What Should I Do About a Washing Machine Overflow?

Stop the Water at the Source

Pause the cycle or switch the machine off. Then close the hot and cold valves on the wall behind it, a quarter turn each. If a valve is stuck or out of reach, shut the main water valve for the house.

A tub that overflowed once stops adding water as soon as the fill valve has nothing to feed it. A burst hose keeps going until the supply closes, and it can release hundreds of gallons an hour. Closing the valves is the most useful step anyone can take.

If water is rising out of the standpipe or a floor drain, the house drain is blocked. Stop using every sink, tub and toilet, and leave the washer off until a plumber clears the pipe.

• Hot and cold supply valves closed
• Main water valve shut if a washer valve sticks
• Sinks, tubs and toilets off during a drain backup
• Machine left off until a technician checks it

Washing Machine Overflow Services That Fit This Question

• Washer Overflow Damage Cleanup

  Crews extract wash water that spilled over a washer, sanitize the floor and dry what it reached.

• Washer Hose Burst Cleanup

  Crews pump out the flood from a split washer hose, then dry the floor, wall bases and cabinets.

• Upstairs Washer Ceiling Leak Cleanup

  Crews drain the soaked ceiling safely, then dry the laundry floor above and every cavity the water crossed.

Make the Room Safe to Enter

Water and electricity do not mix. If the outlet, the cord or the floor around the machine is wet, do not touch the plug. Switch off the laundry circuit or the main breaker from a dry spot, or stay out and wait for an electrician.

Soapy floors are slick. Wear shoes with grip, keep children and pets out, and watch the ceiling in the room below. A bulge in the drywall holds trapped water and can give way without warning.

Water from a hose starts out clean, but wash water carries detergent and body soils, and a drain backup can carry sewage. Gloves and boots are a sensible choice for anyone who has to step in it.

• No touching a wet plug or outlet
• Power switched off from a dry spot
• Children and pets kept away
• No standing under a bulging ceiling

Record the Damage and Save What You Can

Take photos and a short video before anything moves: the machine, the hose or drain, the water mark on the walls and any stain on the ceiling below. An adjuster relies on those first images.

Then lift what is easy to lift. Move baskets, rugs, boxes and detergent jugs out of the water, and slip foil or plastic under furniture legs. Wet cardboard and fabric break down fast, so a quick rescue pays off.

Leave the heavy work to the crew. Soaked carpet, pad and drywall stay in place until the technician reads the moisture, because the readings and photos show the adjuster exactly what was wet.

• Photos of the machine, hose and water mark
• A video walk-through of every wet room
• Wet items moved onto dry surfaces
• A note of when the overflow was found

Call the Crew While You Wait

Call a water damage crew as soon as the valves are closed. Pumping cannot start until the crew gets to work, and every hour the water sits it soaks deeper into the pad, the baseboards and the subfloor.

Say which floor the washer is on, whether the water looks clean, soapy or like sewage, and whether a ceiling below is wet. Those details tell the crew what to bring. Call Washer Overflow Cleanup Pros at (888) 996-7702, 24/7.

The appliance technician and the plumber can come after. They repair the washer, a valve or a drain. The crew does not repair appliances, and the drying does not have to wait for them.

• Which floor the washer is on
• Whether the water is clean, soapy or sewage-like
• Any wet or stained ceiling below
• The flooring in each wet room

More Washing Machine Overflow Questions

• How Much Does It Cost to Clean Up a Washing Machine Overflow?
• Does Insurance Cover a Washing Machine Overflow?
• How Long Does It Take to Dry Out After a Washing Machine Overflow?
• Who Do I Call for a Washing Machine Overflow?