Water damage restoration

Contents restoration and pack-out

Contents restoration is the cleaning, drying and storage of your belongings after water damage. In a pack-out, items are inventoried, boxed and moved to a facility so the house can be dried and rebuilt, then cleaned and returned. What can be saved depends on the material and on whether the water was clean or contaminated.

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Drying and repair

Room stripped to the studs during water damage repairs — Stock photo

Belongings are a separate part of the job and usually a separate part of the insurance claim. Hard goods such as solid wood furniture, dishes and metal items clean up well. Soft goods such as clothing, bedding and curtains can be laundered if the water was clean. Particleboard furniture, mattresses and upholstered pieces soaked by sewage or floodwater are normally discarded.

Paper and electronics need speed. Wet documents and photographs can be frozen to stop further damage and then freeze-dried by a specialist. Electronics should be unplugged and left off until a technician has cleaned and tested them. A good inventory, with photos, lists each item as cleaned, restored or a total loss.

This page is part of water damage restoration.

Contents restoration and pack-out at a glance

Usually saved: Solid wood, metal, glass, washable fabrics (clean water)
Usually discarded: Particleboard, mattresses, upholstery soaked by contaminated water
Time-critical: Documents, photos, electronics
Insurance: Covered under the personal property part of the policy

Signs you need contents restoration and pack-out

Furniture sitting in or on wet flooring
Boxes, books or papers that got wet
Clothing and bedding in a flooded closet or room
Electronics that were in or near the water
Rooms that must be emptied for repairs

How this differs by region

Humid climates

Contents left in a wet house mold quickly, so moving them out early matters more.

Flood and surge losses

Most soft and porous contents touched by floodwater are a total loss; documentation for the flood claim becomes the main task.

Basement storage

In northern homes, stored boxes, books and keepsakes are often the biggest contents loss in a basement flood.

How the job works

Inventory
Each item is photographed and listed with its condition before it is moved.
Pack out
Belongings are boxed, labeled and moved to secure storage or a cleaning facility.
Clean and restore
Items are cleaned, deodorized, dried or sent to specialists for documents, art and electronics.
Return
Contents come back once the house is repaired, and the inventory is checked off.

What affects the cost

Every job is priced after an inspection, and your insurer may cover part of it. These are the factors that move the number:

Number of rooms and volume of contents
Clean versus contaminated water
Specialty restoration for documents, art and electronics
Months of storage
Total-loss items and their replacement value

What you can do before help arrives

Safe to do

Lift furniture onto blocks or foil and remove wet rugs
Photograph and list damaged items before discarding anything
Freeze important wet papers in sealed bags until a specialist can treat them

Stop and call

Don't plug in or switch on wet electronics
Don't throw items away before the adjuster has seen or approved them
Don't keep soft goods soaked by sewage or floodwater

Questions about contents restoration and pack-out

What is a pack-out?

It is the organized removal of your belongings: inventoried, packed, moved to storage or a cleaning facility, and returned when repairs are finished.

Does insurance pay for contents cleaning and storage?

Usually, under the personal property coverage of a homeowners or renters policy, when the water loss itself is covered. Limits and special sub-limits apply to some items.

Can wet photos and documents be saved?

Often, if you act quickly. Freezing stops further damage, and freeze-drying by a document restoration specialist can recover them.

Where we can connect you

Independent companies in our network cover 20,778 ZIP codes in 47 states (as of October 5, 2026). Pick your state for local causes, rules and coverage: