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Clean, gray, and contaminated water

Illinois

Category 3 Water Cleanup in Illinois

Our response team contains and removes Category 3 water, then cleans, sanitizes, and disposes of materials that cannot be safely restored.

  • Flood-response calls answered 24/7
  • Residential and commercial response
  • Extraction, cleanup, and moisture control
  • One response team from assessment to dry standard

Call (833) 868-0788Browse services

Signs to look for

When to call us for category 3 cleanup

If you notice any of these problems, call us before water has more time to spread into nearby materials.

Route: the water carries sewage or came up a sewer line

For a decisive response, this is the route people already know, and it is unambiguous. Any sewage involvement places the loss in Category 3 from the first minute.

Route: the water came in from outdoors at ground level

As our response moves forward, surface water that crossed soil or pavement is treated as Category 3. It arrives with soil, animal waste, fertilizer and whatever else was on the ground.

Route: the water contacted contamination on its way

As our response moves forward, the path counts as much as the origin. Clean supply water that ran across a soil crawl space or a backed up floor drain is no longer a Category 1 loss.

Route: it stood long enough, in a warm enough room, to degrade

For a decisive response, lower category water climbs the scale as it sits, and warmth speeds that up. Standing water nobody found for more than about two days is assessed at the top.

Route: there is decaying organic material in the water

To control the loss, a dead rodent, a nest or heavy insect activity in standing water is a recognized Category 3 route.

Route: nobody can identify where the water came from

As our response moves forward, an unidentified source is assessed at the top of the scale until it is named. Guessing low on the source is the most expensive mistake in this field.

What happens

How we handle category 3 cleanup

Our response team adjusts the work to where water traveled, how far the water traveled, and which materials can be saved.

The category determination, written down with its evidence

To control the loss, source, path, elapsed time and room temperature are tracked with photographs. You get the reasoning behind the label, not just the label.

The class of loss assessed as a separate question

We measure how much of the total surface area of the space is wet porous material. That number sets the structural drying program and it is independent of the category.

Entry safety before the protocol starts

To keep the work on track, circuits serving the space are switched off at the panel, from dry footing, before the first crew member enters.

Sealed work area at the boundary with controlled airflow

For a decisive response, barriers, air scrubbing and a doffing station separate the affected area from the rest of the building. The clean side stays clean from that point.

Respiratory protection as baseline, not as an upgrade

To control the loss, on a Category 3 work plan, respiratory protection is worn as standard along with suits, boots, gloves and eye protection.

Work plan written line by line from the determination

For a decisive response, each item on the estimate traces back to the category call that justified it. That is what makes a work plan reviewable rather than a take it or leave it number.

Reach our response team

Active water loss in Illinois?

Report where it began, whether the source is controlled, and every space the water reached.

Call (833) 868-0788

What to expect

What to expect from our response team

Here is how we usually handle category 3 cleanup near Illinois.

  1. 1

    Walk us through where the water started and what it crossed

    To keep the work on track, source and path answer most of the category question before anyone arrives. Say plainly if you do not know, because unknown is treated at the top of the scale.

    Your call
  2. 2

    Write down when you last saw that floor dry

    As our response moves forward, elapsed time is a category input, and nobody can reconstruct it later. A note on your phone with a timestamp beats a memory in three weeks.

    +5 minutes
  3. 3

    Everyone out, and the circuits off, before anyone disturbs anything

    For a decisive response, people and pets out of the affected area, then power to it switched off at the panel from dry footing.

    +10 minutes
  4. 4

    Leave the scene as it is, because the scene is the evidence

    For a decisive response, do not mop, bin anything or move contents around. Photograph what you can see from the doorway and let the determination be made on an undisturbed room.

    +15 minutes
  5. 5

    The determination interview, done room by room with you

    We trace the source and path, fix the timeline, take room temperature and humidity, and photograph the evidence.

    On arrival
  6. 6

    Category recorded, then the class assessed separately

    As our response moves forward, the category goes in the file with its evidence. Then we measure the wet porous material against the total surface area of the space to set the class.

    First hour on site
  7. 7

    Protocol matched to the category before work begins

    To control the loss, sealed work area, respiratory protection and the disposal route are set because the category requires them. Nothing moves until that boundary is established.

    First hour on site

Understanding the cost

What can affect the price

We outline the restoration action plan and price before you approve the job. These examples show what may change the estimate.

Common situationWhat the estimate may includeTypical range
Category 3 cleanup in one room or a small area, removal, cleaning and disinfectionAs our response moves forward, national estimate. This is what the Category 3 label adds to a small loss: sealed work area, protection, documented disposal and a cleaned and dry release.$2,000 to $4,000
Category 3 cleanup across a finished lower level, removal, cleaning, flood cut and dryingTo keep the work on track, national estimate for a full contaminated level with disposal and multiple drying zones.$7,000 to $18,000
Category 3 cleanup priced by affected areaTo control the loss, national estimate for measured affected area at the top of the contamination scale.$7 to $15 per square foot
Category 2 cleanup priced by affected areaTo keep the work on track, national estimate for soiled water, where cleaning and cushion disposal are added to drying.$4 to $9 per square foot
Category 1 cleanup priced by affected areaAs our response moves forward, national estimate for clean water, where most materials are dried in place rather than removed.$3 to $7 per square foot
Flood cut drywall and insulation removal, per square footTo control the loss, national estimate for cutting, removing and bagging contaminated wall material and insulation.$1.50 to $4.00
After hours or overnight dispatch chargeTo control the loss, national estimate for an out of hours dispatch, ahead of any cleanup pricing.$100 to $400
  • Which category the water is placed in
    To keep the work on track, category 1 is extraction and drying. Category 2 adds cleaning and cushion disposal. Category 3 adds sealed work area, protection, documented disposal and a higher release standard.

  • How much of the space is wet porous material
    As our response moves forward, this is the class question and it prices separately from the category. More wet porous material across the total surface area means more equipment and more days.

  • How far the category escalated before anyone called
    To control the loss, a loss caught as Category 1 and dried is a fraction of the same loss assessed as Category 3 on day three.

  • Height of the wet line on the walls
    As our response moves forward, this drives drying difficulty, because a taller wet line means more wet surface and more cavity to dry.

  • Low permeance materials in the assembly
    As our response moves forward, hardwood over a subfloor, plaster, or a concrete slab holds bound water that leaves slowly. Those assemblies stretch the drying phase regardless of category.

  • Whether the determination is documented
    To keep the work on track, a documented category is approved and paid. A label with nothing behind it gets queried, re scoped or partially denied, and that rework lands in your total.

Why timing matters

What can happen when the area stays wet

Water can keep moving into nearby materials even when the surface looks dry.

Categories only move in one direction once water is down

To keep the work on track, water never improves on its own. A Category 1 loss becomes Category 2 and then Category 3, and no amount of drying reverses that.

The work plan grows with the category, not with the water volume

To control the loss, moving up a category adds sealed work area, protection, disposal and material removal. The same gallon of water can cost twice as much on Thursday as it did on Monday.

Class is a separate question that delay also makes worse

As our response moves forward, as water migrates it wets more of the total surface area of the space, including walls and ceilings.

Vulnerable occupants carry the exposure

To control the loss, infants, older adults, pregnant household members and immunocompromised people are the reason the standard allows an elevated response.

Helpful service information

What to know about category 3 cleanup

Act first by the short explanation. Open a card if you want a little more detail.

What is happening inside the property

As our response moves forward, it sorts water by contamination into three brackets.

Read the explanation

To keep the work on track, the category scale comes from the IICRC S500 standard, which is the reference document professional restorers work to.

How the next step is decided

To control the loss, category is about the water.

Read the explanation

For a decisive response, category and class get confused constantly, and the difference is genuinely useful. Category is about the water. Class is about the drying challenge, measured as how much of the total surface area of the space is wet porous material.

What may change the work

For a decisive response, category is assessed at the time of the inspection, not at the moment of the leak.

Read the explanation

To control the loss, deterioration over time is the part homeowners are rarely told about. Category is assessed at the time of the inspection, not at the moment of the leak.

Help near you

Category 3 Water Cleanup near Illinois

Match your needs to your area below, or call (833) 868-0788 and describe where the loss began.

Abingdon, ILAdair, ILAddieville, ILAddison, ILAlbany, ILAlbers, ILAlbion, ILAlden, ILAledo, ILAlexander, ILAlexis, ILAlgonquin, ILAlhambra, ILAllendale, ILAllerton, ILAlma, ILAlpha, ILAlsey, ILAlsip, ILAltamont, ILAlto Pass, ILAlton, ILAltona, ILAlvin, ILAmboy, ILAnchor, ILAncona, ILAndalusia, ILAndover, ILAnna, ILAnnapolis, ILAnnawan, ILAntioch, ILApple River, ILArcola, ILArenzville, ILArgenta, ILArlington, ILArlington Heights, ILArmington, ILArmstrong, ILAroma Park, ILArrowsmith, ILArthur, ILAshkum, ILAshland, ILAshley, ILAshmore, ILAshton, ILAssumption, ILAstoria, ILAthens, ILAtkinson, ILAtlanta, ILAtwood, ILAuburn, ILAugusta, ILAurora, ILAva, ILAviston, ILAvon, ILBaileyville, ILBaldwin, ILBardolph, ILBarnhill, ILBarrington, ILBarry, ILBarstow, ILBartelso, ILBartlett, ILBasco, ILBatavia, ILBatchtown, ILBath, ILBaylis, ILBeardstown, ILBeason, ILBeaverville, ILBeckemeyer, ILBedford Park, ILBeecher, ILBeecher City, ILBelknap, ILBelle Rive, ILBelleville, ILBellflower, ILBellmont, ILBellwood, ILBelvidere, ILBement, ILBenld, ILBensenville, ILBenson, ILBenton, ILBerkeley, ILBerwick, ILBerwyn, ILBethalto, ILBethany, ILBig Rock, ILBiggsville, ILBingham, ILBishop Hill, ILBismarck, ILBlackstone, ILBlandinsville, ILBloomingdale, ILBloomington, ILBlue Island, ILBlue Mound, ILBluff Springs, ILBluffs, ILBluford, ILBoles, ILBolingbrook, ILBondville, ILBone Gap, ILBonfield, ILBonnie, ILBoody, ILBourbonnais, ILBowen, ILBraceville, ILBradford, ILBradley, ILBraidwood, ILBreese, ILBridgeport, ILBridgeview, ILBrighton, ILBrimfield, ILBristol, ILBroadlands, ILBroadview, ILBrocton, ILBrookfield, ILBrookport, ILBroughton, ILBrowning, ILBrowns, ILBrownstown, ILBrussels, ILBryant, ILBuckingham, ILBuckley, ILBuckner, ILBuda, ILBuffalo, ILBuffalo Grove, ILBuffalo Prairie, ILBulpitt, ILBuncombe, ILBunker Hill, ILBurbank, ILBureau, ILBurlington, ILBurnt Prairie, ILBushnell, ILButler, ILByron, ILCabery, ILCairo, ILCaledonia, ILCalhoun, ILCalumet City, ILCamargo, ILCambria, ILCambridge, ILCamden, ILCameron, ILCamp Grove, ILCamp Point, ILCampbell Hill, ILCampus, ILCanton, ILCantrall, ILCapron, ILCarbon Cliff, ILCarbondale, ILCarlinville, ILCarlock, ILCarlyle, ILCarman, ILCarmi, ILCarol Stream, ILCarpentersville, ILCarrier Mills, ILCarrollton, ILCarterville, ILCarthage, ILCary, ILCasey, ILCaseyville, ILCastleton, ILCatlin, ILCave In Rock, ILCedar Point, ILCedarville, ILCentralia, ILCerro Gordo, ILChadwick, ILChambersburg, ILChampaign, ILChana, ILChandlerville, ILChannahon, ILChapin, ILCharleston, ILChatham, ILChatsworth, ILChebanse, ILChenoa, ILCherry, ILCherry Valley, ILChester, ILChesterfield, ILChestnut, ILChicago, ILChicago Heights, ILChicago Ridge, ILChillicothe, ILChrisman, ILChristopher, ILCicero, ILCisco, ILCisne, ILCissna Park, ILClare, ILClaremont, ILClarendon Hills, ILClay City, ILClayton, ILClaytonville, ILClifton, ILClinton, ILCoal City, ILCoal Valley, ILCoatsburg, ILCobden, ILCoello, ILCoffeen, ILColchester, ILColfax, ILCollinsville, ILCollison, ILColona, ILColp, ILColumbia, ILColusa, ILCompton, ILConcord, ILCongerville, ILCooksville, ILCordova, ILCornell, ILCornland, ILCortland, ILCottage Hills, ILCoulterville, ILCountry Club Hills, ILCowden, ILCreal Springs, ILCrescent City, ILCrest Hill, ILCreston, ILCrestwood, ILCrete, ILCreve Coeur, ILCropsey, ILCrossville, ILCrystal Lake, ILCuba, ILCullom, ILCutler, ILCypress, ILDahinda, ILDahlgren, ILDakota, ILDale, ILDallas City, ILDalton City, ILDalzell, ILDana, ILDanforth, ILDanvers, ILDanville, ILDarien, ILDavis, ILDavis Junction, ILDawson, ILDe Land, ILDe Soto, ILDecatur, ILDeer Creek, ILDeer Grove, ILDeerfield, ILDekalb, ILDelavan, ILDennison, ILDepue, ILDes Plaines, ILDewey, ILDewitt, ILDieterich, ILDivernon, ILDix, ILDixon, ILDolton, ILDongola, ILDonnellson, ILDonovan, ILDorsey, ILDover, ILDow, ILDowell, ILDowners Grove, ILDowns, ILDu Bois, ILDu Quoin, ILDundas, ILDundee, ILDunfermline, ILDunlap, ILDupo, ILDurand, ILDwight, ILEagarville, ILEarlville, ILEast Alton, ILEast Carondelet, ILEast Dubuque, ILEast Galesburg, ILEast Lynn, ILEast Moline, ILEast Peoria, ILEast Saint Louis, ILEaston, ILEddyville, ILEdelstein, ILEdgewood, ILEdinburg, ILEdwards, ILEdwardsville, ILEffingham, ILEl Paso, ILElburn, ILEldena, ILEldorado, ILEldred, ILEleroy, ILElgin, ILElizabeth, ILElizabethtown, ILElk Grove Village, ILElkhart, ILElkville, ILEllery, ILElliott, ILEllis Grove, ILEllisville, ILEllsworth, ILElmhurst, ILElmwood, ILElmwood Park, ILElsah, ILElvaston, ILElwin, ILElwood, ILEmden, ILEmington, ILEmma, ILEnergy, ILEnfield, ILEola, ILEquality, ILErie, ILEsmond, ILEssex, ILEureka, ILEvanston, ILEvansville, ILEvergreen Park, ILEwing, ILFairbury, ILFairfield, ILFairmount, ILFairview, ILFairview Heights, ILFarina, ILFarmer City, ILFarmersville, ILFarmington, ILFenton, ILFerris, ILFiatt, ILFidelity, ILFieldon, ILFillmore, ILFindlay, ILFisher, ILFithian, ILFlanagan, ILFlat Rock, ILFlora, ILFlossmoor, ILFoosland, ILForest City, ILForest Park, ILForrest, ILForreston, ILForsyth, ILFort Sheridan, ILFowler, ILFox Lake, ILFox River Grove, ILFox Valley, ILFrankfort, ILFrankfort Heights, ILFranklin, ILFranklin Grove, ILFranklin Park, ILFrederick, ILFreeburg, ILFreeman Spur, ILFreeport, ILFulton, ILFults, ILGalatia, ILGalena, ILGalesburg, ILGalt, ILGalva, ILGarden Prairie, ILGardner, ILGays, ILGeff, ILGeneseo, ILGeneva, ILGenoa, ILGeorgetown, ILGerlaw, ILGerman Valley, ILGermantown, ILGibson City, ILGifford, ILGilberts, ILGillespie, ILGilman, ILGilson, ILGirard, ILGladstone, ILGlasford, ILGlen Carbon, ILGlen Ellyn, ILGlenarm, ILGlencoe, ILGlendale Heights, ILGlenview, ILGlenwood, ILGodfrey, ILGolconda, ILGolden, ILGolden Eagle, ILGolden Gate, ILGolf, ILGood Hope, ILGoodfield, ILGoodwine, ILGoreville, ILGorham, ILGrafton, ILGrand Chain, ILGrand Ridge, ILGrand Tower, ILGranite City, ILGrant Park, ILGrantsburg, ILGranville, ILGraymont, ILGrayslake, ILGrayville, ILGreat Lakes, ILGreen Valley, ILGreenfield, ILGreenup, ILGreenview, ILGreenville, ILGridley, ILGriggsville, ILGroveland, ILGurnee, ILHagarstown, ILHamburg, ILHamel, ILHamilton, ILHammond, ILHampshire, ILHampton, ILHanna City, ILHanover, ILHanover Park, ILHardin, ILHarmon, ILHarrisburg, ILHarristown, ILHartford, ILHartsburg, ILHarvard, ILHarvel, ILHarvey, ILHarwood Heights, ILHavana, ILHazel Crest, ILHebron, ILHecker, ILHenderson, ILHennepin, ILHenning, ILHenry, ILHerod, ILHerrick, ILHerrin, ILHerscher, ILHettick, ILHeyworth, ILHickory Hills, ILHidalgo, ILHighland, ILHighland Park, ILHighwood, ILHillsboro, ILHillsdale, ILHillside, ILHillview, ILHinckley, ILHindsboro, ILHines, ILHinsdale, ILHoffman, ILHoffman Estates, ILHolcomb, ILHomer, ILHomer Glen, ILHometown, ILHomewood, ILHoopeston, ILHooppole, ILHopedale, ILHopkins Park, ILHoyleton, ILHudson, ILHuey, ILHull, ILHumboldt, ILHume, ILHuntley, ILHuntsville, ILHurst, ILHutsonville, ILIllinois City, ILIlliopolis, ILIna, ILIndianola, ILIndustry, ILIngleside, ILIngraham, ILIpava, ILIroquois, ILIrving, ILIrvington, ILIsland Lake, ILItasca, ILIuka, ILIvesdale, ILJacksonville, ILJacob, ILJanesville, ILJerseyville, ILJewett, ILJohnsonville, ILJohnston City, ILJoliet, ILJonesboro, ILJoppa, ILJoy, ILJunction, ILJustice, ILKampsville, ILKane, ILKaneville, ILKankakee, ILKansas, ILKarbers Ridge, ILKarnak, ILKasbeer, ILKeenes, ILKeensburg, ILKeithsburg, ILKell, ILKempton, ILKenilworth, ILKenney, ILKent, ILKewanee, ILKeyesport, ILKilbourne, ILKincaid, ILKinderhook, ILKingston, ILKingston Mines, ILKinmundy, ILKinsman, ILKirkland, ILKirkwood, ILKnoxville, ILLa Fayette, ILLa Grange, ILLa Grange Park, ILLa Harpe, ILLa Moille, ILLa Place, ILLa Prairie, ILLa Rose, ILLa Salle, ILLacon, ILLadd, ILLafox, ILLake Bluff, ILLake Forest, ILLake Fork, ILLake In The Hills, ILLake Villa, ILLake Zurich, ILLakewood, ILLanark, ILLancaster, ILLane, ILLansing, ILLatham, ILLaura, ILLawndale, ILLawrenceville, ILLe Roy, ILLeaf River, ILLebanon, ILLee, ILLee Center, ILLeland, ILLemont, ILLena, ILLenzburg, ILLeonore, ILLerna, ILLewistown, ILLexington, ILLiberty, ILLibertyville, ILLima, ILLincoln, ILLincoln'S New Salem, ILLincolnshire, ILLincolnwood, ILLindenwood, ILLisle, ILLitchfield, ILLiterberry, ILLittle York, ILLittleton, ILLiverpool, ILLivingston, ILLoami, ILLockport, ILLoda, ILLogan, ILLomax, ILLombard, ILLondon Mills, ILLong Point, ILLongview, ILLoraine, ILLostant, ILLouisville, ILLovejoy, ILLoves Park, ILLovington, ILLowder, ILLowpoint, ILLudlow, ILLyndon, ILLynn Center, ILLyons, ILMacedonia, ILMachesney Park, ILMackinaw, ILMacomb, ILMacon, ILMadison, ILMaeystown, ILMagnolia, ILMahomet, ILMakanda, ILMalden, ILMalta, ILManchester, ILManhattan, ILManito, ILManlius, ILMansfield, ILManteno, ILMaple Park, ILMapleton, ILMaquon, ILMarengo, ILMarietta, ILMarine, ILMarion, ILMarissa, ILMark, ILMarkham, ILMaroa, ILMarseilles, ILMarshall, ILMartinsville, ILMartinton, ILMaryville, ILMascoutah, ILMason, ILMason City, ILMatherville, ILMatteson, ILMattoon, ILMaunie, ILMaywood, ILMazon, ILMc Clure, ILMc Connell, ILMc Lean, ILMc Leansboro, ILMc Nabb, ILMchenry, ILMechanicsburg, ILMedia, ILMedinah, ILMedora, ILMelrose Park, ILMelvin, ILMenard, ILMendon, ILMendota, ILMeredosia, ILMerna, ILMetamora, ILMetcalf, ILMetropolis, ILMichael, ILMiddletown, ILMidlothian, ILMilan, ILMilford, ILMill Shoals, ILMillbrook, ILMillcreek, ILMilledgeville, ILMiller City, ILMillington, ILMillstadt, ILMilmine, ILMilton, ILMineral, ILMinier, ILMinonk, ILMinooka, ILMode, ILModesto, ILModoc, ILMokena, ILMoline, ILMomence, ILMonee, ILMonmouth, ILMonroe Center, ILMontgomery, ILMonticello, ILMontrose, ILMooseheart, ILMoro, ILMorris, ILMorrison, ILMorrisonville, ILMorton, ILMorton Grove, ILMossville, ILMound City, ILMounds, ILMount Auburn, ILMount Carmel, ILMount Carroll, ILMount Erie, ILMount Morris, ILMount Olive, ILMount Prospect, ILMount Pulaski, ILMount Sterling, ILMount Vernon, ILMoweaqua, ILMozier, ILMt Zion, ILMuddy, ILMulberry Grove, ILMulkeytown, ILMuncie, ILMundelein, ILMurdock, ILMurphysboro, ILMurrayville, ILNachusa, ILNaperville, ILNashville, ILNason, ILNational Stock Yards, ILNauvoo, ILNebo, ILNeoga, ILNeponset, ILNew Athens, ILNew Baden, ILNew Bedford, ILNew Berlin, ILNew Boston, ILNew Burnside, ILNew Canton, ILNew Douglas, ILNew Haven, ILNew Holland, ILNew Lenox, ILNew Memphis, ILNew Salem, ILNew Windsor, ILNewark, ILNewman, ILNewton, ILNiantic, ILNiles, ILNilwood, ILNiota, ILNoble, ILNokomis, ILNora, ILNormal, ILNorris, ILNorris City, ILNorth Aurora, ILNorth Chicago, ILNorth Henderson, ILNorthbrook, ILO Fallon, ILOak Brook, ILOak Forest, ILOak Lawn, ILOak Park, ILOakdale, ILOakford, ILOakland, ILOakwood, ILOblong, ILOconee, ILOdell, ILOdin, ILOgden, ILOglesby, ILOhio, ILOhlman, ILOkawville, ILOlive Branch, ILOlmsted, ILOlney, ILOlympia Fields, ILOmaha, ILOnarga, ILOneida, ILOpdyke, ILOphiem, ILOquawka, ILOrangeville, ILOraville, ILOreana, ILOregon, ILOrient, ILOrion, ILOrland Park, ILOsco, ILOswego, ILOttawa, ILOwaneco, ILOzark, ILPalatine, ILPalestine, ILPalmer, ILPalmyra, ILPaloma, ILPalos Heights, ILPalos Hills, ILPalos Park, ILPana, ILPanama, ILPapineau, ILParis, ILPark Forest, ILPark Ridge, ILParkersburg, ILPatoka, ILPatterson, ILPaw Paw, ILPawnee, ILPaxton, ILPayson, ILPearl, ILPearl City, ILPecatonica, ILPekin, ILPembroke Township, ILPenfield, ILPeoria, ILPeoria Heights, ILPeotone, ILPercy, ILPerks, ILPerry, ILPeru, ILPesotum, ILPetersburg, ILPhilo, ILPiasa, ILPierron, ILPinckneyville, ILPiper City, ILPittsburg, ILPittsfield, ILPlainfield, ILPlainville, ILPlano, ILPleasant Hill, ILPleasant Plains, ILPlymouth, ILPocahontas, ILPolo, ILPomona, ILPontiac, ILPoplar Grove, ILPort Byron, ILPosen, ILPotomac, ILPrairie City, ILPrairie Du Rocher, ILPreemption, ILPrinceton, ILPrinceville, ILProphetstown, ILProspect Heights, ILPulaski, ILPutnam, ILQuincy, ILRadom, ILRaleigh, ILRamsey, ILRankin, ILRansom, ILRantoul, ILRapids City, ILRaritan, ILRaymond, ILRed Bud, ILReddick, ILRedmon, ILRenault, ILReynolds, ILRichmond, ILRichton Park, ILRichview, ILRidge Farm, ILRidgway, ILRidott, ILRinard, ILRingwood, ILRio, ILRiver Forest, ILRiver Grove, ILRiverdale, ILRiverside, ILRiverton, ILRoanoke, ILRobbins, ILRoberts, ILRobinson, ILRochelle, ILRochester, ILRock City, ILRock Falls, ILRock Island, ILRockbridge, ILRockford, ILRockport, ILRockton, ILRockwood, ILRolling Meadows, ILRome, ILRomeoville, ILRoodhouse, ILRosamond, ILRoscoe, ILRoselle, ILRoseville, ILRosiclare, ILRossville, ILRound Lake, ILRoxana, ILRoyal, ILRoyalton, ILRushville, ILRussell, ILRutland, ILSadorus, ILSailor Springs, ILSaint Anne, ILSaint Augustine, ILSaint Charles, ILSaint David, ILSaint Elmo, ILSaint Francisville, ILSaint Jacob, ILSaint Joseph, ILSaint Libory, ILSaint Peter, ILSainte Marie, ILSalem, ILSan Jose, ILSandoval, ILSandwich, ILSaunemin, ILSavanna, ILSavoy, ILSawyerville, ILSaybrook, ILScales Mound, ILSchaumburg, ILScheller, ILSchiller Park, ILSciota, ILScott Air Force Base, ILScottville, ILSeaton, ILSeatonville, ILSecor, ILSeneca, ILSerena, ILSesser, ILSeward, ILSeymour, ILShabbona, ILShannon, ILShawneetown, 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Common questions

Questions about category 3 cleanup

What is Category 3 water?

To keep the work on track, grossly contaminated water that can contain harmful agents. Under the IICRC S500 standard, it covers sewage, water from outdoors at ground level, water that contacted contamination on its way, and lower category water that degraded over time.

What are Category 1, 2 and 3 water?

For a decisive response, category 1 is clean water from a sanitary source such as a supply line. Category 2 is water carrying significant soil, such as appliance discharge or drain water.

What is the difference between category and class?

As our response moves forward, category describes what is in the water. Class describes how hard the space will be to dry, driven by how much of its total surface area is wet porous material.

How are the classes of loss defined?

For a decisive response, by how much of the total surface area of the space, meaning floor, walls and ceiling together, is wet porous material.

Can Category 1 water become Category 3?

For a decisive response, yes, and this is the part most people are never told. Clean water picks up soil and grows bacteria as it stands, so it is treated as Category 2 within about a day and Category 3 beyond about two days.

My adjuster said Category 3. What does that mean for me?

To keep the work on track, it means the estimate should include sealed work area, protective equipment, removal of absorbed porous materials, documented disposal and a cleaned and dry release.

Does Category 3 mean everything in the room is thrown away?

To control the loss, no. The category condemns porous material that absorbed the water, not the contents of the room. Non porous and semi porous items such as metal, glass, sealed plastic, solid wood and plywood casework are commonly cleaned and kept.

Reach our response team

Active water loss in Illinois?

Report where it began, whether the source is controlled, and every space the water reached.

Call (833) 868-0788

Areas we serve

Water-damage help near Illinois

Our response team covers homes, businesses, and managed properties throughout Illinois and nearby communities.

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Call (833) 868-0788