Often, yes. If the water was clean (from a supply line, for example), the electricity is safe, and the damage is limited to part of the house, most families can stay home while drying equipment runs. It’s a different story if the water came from sewage or outside flooding, if there’s significant mold, if the power or HVAC isn’t working safely, or if someone in the home is very young, elderly, pregnant or has a respiratory condition. In those cases, staying elsewhere for part or all of the job is usually the safer call.
That’s the short answer. The longer answer depends on a handful of specific things, and once you know what they are, the decision gets a lot clearer.
The five things that decide whether you should stay
1. Where the water came from
Restoration pros sort water into three categories. Clean water from a broken supply line or an overflowing sink is Category 1. Gray water, like a washing machine discharge or a dishwasher drain, is Category 2 and can carry some contaminants. Black water, such as sewage backups or floodwater from outside, is Category 3 and can carry bacteria and other harmful material. Clean water losses rarely force anyone out. Sewage and floodwater losses often do, at least for the affected area and during cleanup. Our guide to the different water damage categories explains each in more detail.
Keep in mind that clean water doesn’t stay clean forever. Water that sits for a few days, especially in a warm house, can pick up contaminants from the materials it touches.
2. Whether mold is involved
If water sat long enough for visible mold to grow, the work changes. Mold removal disturbs spores, so the affected area should be sealed off with containment and negative air pressure while it’s being cleaned. You can often stay in other parts of the house, but you’ll want to keep out of the work zone. The CDC’s information on mold notes that some people are more sensitive to mold than others, which matters for this decision.
3. Electrical and gas safety
If water reached your breaker panel, wiring, outlets or a gas appliance, the house may not be safe to stay in until an electrician or utility has checked it. Don’t flip breakers or plug things in while standing in water.
4. How much of the house is affected
One wet bathroom and a hallway? You’ll barely notice the crew after the first day. Water through the kitchen, both bathrooms and most of the bedrooms? You may not have anywhere comfortable to sleep, cook or shower.
5. Who lives there
Infants, older adults, anyone pregnant, people with asthma, allergies or weakened immune systems, and pets all deserve extra thought. Even when it’s technically fine to stay, the noise, warm dry air and dust from demolition can be hard on them.
What to do first if you’re deciding whether to stay
Go through these steps in order on the first day:
- Stop the water and check the power. Shut off the water source. If water is near electrical components, shut off power to those areas from a dry spot, or leave and call for help.
- Figure out the water source. Supply line, appliance drain, toilet, sewer backup or outside water. This tells you a lot about health risk.
- Keep vulnerable people and pets out of wet areas. Do this right away, before anything else is decided.
- Have the damage inspected. A restoration technician can measure how far the water went and tell you what work is needed and where.
- Ask for a room-by-room plan. Which rooms will be off limits, for how long, and when demolition will happen.
- Make the call. Stay, stay with some rooms closed off, or stay somewhere else for a few days.
What living with drying equipment is really like
If you stay, here’s what to expect. Air movers and dehumidifiers will run around the clock, usually for several days. They’re loud, like several box fans on high plus a dehumidifier hum. The air in the drying area will feel warm and dry, which is the point. Your electric use will go up.
A technician will come back regularly to check moisture readings and move or remove equipment as areas dry. Each visit is usually short.
A few practical tips make it more livable:
- Close doors to drying rooms to keep the noise down where you sleep
- Don’t turn equipment off at night, even if it’s tempting. It slows the drying and can let moisture settle back in.
- Watch for tripping hazards from cords and hoses, especially in the dark
- Keep pets away from equipment and out of drying rooms
- Move valuables and electronics out of work areas
- Run a white noise machine or a fan in the bedroom if the hum keeps you up
Keeping dust and odors out of the rest of the house
The drying itself is fairly clean. The messier part is demolition, when wet drywall, insulation, baseboards or flooring have to come out. That’s usually the noisiest, dustiest day or two of the job, and it’s a good time to plan errands or a day out if you’re staying home.
A good crew will hang plastic sheeting over doorways, lay floor protection along the path to the door, and bag debris before carrying it through the house. In some cases they’ll use air scrubbers with HEPA filters to capture fine dust. You can help by closing HVAC supply and return vents in the work area if your crew recommends it, so dust isn’t pulled through the ductwork into bedrooms.
You may notice some odors during drying. A faint damp or earthy smell is common early on and should fade as materials dry. A sharp musty smell that gets stronger, or any sewage odor, is a reason to tell your technician right away. Once work wraps up, the crew should clean the work area so you’re not left wiping drywall dust off every surface.
Signs it’s time to stay somewhere else
Consider leaving, at least for a few days, if any of these apply:
- Sewage or outside floodwater got into living areas
- There’s visible mold over a large area, or a strong musty odor that won’t go away
- The kitchen or your only bathroom is out of service
- Electricity, heat or air conditioning can’t be used safely
- Major demolition is planned in rooms you need to use
- Someone in the household has a health condition that’s being aggravated
- There’s structural damage, such as a sagging ceiling or soft floor
Some homeowners policies include coverage for additional living expenses when a covered loss makes the home unlivable. Whether yours does, and what it pays for, depends on your policy, so ask your agent or adjuster before booking a hotel.
Two situations that play out differently
Say a supply line to an upstairs bathroom sink fails while a family in Smyrna is at work. Water soaks the bathroom floor and comes through the ceiling of the dining room below. After extraction, a couple of air movers run in each room and a section of ceiling drywall comes down. The family keeps sleeping in their bedrooms, uses the other bathroom, and closes the dining room door. Living there is a bit loud for a few days, but safe.
Now picture a main sewer line backing up through a basement floor drain in a La Vergne home, spreading into a finished den and laundry room. That’s Category 3 water. The affected area gets sealed off, contaminated drywall and carpet come out, and everything is cleaned and disinfected. A family with a toddler who crawls everywhere would be smart to stay with relatives until cleanup is done, even though the upstairs wasn’t touched.
Middle Tennessee factors to keep in mind
Our humid summers make fast drying more important, because wet materials can grow mold quickly when it’s muggy. In summer, keeping your AC running (if the system wasn’t affected) helps the dehumidifiers. In winter, a cold snap during drying can make it harder to keep the house comfortable, so talk with your crew about temperature.
Many older homes here sit on crawl spaces. If water got under the house, there may be drying equipment running below the floor too. That usually doesn’t stop you from staying, but you might notice some damp, earthy odors until the crawl space dries.
Questions to ask your restoration crew
Before you decide, ask these so you have the full picture:
- What category of water is this?
- Which rooms should we stay out of, and for how long?
- Will there be demolition, and when?
- Is any mold present, and will containment be set up?
- How many days will equipment likely run?
- Is our HVAC system safe to use?
For a closer look at the risks pros are trained to handle, read our post on health hazards in water damage restoration.
Areas we serve and how we can help
Our IICRC certified technicians provide water damage restoration in Smyrna, La Vergne and throughout the Nashville area, and we’re typically on site within about 60 minutes. If sewage is involved, our sewage cleanup team handles that safely.
We’ll tell you honestly whether it’s safe to stay and help you plan around the work. Call us 24/7 at (629) 250-3594 or request a free estimate.
