Water Extraction Guides · Extraction Process & What to Expect

What Happens to Wet Belongings During Water Extraction?

When water enters a home, it does not stop at the floor. Furniture, rugs, boxes, photographs, and stored goods all sit in the path of the water, and homeowners naturally worry about what will happen to them. What happens to wet belongings during water extraction is a practical question with a careful answer: belongings are moved where it is safe to do so, their condition is noted, and the decisions about them stay with the homeowner, with no promises about what can be saved.

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This guide gives a general overview of belongings during extraction, for homes in Alexandria and Kenner alike. For the service itself, the water removal page gives a general outline. Items soaked by water that has come into contact with sewage need professional-only handling.

Moving belongings out of the water

During a visit, furniture and belongings in the wet area are moved or lifted where it is safe to do so, so that the water beneath them can be reached. Tables and chairs are shifted to a dry room, rugs are lifted off the wet floor, and boxes are moved to a raised surface or a dry area. Heavy furniture is handled by the technician, and the homeowner is not expected to move it alone.

The order of moving matters. Items that will be harmed by a longer soak, such as papers, photographs, and electronics, are moved first. Items that can tolerate a longer time in the water are moved after. If the water has come from outside, or has come into contact with sewage, items soaked by it are handled with professional-only care, because that water carries contaminants.

Furniture is the first thing most homeowners worry about, and the worry is understandable, because furniture is often the most valuable thing in a wet room. Wood furniture that has sat in water may swell at the base, and the finish may mark where the water reached. Metal furniture may show rust at the joints if it stays wet, and upholstered furniture holds water in its padding and takes a long time to dry. The technician notes the condition of each piece, and the homeowner is told what was found.

Furniture: what to expect

Wood furniture that has sat in water may swell at the base, and the finish may mark where the water reached. Metal furniture may show rust at the joints if it stays wet, and upholstered furniture holds water in its padding and takes a long time to dry. The technician notes the condition of each piece, and the homeowner is told what was found, but nothing is promised about what can be saved, because that depends on the material, the water, and how long the piece sat wet.

If you can safely move furniture out of the wet area before the visit, do so, starting with the pieces that matter most. Work from the edges of the wet area inward, and stop if the water is deep or the floor is slippery. Never wade into standing water to move furniture, and never handle electrics in standing water.

Rugs and soft furnishings hold water like a sponge, and they take longer to dry than hard items. A rug that has sat in water is heavy, and it is lifted and moved to a dry area where it can be dealt with. Cushions, curtains, and bedding that have been soaked are set aside in the same way, and stored goods in boxes are checked box by box, because the boxes at the bottom of a stack are often the wettest.

What Happens to Wet Belongings During Water Extraction? — Louisiana water guide

Rugs, soft furnishings, and stored goods

Rugs and soft furnishings hold water like a sponge, and they take longer to dry than hard items. A rug that has sat in water is heavy, and it is lifted and moved to a dry area where it can be dealt with. Cushions, curtains, and bedding that have been soaked are set aside in the same way. Stored goods in boxes are checked box by box, because the boxes at the bottom of a stack are often the wettest, and the contents inside may be dry even when the box is not.

Clothing and linens that have been soaked by clean water from a pipe or appliance can often be laundered, but items soaked by water from outside, or by water that has come into contact with sewage, need professional-only handling. When in doubt, leave the item where it is and point it out to the technician.

Papers, photographs, and electronics deserve the earliest attention, because they are harmed quickly by water and they are often irreplaceable. Papers and photographs should be moved to a dry area and separated so they do not stick together, and they should be left to dry in the air rather than handled roughly. Electronics that have been in water should not be switched on, and they should be left for a professional to look at.

Papers, photographs, and electronics

If these items are already wet when you find them, move them only where it is safe to do so from a dry place, and do not wade into standing water to reach them. Take a photograph of the affected area from the doorway if it is safe, because a record of what was where is useful later.

Items soaked by water from outside, or by water that has come into contact with sewage, need professional-only handling, because that water carries contaminants. When in doubt about an item, leave it where it is and point it out to the technician, rather than handling it yourself. The technician will tell you what was found and what the options are.

Decisions stay with the homeowner

The technician's job is to tell you what was found and what the options are, not to decide for you what to keep and what to let go. The decisions about belongings stay with the homeowner, and they are best made with clear information: what the item is, what kind of water it sat in, and how long it sat wet. Nothing is promised about what can be saved, because that depends on the material, the water, and the time involved.

If you are unsure about an item, ask the technician what they found and what they would advise, and take time over the decision. To discuss a water job in your home, call (877) 624-0105; availability is confirmed on the call.

The decisions about belongings stay with the homeowner, and they are best made with clear information: what the item is, what kind of water it sat in, and how long it sat wet. Nothing is promised about what can be saved, because that depends on the material, the water, and the time involved, and a decision made with clear information is a better decision than one made in a hurry.

Key Takeaways

During a visit, furniture and belongings in the wet area are moved or lifted where it is safe to do so, so that the water beneath them can be reached.
Wood furniture that has sat in water may swell at the base, and the finish may mark where the water reached.
Rugs and soft furnishings hold water like a sponge, and they take longer to dry than hard items.
Papers, photographs, and electronics deserve the earliest attention, because they are harmed quickly by water and they are often irreplaceable.
The technician's job is to tell you what was found and what the options are, not to decide for you what to keep and what to let go.

Questions About What Happens to Wet Belongings During Water Extraction?

Will the technician move my furniture?

Furniture and belongings in the wet area are moved or lifted where it is safe to do so, so the water beneath them can be reached. Heavy furniture is handled by the technician, and the homeowner is not expected to move it alone.

Can wet rugs and soft furnishings be saved?

Nothing is promised about what can be saved, because that depends on the material, the water involved, and how long the item sat wet. Rugs and soft furnishings hold water and take a long time to dry, and items soaked by contaminated water need professional-only handling.

What should I move first before the visit?

Start with papers, photographs, and electronics, because they are harmed quickly by water and are often irreplaceable. Move only what you can safely handle from a dry place, and never wade into standing water.

What about electronics that got wet?

Do not switch on electronics that have been in water. Move them to a dry area only where it is safe to do so, and leave them for a professional to look at. Never handle electrics in standing water.

Your Next Step

If this guide matches what you found at home, the next step is a visit — not a guess. Call and describe what you found, and the visit is arranged from what you describe. The Water Removal page explains what that service covers, and the water removal page explains what that service covers when water has spread to more than one room.

Do not enter flooded rooms while you wait, and if water is leaking, turn off the shut-off valve for that fixture where you can reach it safely from dry ground.

Keep the guides on this site bookmarked: the first guide, the signs guide, and the preparation guide cover the checks worth repeating — after moving in, and after bringing used fixtures home.

Water extraction help is available across Louisiana. See water extraction in Ragley, LA for one local example, or find your town on the service areas page.