When it comes to home mishaps, it doesn't get much worse than dealing with the damage that results from a burst water pipe, a sink inadvertently left to overflow the entire weekend, or a washing machine or dishwasher has gone rogue. To mitigate the damage, it is imperative to clean it up as soon as possible. Here is how to start cleaning up the mess.

Cut The Electricity

Before you do anything, switch the breaker(s) off to whichever areas have been affected. Getting electrocuted will make a bad situation worse really quickly. If the water damage is in your basement, be sure to wear rubber boots as well to provide extra-shock protection.

Start Clearing Out

At a minimum, this is a two-person job. Any upholstered furniture and area rugs are going to have to be hauled outside. If the room where the water damage has occurred has carpeting and it is saturated, this will need to be ripped up a removed. Any padding underneath will need to be removed as well. If just a small corner of carpeting has been damaged, such as at the threshold between two rooms, you can probably save it.

Start Cleaning Up

Whatever water remains needs to be removed. On a small job, towels and repeated mopping may do the trick. When there is a little bit more water to contend with, you will need to use a wet vac. If you don't own one, check with a neighbor. Otherwise, you will have to rent or buy one.

If it isn't winter, open the doors and windows to get air flowing through. Turn on any ceiling fans your home may have. You will also want to put box fans in the windows to draw the moist air out. Additionally, crank your dehumidifier. You may even want to purchase an additional one as the quicker you get things dry, the better your chances of avoiding future mold and mildew problems.

Once you have cleaned up the inside, it's time to rent a carpet cleaner with an upholstery attachment. You will use this to remove water and clean the rugs and upholstered furniture you drug outside as well as any carpeting left intact in the home.

What If There Are Signs Of Damage To The Home Itself?

If you see that water has damaged your drywall or when you pulled up saturated carpeting, the subflooring is wet as well, this is no longer a do-it-yourself job. This requires a company that specializes in water damage repair services and cleaning. In fact, even if the damage is minimum, hiring a service may be the more economical choice than going out and buying shop vacs and dehumidifiers and renting carpet cleaners.