How Long Does Water Leak Clean-Up Usually Take?

December 21, 2023

A water leak inside your home is a major inconvenience, and it can create a dangerous living environment. Professional water leak clean-up services can help restore your property to its original condition, but how long will the project take?

Our Insight Restoration team offers water damage remediation in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As one of the area’s best restoration companies with years of experience, we know how to address water leak clean-ups in a timely fashion. Here, we explain the typical timelines for this service and how you can help keep everything on schedule. 

General Water Clean-up Timelines and Contributing Factors

It doesn’t matter if flooding inside your house occurs due to a burst pipe or a natural disaster. Unless you remove the water, dry out the affected areas, and restore your damaged property, your house can quickly become a breeding ground for mold, mildew, bacteria, and other potentially harmful microbes. 

You can address these issues by scheduling water leak clean-up services from a respected water damage restoration company. Most services include water mitigation and water damage rebuilding. Still, the time it takes to complete both services depends on the size of the affected areas, the source of the water leak, the extent of the water damage, and several other factors. 

Take a closer look at the general timelines for water clean-up.

Water Mitigation

Water mitigation is the process of assessing the water damage and taking steps to prevent the situation from worsening. It’s during this stage that water damage restoration crews:

  • Remove standing water
  • Dry out the property using dehumidifiers and air movers
  • Take out unsalvageable construction materials like saturated drywall and wet carpets
  • Clean and sanitize flooded rooms


It usually takes one to two weeks to provide water mitigation. However, the timeline can change depending on the type of water damage a home has. For example, water mitigation involving extreme water damage could take up to six weeks to complete.

If the leak source involves dark water with high levels of contamination, expect the mitigation process to take longer. Raw sewage and flooding due to rising rivers and streams are examples of highly contaminated dark water. This type of water damage requires special equipment and tactics to remove harmful pathogens from surfaces and building materials.

Water Damage Rebuild

When a water leak is serious enough to damage construction materials, the restoration process will include a rebuilding phase. Water damage rebuilding occurs after the mitigation process to bring the house back to its original condition. 

It usually takes longer to rebuild a property than it does to clean up the water, mainly due to insurance. When you file a claim with your homeowner’s insurance company to pay for water damage restoration, it can take a while for the insurance adjuster to approve it. It can also take time to acquire building materials to rebuild your home. 

A light rebuild could take up to 30 days to complete. Most properties with mid-level water damage take one to four months to rebuild, while extreme situations often take over a year to finish. 

Tips To Speed Up Water Leak Clean-up Timelines

If you want to speed up the water clean-up process or at least stay on schedule, follow these tips:

  • Understand your insurance policy coverages to ensure you only file a claim for approved services
  • Give the restoration crew uninterrupted access to the affected areas
  • Use ceiling fans to help dry out flooded rooms if it’s safe to do so
  • Get a wet-dry vacuum from a local hardware store to extract standing water from minor leaks

Seek Professional Water Leak Clean-Up From Insight Restoration

At Insight Restoration, we provide top-tier residential water damage restoration services throughout Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the surrounding communities. Our IICRC-certified team is available 24/7 to manage water leak clean-up, mold remediation, and fire damage repair and restoration from start to finish. We strive to give our customers prompt, professional services and stress-free experiences. Call us at Insight Restoration anytime at (763) 205-6584 for assistance.

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