Understanding Different Types of Water Damage: Clean, Grey, and Black Water

While it's true that all water intrusion can harm your property, the unfortunate truth is that not all water damage is created equally. The source of water damage will not only determine the extent of that damage but also the methods used to remediate it.

Whether you are dealing with the aftermath of a broken pipe, a washing machine overflow, or a sewage disaster, we will explore the health risks and methods required to safely restore your property.

Clean Water Damage

Clean water damage comes from sanitary water sources—broken water supply lines, overflowing sinks, or rainwater. While this type of damage initially poses minimal safety risks, you must still act quickly.

Not only can clean water degrade into grey water within 24-48 hours if left untreated, but it can also:

• Damage walls, floors, and foundations
• Create an ideal environment for mold growth (within as few as 24 hours)
• Damage insulation and electrical systems

Remediation methods vary with the severity of the clean water damage. However, our team typically begins by removing standing water using pumps, drying and dehumidifying the area, monitoring moisture levels, cleaning and sanitizing affected areas, and, when necessary, replacing damaged flooring, insulation, and drywall.

Grey Water Damage

Greywater damage comes from mildly contaminated sources, including washing machines, dishwashers, or clean toilets. Typically, these sources contain chemicals like detergents, shampoos, grease, and other biological materials that can:

• Irritate the skin and eyes
• Cause illness if ingested
• Accelerate bacterial growth

Due to increased health hazards and the risk of cross-contamination, our greywater damage remediation experts must follow more stringent safety protocols. As with clean water damage, we begin by extracting standing water and drying the area. To ensure safety, we also:

• Wear protective equipment
• Contain the affected area
• Remove and dispose of contaminated porous materials
• Apply professional-grade antimicrobial treatments

Black Water Damage

Black water is the most hazardous type of water damage, as it contains sewage, bacteria, and chemicals caused by:

• Sewage backups
• Flooding from a nearby water source
• Toilet overflows

Black water damage can contain a variety of hazardous contaminants, including bacteria, viruses, industrial chemicals, pesticides, heavy metals, and other dangerous organic matter. Because of this, black water remediation requires PPE like respirators and chemical-resistant suits.

The remediation process itself is even more stringent than greywater cleanup.

Typically, our restoration experts begin by securing the affected area. Next, we extract the contaminated black water and all porous materials, including drywall, carpet, and any damaged personal belongings.

Then, we dry, dehumidify, and filter the air before disinfection. We will then continue to monitor moisture and test to confirm that we have decontaminated your space.

If you have experienced black water damage, it is critical to reach out to our team immediately. Even minor blackwater damage contains hazardous materials that pose significant health and safety hazards.

Your Home and Safety: Our Priority.

Don’t let water damage disrupt your life or jeopardize your safety. With over 20 years of disaster restoration experience, we know how to get you back to normal quickly and safely. Our water damage specialists are on call 24/7 and ready to give you the support and personalized attention you need. Contact us now!