Whether is behind the washer, above the ceiling or under the sink, a little drip can lead to big trouble.

Water damage happens quickly and be expensive to fix.  Ignore a leak, and you could end up with a big mess on your hands.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, water damage and freezing accounted for over a third of property damage claims - making it the most popular type of property damage claim in recent years.

Freezing claims include damage caused by such things as ice dams, frozen gutters and frozen pipes.  Other common causes of water damage include ruptured appliance hoses, leaky ice maker water lines, leaky pipes, leaky roofs and improperly sealed windows.

Remember, it takes between 48 - 72 hours for mold to grow and mold needs moisture.  So putting off repairing a leaky pipe can results in not only water damage, but mold growth as well.

If you see it, address it immediately

This home had a sump pump failure that caused the water to run under the wall and into the recreation room of this finished basement.

The key to any water loss is to realize the Category of water your dealing with.  In this case. the water was Category 3, grossly contaminated. 

Homeowners, understandably get excited when they see water rising in their basements and want to jump in and get to work.  They often forget that when they are walking over carpeting, up stairs etc with shoes that have been in Category 3 water they are cross-contaminating unaffected areas. 

SERVPRO of Southeast Milwaukee County is trained to handle Category 3 water losses and have the experience to do it right.  We set down floor protection to avoid any cross contamination.

This home in Milwaukee, WI experienced a water loss when water came up through the floor drain.  Water got a couple inches high before the homeowner noticed it.

Water coming from a floor drain in Category 3 water, or grossly contaminated water.  Homeowners should avoid walking through this water and when they do, should remember to remove their shoes before walking in unaffected areas of their homes to avoid cross contamination.

This homeowner called SERVPRO of Southeast Milwaukee County to come out and clean up.  It took several hours to extract the standing water before cleaning and sanitizing the area.  The homeowner was very happy he made the call.

This is the aftermath of a bathtub on the upper level overflowing down into the lower level.  There is never a good time for this type of damage to occur, but this happened late at night.

The homeowner is a "do it yourselfer", but this was much bigger than they could handle on their own.  They called SERVPRO of Southeast Milwaukee County and we arrived before the sun even came up the next morning.

The homeowner was very impressed with our speedy response and the professionalism of our crew. 

This homeowner was out of the country and forgot to turn off their water.  Once the weather got cold, their pipes froze and this is the result.

The home was empty, but there was a lot of damage to their structure.  Notice the ceiling collapsed on their beautiful hardwood floors.  Those floors were frozen solid.

Once SERVPRO of Southeast Milwaukee County arrived on the scene we began the cleanup.  The homeowner expressed what a huge weight was lifted off their shoulders the minute we arrived on site.    Imagine trying to manage this from outside the country!

SERVPRO of Southeast Milwaukee County kept this homeowner updated with phone calls, emails and a lot of pictures each step of the way.

When you have a sewer back-up that affects your entire basement it's never fun.  When your basement contains all your treasures and you want them protected, it can be over-whelming.  In this job, our customer has thousands of books that are his passion.  They have to be removed and protected, so we can go in and clean up after a sewer back-up.  SERVPRO of Southeast Milwaukee County can get it done - while treating your belongings like the treasures they are.

When we get a call for a water job, our truck needs to ready to roll.   This is a shot of our crew loading the water truck for the next job.  After every job, the equipment is taken off and is cleaned and sanitized before being reloaded on the truck for the next job.  That way, we are ready for action when you call and we can arrive on site as soon as possible to solve your problem.