Chapter 4:  What to Do if You Discover Moisture Damage

An Insidious Leak…

It can happen.  Sometimes, despite your best efforts  - and wholly independent of a natural disaster or water-related accident - your house can develop a small leak, which you don’t notice until the damage has already begun. 

It might be a hairline crack in the icemaker water line, hidden in the wall.  Maybe it’s a fissure in the chimney flashing that admits a tiny droplet of water onto the attic insulation - only during windy rainstorms.  Regardless of the source, even a small leak, undetected, can do serious damage to your home.

… or Incomplete Disaster Repair …

Another common cause of unseen, but chronic moisture, is an incomplete restoration in the aftermath of a disaster or accident. 

Search and Destroy Mission:  The Nose Knows 

Your own nose is one of the best diagnostic tools around for detecting potential unwanted moisture. In fact your nose will often pick up the first clue that something is amiss.

You can use your nose to help uncover hidden leaks or overlooked moisture trapped in the house after a water damage clean-up has taken place. 

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Follow your nose around the house until you can zero in on the general area, if not the actual source of the scent.  When wet, most materials give off a tell-tale odor.

Does something smell musty and damp, like wet wood? 

Or like a laundry hamper full of damp towels? 

Is the carpet padding still damp? 

Some glues smell sweet when they break down in the presence of moisture. 

Head for the basement.  Is the smell coming from down there?

Where is the odor most noticeable?

Investigate any “off” smells immediately. The sooner the better, too. Don’t shrug off an odor or try to mask the mustiness with room fresheners.

What to Do Next?

If you cannot confidently locate the source of the ‘off’ odor yourself and be 100% certain that you can correct the underlying problem, - for example:  a clothes hamper full of damp towels is an easily-resolved moisture problem – call a professional.  The longer you put it off, the worse the problem may become.