Fresh clean water on a hard floor. You may not need anyone.
Inside 24 hours, on tile or sealed concrete, a homeowner with towels and a fan is usually enough. The EPA says materials dried within 24 to 48 hours in most cases will not grow mold.
What is probably happening
- A one-room spill from a clean source: a supply line, a sink or tub overflow, a fridge line.
- Category 1 under IICRC S500: water from a sanitary source with no substantial health risk on contact.
- The catch is edges: baseboards, door casings and the gap under a vanity wick water into drywall you cannot see.
Do this in the next five minutes
- Get the standing water up with towels or a wet vac, if the outlet and your hands are dry.
- Pull the baseboard away from the wall if it is swollen; drywall behind it needs air.
- Run a fan across the floor and a dehumidifier in the room. Keep doors open.
- Check the ceiling below and the next room over.
- Press a dry paper towel against the bottom of the drywall tomorrow. If it comes away damp, it is not done.
- Photograph it anyway. If it turns out worse, you will want the record.
Do not
- Do not turn the heat up and close the door. Warm, still, damp air is what mold wants.
- Do not assume dry to the touch is dry. Drywall and subfloor dry from the inside out over days.
Who to call
A water damage restoration company, if it is bigger than it looks
Call restoration if the wet area is more than one room, went under flooring, or is still damp at the 48 hour mark. Before that, drying is something you can do.
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What it should cost
$3.50 per square foot
Clean water restoration per square foot, if you do call. Typical whole jobs run $1,383 to $6,369.
Source: Angi, water damage restoration cost, updated September 2026. View source
National published range, not a quote for your job. The full cost table for this trade is on the water damage page.
Ask this contractor, on the phone, before anyone comes out
Tap each one as you ask it.
- Can you meter the walls and floor and tell me if it is already dry, and what does that visit cost?
- If it needs equipment, how many days and how many units?
- Will you leave a daily moisture log?
End the call if
- A company that wants to open walls before taking a reading.
- A large deposit for a one-room dry-out.