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Mon–Fri 8am–6pm · Sun 8am–6pm · Closed Saturdays4.9★ · 287+
(845) 262-6530
Strauss Cleaners
Water emergency? We're here to help.(845) 262-6530
Technician checking a thermo-hygrometer while air movers and a dehumidifier dry a basement floor

Dutchess County, NY · ~55 min away

Water Damage Restoration in Poughkeepsie, NY

Extraction, drying, documentation, and the rebuild after, all from one company.

Poughkeepsie is about 55 minutes out for us. On covered water claims we bill your insurance carrier directly, and the adjuster gets the photos and daily moisture readings the file needs.

I-84 to Route 9 puts us in Poughkeepsie in about 55 minutes, still same-day for emergencies. City parking is tight and many buildings need a landlord or super for access, so we set that up on the first call.

A person answers, not an answering service. Closed Saturdays. 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 Poughkeepsie

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

Water & drainage

The city sits on terraces above the Hudson and drains through the Fall Kill and Casperkill. Parts of the city run on combined sewers, and heavy rain pushes water back up floor drains in the low blocks, which means contaminated-water protocols on those jobs.

On the ground

The Fall Kill runs through the north side of the city to the Hudson and has a documented flood history, including the 2011 storms. The blocks along it are the oldest in the city, with stone foundations and cellars that were wet before the creek ever rose.

The housing stock

City rowhouses share walls, so a leak in one travels to the neighbor. Plaster, lath, and old-growth framing dry slowly and need metered drying rather than aggressive demolition, and we open walls only where the readings say the water went.

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. 01

    Emergency call & triage

    Thermal imaging camera scanning for hidden moisture beneath a hardwood floor

    Call (845) 262-6530 and you reach the person dispatching the crew, not an answering service. We tell you what to shut off and what to move while we're on the road, and give you an arrival window: same day, usually within hours.

  2. 02

    Inspect & map the moisture

    Moisture meter reading high against a ceiling marked with water stain rings

    Moisture meters and thermal imaging show how far the water spread: under flooring, behind baseboards, up into the drywall. You get a written scope of what's wet, what's salvageable, and what has to come out before any work starts.

  3. 03

    Extract & remove

    Water stains spreading across a garage ceiling beneath supply pipes and a garage door opener after a pipe leak

    Truck-mounted extraction pulls standing water out fast. Soaked carpet pad, buckled flooring, and drywall that can't be saved come out on the same visit, because wet material left sitting for days is where mold starts.

  4. 04

    Dry & monitor daily

    Room stripped to bare subfloor and open stud walls after wet carpet and drywall were removed

    Commercial low-grain dehumidifiers and air movers, placed by measurement rather than guesswork. We check moisture readings daily and reposition equipment until the structure, not just the surface, reaches its dry standard.

  5. 05

    Document the dry-out

    Air movers and a dehumidifier drying a room stripped to bare studs and subfloor

    Readings, photos, and a list of every removed material go into a file your insurance adjuster can work from. We don't call it dry until the meters agree, and you get a copy of the drying log.

  6. 06

    Build it back

    Thermal imaging camera showing a cold wet patch hidden under office carpet

    Drywall, insulation, trim, flooring, and paint. The company that dried the structure rebuilds it, so nothing gets closed up wet and no part of the job falls between two contractors.

The full water damage restoration process, step by step →

Heavy rain in the forecast

Before and after a storm in Poughkeepsie

We schedule crews around the rain forecast. A few steps before the storm can keep the basement dry, and a few steps right after protect 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.

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. Insurers look at sudden bursts and long-term leaks differently, so we meter and photograph what the damage shows and put that record in your file for your carrier to work from.

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.

Ceiling stain that keeps growing

Usually an upstairs bathroom or a pipe run above it. Thermal imaging shows how far the water spread before we open anything, so the cut in your ceiling is as small as the damage allows. We find the leak first, so the repair holds.

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. Your declarations page or your agent has the exact number, and we ask for it 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 you get a written estimate to make that decision with.

Not insurance advice. We're a restoration contractor, not a public adjuster or insurance agent. Coverage decisions belong to your insurer, so confirm anything about your policy with your agent or adjuster.

Who's showing up

Local and independent since 2019.

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

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

FAQ

Questions we get most.

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?

That's a question for your insurer, and we say so on purpose. We're a restoration contractor, not a public adjuster or insurance agent, and only your carrier can tell you what your policy covers. In general terms, homeowners policies treat sudden and accidental damage, like a burst pipe or a failed water heater, differently from a slow leak that ran for months, and flooding from outside is usually a separate policy. That's why the cause of loss matters. When we inspect, we photograph and log what the damage shows, and that record goes to your insurer for their decision. Call your agent or your carrier's claim line to confirm coverage before you count on it.

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.

How long does it take to dry out a house?

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.

How do you find moisture I can't see?

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.

Service area

Poughkeepsie, NY — Dutchess County.

We're about 55 minutes out, six days a week. The homes run to 19th-century brick rowhouses and Victorians in the city, post-war capes and ranches in the Town of Poughkeepsie, and apartment buildings and student housing around Vassar. We cover every block, including Arlington, the Union Street historic district, Little Italy on Mount Carmel. Poughkeepsie is known for Vassar College, the Walkway Over the Hudson, the Mid-Hudson Bridge, and the Bardavon opera house.

Emergency? Call first

Water on the floor in Poughkeepsie? 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.

Free estimate

Send the details and we'll take a look.

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