Every Hour Matters After Water Damage
Water mitigation is the emergency response that happens first, extracting standing water and drying affected materials before mold has a real chance to take hold. Industry guidance from the IICRC, the certifying body for water damage restoration, puts mold germination at 24 to 48 hours after materials stay wet, which is why our emergency line in Littleton, CO runs around the clock rather than during business hours only.
Mitigation Vs. Restoration: Not The Same Job
Mitigation stops the damage from getting worse: extracting water, drying structural materials, and preventing mold before it starts. Restoration is the separate job that follows, repairing or rebuilding whatever didn't survive the water event. We handle both, but they're genuinely different scopes of work, and our water damage restoration page covers the rebuild side in more depth.
Active Water Damage Right Now?
Every hour counts toward the mold window.
What To Do Before We Arrive
Stop the water source if you can safely do so, whether that means shutting off a supply valve or the main water line. Move furniture and valuables away from standing water, and turn off electricity to the affected area if outlets or fixtures are near the water and you can reach the breaker without walking through it.
Photograph the damage before any cleanup begins. Insurance carriers ask when the loss occurred and what mitigation steps were taken, and photo documentation from the very start supports your claim far better than a description after the fact.
Our Extraction & Drying Process
We extract standing water first using truck-mounted or portable pumps, then place industrial air movers and dehumidifiers to dry structural materials, tracking moisture content daily with meters rather than guessing when a space is actually dry. Category 1 clean water, Category 2 gray water, and Category 3 contaminated water each require different handling, and we classify the water source before deciding on equipment and protective measures.
What actually changes the price: water category and contamination level, square footage and volume of standing water, how many rooms and material types are affected, and after-hours emergency timing. Want your real number? Call (833) 521-1033.
Equipment We Actually Use
Truck-mounted extraction units pull far more water per minute than portable shop units, which matters when standing water covers a large area. Low-grain refrigerant dehumidifiers work alongside air movers positioned to create consistent airflow across wet surfaces. We track drying progress with penetrating moisture meters rather than relying on visible dryness, which is often misleading on materials like drywall and subflooring that can look dry on the surface while still holding moisture underneath.
Common Questions
How fast do you actually respond?
Our emergency line is answered 24 hours a day, and we prioritize active water damage calls given the real 24-48 hour mold window at stake.
Is mitigation the same as mold remediation?
No. Mitigation under IICRC S500 focuses on extraction and drying to prevent mold. Mold remediation, governed by a separate standard, addresses mold that has already grown. Fast mitigation is what prevents needing the second service at all.
Will my insurance cover this?
Sudden water damage from a covered event, like a burst pipe, is typically covered under most homeowner policies. We provide documentation to support your claim either way.
What's the difference between mitigation and restoration?
Mitigation stops the damage from getting worse. Restoration repairs or rebuilds what didn't survive. Our water damage restoration page covers that separate scope.
Do you handle sewage backup cleanup too?
Yes, Category 3 contaminated water from sewage backups requires additional protective measures and disposal protocols beyond standard clean-water extraction, which we're equipped to handle.
If the source of the water was a burst pipe that still needs repair, our burst pipe repair page covers that plumbing fix, billed separately from mitigation work under our standard plumbing number. Once extraction and drying are complete, our water damage restoration page covers the repair and rebuild phase that follows.