Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re dealing with water, mold, or fire damage right now, the questions below are the ones property owners ask us most. Every answer is written plainly, with the specific numbers, standards, and equipment we actually work with, so you can make a decision instead of guessing. If your situation isn’t covered here, call us and describe what you’re seeing; we’ll tell you straight what’s likely going on and what it takes to fix it.
Key Takeaways
- Most water damage in a typical home costs between $1,300 and $5,500 to dry and stabilize, depending on how far water traveled and what materials it reached.
- We respond to active damage around the clock; the first hours matter far more than the days after.
- We dry with Dri-Eaz, Phoenix, XPOWER, B-Air, and Injectidry equipment, the same commercial-grade systems top-tier restoration firms use nationwide.
- Work is performed to IICRC standards, and we hold alignment with RIA and IFA.
- Our goal is a verified return to pre-loss condition, not a surface-level dry-out.
Pricing & Estimates
How much does damage restoration service cost?
Damage restoration usually runs between $1,300 and $5,500 for a typical residential water loss, with mold remediation commonly landing between $1,200 and $4,000 and fire and smoke cleanup starting higher because of soot, odor, and material replacement. Those ranges are honest ballparks, not quotes. The real number depends on how far water or smoke traveled, what it soaked into, and how quickly work begins. A washing machine supply line that lets go for ten minutes is a different job than a slab leak that’s been seeping under a floor for a week.
Here’s what drives the total:
- Category of water. Clean supply-line water is the simplest. Gray water from appliances or toilets, and black water from sewage backups or outside flooding, require more containment, disposal, and disinfection.
- Square footage affected. A single room dries far faster than a whole floor, and drying equipment runs on time, not wishes.
- Materials involved. Carpet, pad, drywall, and subfloor absorb differently. Hardwood and engineered flooring need controlled drying, and sometimes removal, to avoid cupping.
- Whether demolition is needed. This is where the Injectidry system earns its keep. By forcing dry air directly into wall cavities and subfloors, we can often dry structure that would otherwise be cut out, which means less tear-out and a smaller rebuild later.
We give you a written scope before work starts, so you’re not watching the meter run. Call (888) 508-8745 for a free estimate.
Do you offer free estimates?
Yes, we provide free estimates for water, mold, and fire damage projects. On an active loss, the estimate usually happens on-site during the initial assessment, and you get the scope, the approach, and the cost range in writing before we set up a single air mover. If your situation is still unfolding, like a slow leak you just found behind a cabinet, we’ll tell you what to check and whether it can wait for a scheduled visit.
Is it cheaper to repair or replace water-damaged materials?
Drying is usually cheaper than replacing, and that’s true more often than most people expect when the right equipment is used early. Drywall, subfloor, and framing that would have been cut out by a generalist contractor can often be saved with cavity drying through Injectidry. But there’s a hard line: materials that have been wet long enough to swell, crumble, or grow visible mold aren’t candidates for drying, and replacing them is the correct call. We tell you which category you’re in, and we don’t pad a scope to replace what can be saved.
Will my insurance cover restoration, and how does that work?
Most homeowner policies cover sudden and accidental water damage, like a burst pipe, appliance failure, or storm-driven intrusion, and typically exclude long-term maintenance neglect. We document the loss thoroughly, with moisture readings, photos, and a scope that maps to standard insurance line items, so your adjuster has what they need to process the claim. You pay your deductible; your carrier handles the covered portion. We can work directly with your adjuster to keep the process moving.
Response & Scheduling
Do you offer emergency damage restoration service?
Yes. Active water intrusion, sewage backups, and fire damage are emergencies, and we prioritize those calls. Water keeps moving, and mold can begin colonizing wet materials within 24 to 48 hours, so every hour you wait makes the job bigger. When you call, describe what you see: standing water, a wet ceiling, soot, or a smell. That detail lets us arrive with the right extraction and drying equipment instead of making a second trip.
How fast can you respond?
For active damage, our goal is to be on-site the same day you call, and we dispatch emergency calls promptly around the clock. Response speed depends on your location and current demand, but the priority is always active water or fire over a routine inspection. Getting extraction and drying started fast is what limits secondary damage, so we don’t put emergencies in a queue behind scheduled estimates.
What happens during the first visit?
The first visit is a structured assessment, and how we handle it sets up everything that follows. Here’s the sequence:
- Stop the source. We identify and shut off the water or confirm the fire is fully out, so we’re not drying a space that’s still taking on moisture.
- Map the damage. Moisture meters and thermal imaging show us where water has traveled, including inside walls and under floors where you can’t see it.
- Extract and contain. Standing water comes out first with commercial extraction, and we set containment to keep dust, mold spores, and soot from spreading to clean areas.
- Set drying. We place Dri-Eaz and Phoenix dehumidifiers with XPOWER and B-Air air movers, and where walls or subfloors are wet, we use Injectidry to dry the cavities directly.
- Monitor and verify. We take daily moisture readings until materials return to dry standard, then document it. Verified condition, not a guess.
How long does restoration take?
Structural drying usually takes three to five days, and mold or fire jobs run longer because they involve remediation, clearance, and sometimes rebuild. A small, contained water loss dries faster; a flooded lower level with wet drywall and subfloor takes more time and more monitoring. We give you a realistic timeline at the start and update it as readings come in. The one thing we don’t do is call a job done before the moisture readings say it’s done.
Licensing, Trust & Guarantees
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes, Clean Slate Water Damage is a licensed and insured restoration contractor. That matters for a simple reason: restoration work involves structural drying, controlled demolition, mold containment, and sometimes work around electrical and gas systems, and you want a contractor who carries the coverage to handle it correctly. We can provide our licensing and insurance documentation on request.
Do you guarantee your work?
We stand behind our work by verifying results before we close a job, which is the most meaningful guarantee in restoration. Drying isn’t finished until moisture readings confirm materials are back to dry standard, and mold work isn’t finished until post-remediation verification passes. We document that process so you have a record. If something isn’t right, we come back and address it. Our standard is a return to pre-loss condition, and we hold the job to that.
What certifications and standards do you follow?
Our work is performed to IICRC standards, and we maintain alignment with RIA and IFA. The IICRC is the restoration industry’s recognized certification body, and its written standards govern how drying, mold remediation, and fire restoration are supposed to be performed. RIA membership signals a commitment to restoration industry best practices and continued professional development, and our IFA affiliation adds a third layer of professional accountability. In plain terms, we follow auditable, established procedures rather than improvising on your property.
What equipment do you use?
We use commercial-grade drying and extraction equipment from Dri-Eaz, Phoenix, XPOWER, B-Air, and Injectidry, the same systems top-tier restoration firms use nationwide. That’s not a name list for its own sake. It means high-capacity LGR dehumidifiers that pull moisture out of the air faster than consumer units, air movers that actually create the airflow drying requires, and Injectidry cavity drying that generalist contractors don’t carry. If you’ve ever rented a dehumidifier from a hardware store and wondered why the room still felt damp, the difference is equipment scale and placement, which is a trained process.
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept standard payment methods including major credit cards, debit cards, checks, and direct insurance claim payments. For covered losses, we work with your adjuster so the insurance portion is handled through the claim, and you’re responsible for your deductible. If a job involves a large scope, we’ll walk through the payment schedule upfront so there are no surprises.
Do you offer non-invasive drying without demolition?
Yes, and it’s one of the biggest practical advantages we bring to a water loss. The Injectidry system forces dry air directly into wall cavities and subfloors, which lets us dry deep structural assemblies without cutting open walls or removing flooring in many cases. Non-invasive drying means less disruption to your household, faster recovery, and a noticeably lower rebuild cost down the line. It’s not right for every job (saturated drywall or materials already growing mold still need removal), but where it applies, it saves real money.
Services We Handle
Do you handle water damage restoration?
Yes, water damage restoration is a core service. That covers active leaks and pipe failures, appliance and supply line bursts, roof and window intrusion, sewage backups, and post-storm flooding inside the structure. We extract standing water, dry the structure with professional equipment, and clean and deodorize affected materials. The goal is drying that reaches structural cavities, not just the visible surface. For a full picture of that service, see Water Damage Restoration in Pomona, and for a broader view of our capabilities, start at our home page.
Do you handle mold remediation?
Yes, mold remediation is one of our three core services. Mold often appears after a slow leak, a previous dry-out that missed wet structure, or chronic humidity, and it needs containment, source correction, and remediation to IICRC standards, followed by verification. If you smell something musty or see discoloration spreading along a wall or baseboard, don’t paint over it; the moisture feeding it is still there. We locate the source, contain the area, remove affected material, and clear the space with post-remediation verification so it doesn’t return.
Do you handle fire and smoke damage restoration?
Yes, fire and smoke damage restoration is a core service. Fire damage goes well beyond what burned: smoke residue settles into walls, ductwork, and soft contents, and the smell returns if it isn’t addressed at the source. We handle soot removal, odor neutralizing, and structural cleanup, then coordinate the rebuild path back to pre-loss condition. If the fire department has just cleared the scene, call us before you start moving things around; disturbed soot spreads.
Do you handle storm and disaster restoration?
Yes, we handle storm and disaster restoration for the interior damage storms cause, including wind-driven rain intrusion, roof leaks, and water that enters through windows, doors, or compromised siding. We extract, dry, and restore the affected structure and document the loss for your insurance claim. For a full assessment after a storm passes, call and describe where water came in; we’ll tell you what needs to happen first.
Can you handle water, mold, and fire damage under one contractor?
Yes, and that continuity matters when one loss leads to another. A fire gets put out, the water used to fight it soaks the structure, and mold can follow if drying is delayed. Having one team handle all three disciplines means a single point of contact from the initial damage through final clearance, which removes the coordination risk of hiring separate specialty contractors for a single loss event. One scope, one team, one standard of verification.
Do you work with property managers and landlords?
Yes, we work with residential property managers, landlords, and commercial property owners, including tenant-occupied units. That work calls for clear communication with tenants, tight scheduling, and documentation your ownership or management company needs for its records. We scope, dry, and verify the unit with tenant access in mind, and we keep you informed at each stage.
Areas & Coverage
What areas do you serve?
We serve property owners in our local service area with the full range of water, mold, and fire restoration. If you’re unsure whether we reach your address, call (888) 508-8745 and we’ll confirm. For active damage, don’t wait on that answer: describe the situation and we’ll tell you what to do in the meantime.
Do you handle both residential and commercial restoration?
Yes, we handle both residential and commercial restoration. Residential work covers single-family homes, condos, and apartments, while commercial covers offices, retail, and tenant-occupied commercial units. The equipment and methods scale to the job, and larger commercial jobs get a project scope that reflects the added complexity of keeping a business or building operational.
What should I do while I wait for your team to arrive?
Stop the water if you safely can, and stay out of rooms with standing water or sagging ceilings. Shut off the supply valve at the fixture or the main if a pipe is actively leaking, and turn off electricity to any affected area at the breaker if water is near outlets or fixtures. Don’t walk through standing water in a room with power on, and don’t start pulling wet drywall or insulation yourself. Move furniture and valuables off wet carpet if you can do it safely, and put towels down to slow spread. Then leave the structural work to us.
A word on safety: water damage near electrical panels, outlets, gas appliances, and saturated ceilings is genuinely dangerous, and so is mold that’s been disturbed. Don’t attempt to open walls, pull wiring, or dry structural cavities with household fans. Trained professionals with the right equipment handle that safely, and doing it wrong can turn a cleanup into a hazard.
Why choose Clean Slate Water Damage?
Because you get professional-grade equipment, industry-certified standards, and one team across water, mold, and fire, all pointed at one outcome: restoring your property to verified pre-loss condition. We don’t call a job dry and patch it. We dry it, verify it, and document it. If you’re facing an active loss and want a contractor who explains the plan and the price before work starts, that’s what we do.
Have a question we didn’t cover? Call Clean Slate Water Damage at (888) 508-8745 for a free estimate.