Water damage may already be at work in your house, and you might not even be aware of it. Water damage, while usually associated with flood, doesn't have to manifest in such a massive scale to be a threat to your home. It can take place in the floor below your feet, in the ceiling above your head, in the walls, paper products, furniture, leather materials, and all other possessions that are sensitive to that universal solvent.

It is so subtle when it is still starting to wreak havoc that it can be difficult to detect. There are however telltale signs that you should be wary of in order to have ample time to take action the moment you see one. One of the most common indicators of the occurrence of water damage is the presence of water stains. These are the brownish or grayish marks you usually find on ceilings under leaky roofs, kitchen cabinets adjacent to leaky pipes, floors, walls, window and door jams, and all other portions of your house easily accessible by water. Whenever you see one, you can be sure water damage is at work nearby.

Ceilings

When you see a water stain on the ceiling, you should immediately inspect your roof for there should be a leak somewhere. This can be done easily if your ceiling has a sizeable crawl space. Once in the crawl space, locate the spot above the location of the stain. The leak can be directly above. If it is not, then you can try tracing the path of the water stain until you can locate that faulty portion of your roof.

Walls

A wall having water stains is proof enough that there is a leaky pipe nearby. This usually happens when a room wall is adjacent to the bathroom. Leaky pipes leading to faucets or the shower are the usual culprits. In this case, you would have to remove a portion of the wall to fix the pipe before the water damage worsens.

Cabinets

Cabinets, usually those under the sink, are susceptible to water stains. The pipes under the sink usually clog up due to dishwashing residues. This then puts too much pressure on the joints of the pipes, which can eventually spring a leak. Of all the water stains in this article, this is the easiest to inspect as you usually only need to open the cabinet door to confirm the symptoms of water damage.

Doors and Windows

Water stains on doors and windows are usually found on the edges. This usually is a sign that water from the outside can easily reach these places. In most cases, there isn't much minor remedy that you can perform on this problem as the cause is usually a structural defect (e.g. the edge of the room is too close to the outer wall) and would require some renovation.

If you keep your eye out for water stains on these specific places in your house, and take action before the effects of water damage worsens, you could save yourself unnecessary expenses that might be incurred due to the effects of water damage.