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Water Damage in a Home with Children or Pets: Safety First

A water loss in a home with children or pets needs a different response from a water loss in a home without them, because children and pets are more likely to come into contact with water and less likely to understand why they should not. Children play on floors, touch surfaces, and put their hands to their faces. Pets walk through water, drink from it, and carry it on their paws through the rest of the house. Keeping them safe after a water loss starts with keeping them away from the water.

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This guide explains the safety steps for a home with children or pets in general terms. It gives no health advice beyond avoiding contact and calling a professional. The water damage restoration page sets out the general restoration service.

Keep children and pets away from the water

The first step after any water loss is to keep children and pets away from standing water and from contaminated water. That means closing off the affected rooms if that can be done, keeping doors shut, and making sure children and pets stay in the clean parts of the house. It also means keeping toys, bedding, food bowls and water bowls out of the affected area, and not letting pets drink from water that has backed up or from puddles on the floor.

The reason for that step is straightforward: standing water after a loss may be clean, grey or black water, and its category is not always clear from its appearance. Floodwater and sewage are Category 3 and a health hazard, and contact with them should be avoided by everyone, with particular care for children and pets. A child who plays in floodwater, or a pet that drinks from it, is at greater risk than an adult who steps in it briefly, because they are more likely to ingest the water or to touch their faces afterwards.

It helps to explain the situation to older children in simple terms: the water is dirty and unsafe, the rooms are closed until a professional has dealt with them, and the usual play areas are off limits for now. That explanation is easier than keeping a child away from a closed door without a reason, and it helps the household work together rather than against each other. The disruption is temporary, and the rooms can be used again once a professional has dealt with the problem.

Do not enter flooded buildings

Do not enter a flooded building, and do not let children or pets enter one either. Floodwater can hide hazards under the surface, including sharp objects, broken glass and uneven ground, and wading through it risks cuts and falls as well as contact with contamination. A flooded building can also be structurally unsafe in ways that are not visible from the doorway, because water can weaken floors, ceilings and walls, and a ceiling that has absorbed water can sag or fall without warning.

The same rule applies to electrics. Do not handle electrics in or near standing water, and do not let children near electrical items that are in or near water. If water is near electrics, stay out and call for help. Shut off the water and power only if it is safe to do so from a dry place, and never wade in to do it. That is a general safety rule that applies to any standing water, and it applies with particular force to floodwater and sewage.

If a pet has already been in contact with floodwater or sewage, that is a matter to raise with a vet, and if a child has been in contact with it, that is a matter to raise with a medical professional. This guide offers no health advice beyond avoiding contact and seeking professional guidance where it is needed, and no health claims are made here. Washing with soap and clean water is a sensible immediate step after contact, and it should be followed by professional advice where it is needed.

Water Damage in a Home with Children or Pets: Safety First — Florida water damage guide

Mold, smells and damp after a loss

After a water loss, children and pets can also be affected by damp and mold in the rooms that were wet, and the same principle applies: keep them away from the affected area until it has been dealt with. A room that smells musty, that has visible growth on a wall, or that stays damp despite drying should be closed off, and children and pets should not sleep or play in it until a professional has assessed it. That is a general precaution, not a health verdict, and it applies while the property is being assessed.

Growth that looks small on the surface can extend behind drywall or under flooring, and a musty smell in one room can come from a problem in another. An inspection that includes moisture readings gives a clearer picture, but even an inspection is a snapshot at one point in time, and it describes the condition of the property rather than giving a verdict on whether anyone should stay in it. That distinction matters, and it is why this guide does not attempt to answer the question for any specific home. The mold removal and remediation page sets out the related service in general terms.

If a child or a pet has been in a room where growth is visible, or where a musty smell is strong, that is a matter to raise with a medical professional or a vet. This guide offers no health advice on those questions, and no health claims are made here. What a homeowner can do is to keep the affected area closed off, to note when the signs were first noticed, and to seek professional guidance promptly rather than waiting to see whether the problem improves on its own.

Practical steps for the household

While a professional is being arranged, there are practical steps that help a household with children or pets. Set up a clean area of the house where children and pets can stay, with their toys, bedding and food kept away from the affected rooms. Keep shoes that have walked through water out of clean rooms, and wash hands after any contact with wet surfaces. Do not move contaminated items through clean parts of the house, and do not run fans or air conditioning in a way that moves air from the affected area through the rest of the property.

Do not try to clean up sewage or floodwater yourself, and do not let children help with any cleanup after a water loss. Household cleaning products and ordinary gloves are not a substitute for professional equipment and methods, and disturbing contaminated water can spread it further. A small, clean-water spill is a different matter, and mopping that up promptly is a sensible step, but anything involving sewage, floodwater, or a large area should be left to a professional.

Keep a record of what happened and what was done, including photos taken from a safe distance, because that record is useful for the professional and for any insurance claim. If the loss is in the Orlando area, the water damage restoration in Orlando page is a starting point for arranging a visit. Protecting children and pets after a water loss is mostly about the steps in this guide: keep them away from the water, do not enter flooded rooms, and call a professional. Those steps are simple, and they are the ones that matter most.

Key Takeaways

The first step after any water loss is to keep children and pets away from standing water and from contaminated water.
Do not enter a flooded building, and do not let children or pets enter one either.
After a water loss, children and pets can also be affected by damp and mold in the rooms that were wet, and the same principle applies: keep them away from the affected area until it has been dealt with.
While a professional is being arranged, there are practical steps that help a household with children or pets.

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 Mold Removal & Remediation page explains what that service covers, and the water damage restoration page explains how the full job is put together when more than one room is affected.

Do not step into standing water where electrics may be involved, and if water is still coming in, turn off the main water supply for the home where you can reach it safely.

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 a storm or heavy rain.

Water damage help is available across Florida. See water damage restoration in Grove City, FL for one local example, or find your town on the service areas page.