After water damage, most house owners will not quickly decide on the course of action to take - whether to embark on repairs themselves or whether to consult a plumber or other expert. While it is recommended that the services of a professional be sought for most technical or risky repairs, there a number of repairs that you can do yourself.

Before embarking on repairs, you need to stabilize your home as quickly as possible after a water incident. You could do this by improving the immediate environment by, for example, identifying and stopping the source of water damage.

Once the environment is stabilized, you could start by cleaning items. Before cleaning, disinfecting or other forms of salvage, however, you need to evaluate the extent of damage to the items. Items soaked by clean rainwater are easier and safer to clean than those that have been through dirty, contaminated floodwaters or sewage. If the latter is the case, you should consult a professional to avoid health hazards.

A major part of water damage repair involves the removal of all loose material. In the case of gypsum board plaster and drywall, you may have to cut out the damaged area out with a knife. All loose and bubbling wall material should be scrapped off - this includes peeling paint, drywall joint compound, plaster white and brown coats. Any loose or damaged wall tape should also be cut off. When drywall, plaster walls and ceilings have been water damaged, you should skim the area with several coats of mud using appropriate skim coating techniques.

Where you notice water stains on walls and ceilings after minor water leaks, you should spray them to block the stains so that they do not breed through the touch-up paint. You can use shellac or prime sealer to do this and consequently finish with a coat of paint. To achieve best results, you should coat the stain twice, waiting 10 minutes between coats.

Other things you can do for yourself without needing to consult a water damage expert are removing dirt and debris from the premises. You could follow this up with cleaning the carpet once you confirm that it is completely dry. If you are going to clean your carpet outdoors, use a high pressure hose to rinse away all dirt and debris. The cleaned carpet could then be shampooed using a commercial rug shampoo and rubbing the shampoo in with a sponge. A stiff bristle should be used if the carpet is deeply soiled.

To salvage your mattresses from water damage, it is encouraged that you treat the mattresses within 24 hours to prevent mold growth. You must ensure that the mattress is completely dry and drying it outdoors could be helpful as well as using fans to speed up the process. After wiping off dirt and debris from the mattress, you should dip a clean cloth in one cup of rubbing alcohol and one cup water. You should then wring out the cloth and wipe the mattress.