance line that leaked for months

Dishwasher, fridge line, or washing machine hose: a slow leak rots subfloor and grows mold out of sight. Insurance treats sudden bursts and long-term leaks differently, and we'll tell you which one your damage looks like before the claim gets filed.

Not sure whether it's dry

A past leak that 'seemed fine', a damp smell, a warm spot on the wall. A moisture inspection takes under an hour and gives you a reading either way. If it's dry, we tell you it's dry and leave.

Insurance

We work with your insurance, and we bill them directly

  1. 01

    Call us

    We answer, ask what happened, and get a crew moving. Same-day emergency response on active water.

  2. 02

    We document everything

    We take moisture readings and photos and write up a scope of work before drying starts, so your adjuster has the file from day one.

  3. 03

    We bill your insurer directly

    We work directly with your insurance company on covered water and mold claims, so you're not fronting the full cost and chasing reimbursement.

Your deductible is still yours to cover, and we'll tell you that number before any work starts rather than after. You also don't need a claim to hire us. Plenty of our jobs are paid directly by the homeowner, and after the free inspection we'll say which way makes more sense for the damage you have.

Who's showing up

Local and independent since 2019.

The person on the phone is the person planning the job. We're in Clifton every week.

  • IICRC Certified
  • Licensed
  • Bonded
  • Insured
  • Eco-Conscious Products

FAQ

Questions we get most.

What should I do in the first few hours after water damage?

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.

What should I do if my basement floods during a storm?

Stay out of the water until the power to that area is off. Photograph the water line and everything it touched before you move anything. Then call (845) 262-6530. We schedule crews around the rain forecast and respond the same day, six days a week. Rising water from outside is usually a flood policy rather than homeowners insurance, and a sewer backup is often a separate rider, so note where the water came in. Our storm flooding guide walks through the first hours step by step.

How fast can you get here in an emergency?

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.

Does homeowners insurance cover water damage?

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.

Do you bill my insurance company directly?

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.

Service area

Clifton, NJPassaic County.

We're about 48 minutes out, six days a week. The homes run to post-war ranches and capes, two-family homes around Botany Village, and newer condos spread across the city's many neighborhoods. We cover every block, including Botany Village, Athenia, Allwood. Clifton is known for Botany Village, Main Memorial Park, and the slopes rising toward Garret Mountain.

Emergency? Call first

Water on the floor in Clifton? Skip the form.

Call (845) 262-6530 and we start sorting it out on the phone while the crew loads, six days a week. The form is for anything that can wait a few hours. A person reads it and replies during business hours.

Same-Day Emergency Response. Closed Saturdays for Shabbat.

Free estimate

Send the details — we'll take a look.

Faster by phone? Call (845) 262-6530 — answered six days a week.