What to Do if Your Child Left the Faucet Running
By Lizzie Weakley
Kids can be curious, and if your little one has ever opened a faucet and left it running, you know how quickly this can lead to a water disaster. Water damage is something no homeowner wants to deal with, so it pays to be prepared for situations like this. From turning off the water source to calling in a water damage restoration team, here are some of the steps you should take if your child leaves the faucet running.
Turn Off the Water Source Immediately
If your child ever leaves the faucet running, don’t panic—instead, turn off the water source immediately. This could mean shutting off your main water valve (if you know where it is) or turning off the individual shutoff valve located behind the sink. You may need to use an adjustable wrench or pliers to do this. Once you’ve shut off the valves, test them out by turning on both hot and cold taps until no more water comes out of them – that way you’ll know they’re completely shut off.
Clean Up Any Standing Water
Once you have turned off the water source and ensured that no more water will come out of any taps in your house, now is a good time to start cleaning up any standing water. Use towels or mops and buckets to get rid of as much as possible; however, depending on how much there is, this might not be enough to stop further damage from occurring. In that case, it’s important to call in help.
Contact A Professional Water Damage Restoration Team
If there is significant standing water in parts of your home due to your child leaving a faucet running—for example if it has pooled on carpets or seeped into walls—you should contact a professional water damage restoration company as soon as possible. They will be able to assess what kind of damage has been done and make sure that mold doesn’t start growing due to moisture buildup (which can happen very quickly). The sooner they start work on restoring your home back to its original condition, the better!
Accidents happen – especially when kids are involved! Hopefully these tips have given you an idea of what steps you should take if your child ever leaves a faucet running in your home by accident. Remember – act fast and contact professionals if necessary! With quick thinking and decisive action, you can prevent any long-term consequences from happening.
About the Author
Lizzie Weakley is a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors and walks in the park with her husky, Snowball.
*Bio photo courtesy of Lizzie Weakley
