It’s estimated that up to 98 percent of all basements in the United States will eventually experience some type of water damage during the lifetime of a home. It’s not a huge surprise – after all, the purpose of a basement is usually not to serve as living space, but to house critical appliances like the furnace, hot water tank and more. That’s not to say that you can’t finish your basement to extend the functional living space of your home, but it’s important to know some of the potential drawbacks of doing so if you elect to proceed in this manner.

And as noted, one of the aforementioned drawbacks is the potential for flooding and water damage in the basement. But just as important as doing what you can to go about preventing a basement flood (regardless of whether it’s finished or not), it’s equally crucial to know what to do if it occurs. Here’s a closer look at the steps to take after a basement flood. Later on in this piece, we’ll examine some DIY tips if you prefer to handle cleanup and restoration on your own.

The first step to any water damage situation in your home – whether it’s in your basement or in another area – is to see if you can stop the source of the flood.

Important: Before you enter your flooded basement, make sure it’s safe to do so. If water has made contact with anything electrical, there is a risk of getting electrocuted. In this case, turn off the power to the basement at the circuit breaker. If you are unable to safely access your circuit breaker, then you should call your electric company. Do not walk through water to access your circuit breaker.

Here’s a look at some situations where you may be able to stop the source of the flooding and prevent more extensive damage from happening:

Unfortunately, in situations where heavy rainfall or inclement weather is the cause of basement flooding, the best you may be able to do is make sure your sump pump is working and your tile drains are clear to minimize as much damage as possible until the weather subsides.

After you’re able to stop the source of the flood or contain the floodwaters enough, your next step should be to call in a professional water damage restoration company. The sooner you’re able to do this, the sooner they’re able to assess your property and make a plan to restore it to pre-loss condition. Consider this: In the right conditions, mold can begin to grow within 48 hours. This just goes to underscore the importance of contacting a professional restoration contractor quickly.

Your next step should be to contact your insurance company. The nice thing about today’s professional restoration contractors is that they work closely with insurance adjusters and document damage on the project, which can be used when a claim is filed. In addition to filing a claim, you can also get a better idea of what exactly your policy covers.

Allow us to preface this section with a warning: It’s highly recommended that water damage is restored to pre-loss condition by a professional restoration contractor. While it’s certainly possible to take matters into your own hands, one seemingly simple misstep could lead to long-term problems that would likely have been avoided if the project were handled by a professional. Additionally, working in highly contaminated water without the proper PPE could sicken any residents and/or lead to cross-contamination in areas of the home that were not impacted by the flood. Finally, performing water damage restoration work on your own may disqualify you from insurance compensation, should you have otherwise been qualified for such. In addition to considering all of the aforementioned, we strongly suggest reviewing your homeowners policy or contacting your insurance agent prior to beginning any work yourself.

With this note of caution in mind, if you do elect to perform water damage restoration yourself, here’s a look at the steps you should take:

After the source of the flooding has stopped, and once you’ve contacted your insurance company (if applicable), it’s important that you take the proper safety precautions. You’ll want to inspect the water to gauge its level of contamination and also help inform you of what PPE you should be wearing during restoration. According to the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), flood water is segmented into three categories:

While PPE is likely not necessary dealing with a Category 1 water loss, it’s recommended for a Category 2 water loss. And for a Category 3 loss, you should be wearing respirators, full-body suits, gloves and more to avoid contracting an illness. Refer to the IICRC’s S500 Standard for Professional Water Damage Restoration for more detailed information on how to properly assess and perform Category 1-3 water losses.

Before you can begin the cleanup process, any excess standing water first needs to be removed from your basement. Often, basement floods will recede over time through the floor drains. However, in the event of a sewer backup, you may need to take matters into your own hands and perform water extraction yourself. Professional water restoration contractors use truck-mounted systems to quickly and efficiently remove water from the basement. While you can likely rent a small, portable extractor at your local hardware store, it’s unlikely to work as effectively as the truck-mounted systems used by the pros.

After the flood water has either receded or been removed, try to dry out the carpeting and furniture as much as possible. While it’s unlikely that these porous materials and belongings will be able to be salvaged, efforts to dry them will make it easier to carry them out of your home. Professional restorers typically use high-quality extraction wands to do this. Again, you may be able to rent one at your local hardware store. If you can’t, a wet/dry vacuum is your next best bet for this step.

After you’ve assessed the situation and removed the water, you’ll want to assess the damage. If you have a finished basement, your cleanup efforts are likely to be much more significant than if it’s unfinished. For example, any building materials that are porous are going to need to be removed and replaced. This includes drywall and may include certain types of carpeting and furniture pieces. Essentially, anything that cannot be dried without impacting its structural integrity will need to be removed and replaced. This typically includes porous materials and belongings.

Though contents restoration has improved to a point where many personal belongings (e.g. electronics, clothes, etc.) can be saved, this is most likely not something you should attempt to do yourself. This means that salvageable items are likely to be limited to hard goods and other non-porous belongings.

Once you assess the damage, we suggest bringing in a dumpster or one of the bag dumpsters that you can purchase at your local hardware store, and then beginning the process of removing destroyed contents and unsalvageable building materials. You likely won’t have to remove all the drywall in your basement, just the parts of it that came into contact with water. If you’re lucky, this may only be a few feet of material. Get a saw and cut out affected areas before mold has a chance to grow. You’ll also want to cut out any carpeting and padding to discard, and likely anything porous that came into contact with water. Hard goods can typically be salvaged, but you’ll want to remove them from your basement and clean each individually with disinfectant wipes. In the event of Category 3 water damage, it’s likely that most materials and contents – if not all – will need to be discarded due to the nature of the highly contaminated water.

While you can begin to perform this next step in coordination with the previous one, drying out the area is important to returning the property to a pre-loss condition. Don’t think that you can just discard building materials and items and let your basement sit until it dries on its own – it’s important to give it a little bit of help. A professional contractor will bring in professional-grade air movers and dehumidifiers to get this done, strategically placing them in your basement to maximize efficiency. You may be able to rent air movers and dehumidifiers at your local hardware store. If you have fans around your home, you can also put those to work as you work to get air circulating in the basement.

This step is important because it’s essential to dry out all remaining building materials so that they don’t become more damaged than they already are. For instance, exposed wood studs may rot if they’re not dried out promptly. Additionally, the removal of moisture from the basement can also help prevent subsequent mold growth from occurring.

Mold can begin to grow within 48 hours in the right environment – and while removing any moisture from your basement after a flood with the likes of air movers and dehumidifiers can help, it’s always best to take that extra step and ensure that remaining building materials and salvageable contents are properly disinfected as well. Any hard goods should be thoroughly wiped down before they’re returned to the basement. We also suggest using a disinfectant on hard surfaces to destroy mold spores that may be left lingering and also eliminate any harmful bacteria.

The final step is reconstruction. Depending on the severity of the flood and any underlying issues that were responsible for it (more on that in the next step), reconstruction is likely to include replacing cut out segments of drywall in a finished basement. It may also include replacement of wood studs or parts of wood studs. If your basement had carpeting, you will also likely need to re-install it.

Unfinished basements tend to be easier to restore, as there’s likely to be far less building materials to remove and reconstruct. Although unfinished basements that are primarily used for storage purposes could result in significant damage to personal belongings.

We’ll round out this section with a bonus tip – which is especially significant as it pertains to basements that are more prone to flooding and water damage: Fix the underlying issue. In certain situations, as in an appliance malfunction, the underlying issue may be as simple as either repairing the appliance or purchasing a new one. But basement floods can stem from a variety of issues. Below, we take a look at some of the more common causes and how to prevent such from happening again:

When pipes freeze, they tend to expand. And if they expand too much, they can burst – often turning the basement into a water-logged mess. If you live in an area of the country where the winters are cold, consider installing pipe insulation sleeves on any exposed plumbing in your basement. Pay special attention to pipes near basement walls or in crawlspaces, where temperatures tend to be cooler.

While you can’t prevent what the weather does, you can take some steps around your home to prevent rain water from entering your basement. For instance:

By tackling a water damage restoration project yourself, you’ll be taking on any subsequent risk that comes with it. While it’s not impossible to do correctly, it’s best to leave this to the professionals. With proper training, experience and professional equipment, restoration contractors know how to best restore a project to pre-loss condition.