How to Prevent Water Damage in Your Bathroom?

Water damage repair is an expensive, meticulous, and lengthy process. Unfortunately, bathrooms are the most susceptible rooms to water damage due to toilets, showers, and sinks. Pipes and fixtures wear out over time and are not immune to damage. But all is not lost, as there are ways to prevent water damage from occurring in your bathroom.

Check Your Plumbing

Nothing lasts forever, especially pipes, which can rust and begin leaking over time. You should periodically conduct pipe inspections and pay attention for any musty smells or water stains that may indicate you need water damage repair. Here are some things to check:

• Frequently test valves for your toilet, shower, and sink to ensure they are properly working.
• Check faucet supply lines hidden under vanities and replace when needed.
• Replace cracked or deteriorating caulking along sinks, tubs, and showers.
• If you notice a clog in your sink, call in a professional.
• Since you can’t check the pipes in the wall, keep an eye out for stains, drywall bubbling, musty smells, and excess moisture; if the bathroom is on a second level, check the ceiling of the room directly below for these signs.

Routine maintenance—including examinations and replacing worn piping—can help keep you from having to pay for hefty water damage repair.

Don’t Overwork Your Toilet

One of the most common reasons bathrooms need water damage repair is due to overflowing toilets. Save yourself the hassle of cleanup by being mindful and not pushing your toilet to extreme limits. If you have young children, it is especially important to keep an eye on them when they are in the bathroom and to teach them how to avoid clogging the toilet. Here are some more tips to help prevent your toilet from overflowing:

• If you have a septic tank, only use septic-safe toilet paper
• Do not flush anything down the toilet besides toilet paper; items like diapers and sanitary napkins will clog the piping
• Pay attention to your toilet’s water level: If it’s low, it could mean it is partially clogged or that there is a crack in the toilet bowl

Conduct regular maintenance on your toilet, even if that’s just checking the caulking and looking around the toilet for any cracks in the porcelain. Also, make sure your floor tiles aren’t cracked or broken, as damage allows water to seep under the tile and cause issues.

Maintain Your Shower/Tub

Like your toilet, showers and bathtubs can cause significant water damage to your bathroom. Conduct regular checks on these as well:

• Replace showers or tubs with cracks or other damage; even hairline cracks can allow water to seep in and cause damage.
• Grout and caulk help prevent water from seeping into walls and floors, so repair them if they are chipped, cracked, or deteriorating.
• Replace torn shower curtains or shower doors with seals that no longer work.
• Dry the floor and drain water from the tub immediately after use to prevent damage from sitting water.

Be sure to turn on your exhaust fan every time you shower or use the tub, as the fan helps pull excess moisture out of the air (and out of your walls!). It will help keep your bathroom dry, preventing bubbly drywall and mold growth.

There is no guarantee that you won’t experience water damage in your bathroom, but these steps can help you protect your bathroom from damage for a long while. Put them into your home inspection plan.

Author Bio: Michael is the Head of Customer Care Department at ServiceProsLocal.com with primary focus on client satisfaction. He is passionate about his work and sharing his experience.  He blogs about everything related to home building, improving and decorating. Very concerned of current ecological situation, especially water scarcity issues. He believes there are no secret paths to success and it is only the result of hard work and learning from failures.