Water Damage Restoration in Cincinnati
Help Is On the Way 24/7
If your basement is filling up with water right now, breathe. We answer 24/7, and help is on the way across Greater Cincinnati. Call (513) 280-5800, and we’ll walk you through what to do while a Yeti crew rolls to your door. You don’t have to figure this out alone at 2 a.m.
We’re Yeti Restoration, a locally owned Cincinnati company with 20+ years of restoration experience behind the work. Our home base is right off Canal Rd, and our trucks and crews cover the whole Tri-State. What follows is exactly how we handle water damage restoration in Cincinnati, what it costs, and how long it really takes, so you can make a calm decision instead of a panicked one.
We Answer 24/7 — Here’s What Happens Next
When you call, the first thing we want to know is whether the water is still coming in. If you can, shut off your water at the main valve (everyone in the house should know where it is), and keep your basement floor drains clear of any floating debris so they can do their job. Once the source is stopped, we confirm it’s safe and dispatch a crew.
Most people who call mid-crisis aren’t asking about mold or money yet. They just want to know what to do and when we can be there. So that’s what we tell you, plainly, on the first call. No sales pitch, no scare tactics, just the next step and a truck on the way.
Stop the water at the main valve
If you can, shut off your water at the main valve. Everyone in the house should know where it is.
Keep floor drains clear
Keep your basement floor drains clear of any floating debris so they can do their job.
Signs You Have Water Damage (Even When It Looks Dry)
Here’s the biggest myth we fight: “if it looks dry, it’s dry.” It isn’t. Carpet can feel dry to the touch while the pad and the concrete under it sit at 100% saturation. Drywall can read completely soaked on a meter while feeling bone-dry with your hand. Wood framing is the same. That hidden moisture is exactly what breeds mold a week or two later, long after you thought the problem was over.
Watch for
This is also why hardware-store fans don’t cut it. They move room air around, but they can’t pull deep moisture out of a wall cavity or dry a saturated slab. We find the water you can’t see with a FLIR thermal camera and a Protimeter moisture meter, then we dry the structure the right way.
Our Water Damage Restoration Process
Every job is led by an IICRC-certified Yeti who is also background-checked, and all work is done to IICRC S500 standards. Here’s how a clean-water (Category 1) basement loss actually goes:
Confirm the source is stopped, then map it
We walk the space with a FLIR camera to spot cold, wet zones invisible to the eye, then confirm exact numbers with a Protimeter. Those readings get photographed for your claim from the start.
Extract the water
We use portable extractors to pull water from carpet and floors. The carpet pad almost always comes out (it holds water and fights the drying), but the carpet itself is often savable if we catch it fast. Furniture goes up on blocks so it stops wicking.
The flood cut
Wet drywall doesn’t dry well and invites mold, so we cut the lower drywall a couple inches above the highest moisture reading. The framing behind it stays and gets dried in place. Wet fiberglass insulation comes out; rigid foam board often stays.
Dry it properly
We set Phoenix Dry Max and R250 commercial dehumidifiers (roughly ten times more powerful than a retail unit), pair them with low-profile air movers, and feed warm dry air into wall cavities. If the air is musty, Novair 1000 or Phoenix Guardian HEPA scrubbers run alongside.
The equipment has to run continuously. Shutting it off even for 12 hours can set a job back a full day and risk mold. We visit daily to record moisture readings and check the gear, then compile final readings and photos into a drying completion report.
Real water damage restoration jobs across Greater Cincinnati
Extraction, drying, and moisture mapping on real Greater Cincinnati homes, photographed on the job by our own crews.
How Long Water Damage Restoration Takes
A clean-water basement dry usually runs about 3 to 10 days. Sewage (Category 3) takes longer, typically 10 to 14 days total, because of the extra demolition and the time it takes to dry concrete and block. Drying almost always takes longer than homeowners expect, and that’s normal.
We can’t rush it by switching equipment on and off, because the science doesn’t work that way. What we can do is show you the daily numbers so you see the progress in black and white. When the readings hit dry standard, we’re done, and you get the paperwork to prove it.
What Water Damage Repair Costs in Cincinnati
We should never make you call just for a ballpark, so here are real ranges. A finished 500 sq ft basement mitigation (drying only, no rebuild) generally lands between $3,000 and $7,000.
What moves that number
Water category
Category 3 sewage pushes well past $7,000 due to hazmat handling.
How long the water sat
48+ hours means deeper damage.
Finished or unfinished
A finished space runs about 40% more.
Inspections for water and fire are free. We can give a ballpark. The estimate is based on labor, materials, and actual drying time, not estimated drying time. One more thing worth knowing: on water losses, Yeti takes no part of your deductible. You pay us nothing directly. Your deductible goes toward reconstruction (putting the home back together), not the mitigation and cleanup we do. As we tell folks, we don’t see your deductible or ask you for one.
We Document Everything for Your Insurance Claim
Let’s be straight about this: we don’t work your claim end-to-end, and we don’t work directly with your insurance company. What we do is document everything you need for your insurance claim so you can be compensated properly. That means hundreds of photos start to finish, photos of materials used, written and photographed equipment counts, and a full day-by-day job narrative explaining what we did, why, and the IICRC and OSHA rationale behind it. You hand that to your insurer.
What you hand your insurer
- Hundreds of photos, start to finish
- Photos of materials used
- Written and photographed equipment counts
- A full day-by-day job narrative explaining what we did, why, and the IICRC and OSHA rationale behind it
Before you file
We also coach you before you file. Sometimes it isn’t worth it, because a claim can flag your account, and most carriers give you up to about six months to file, so you don’t have to decide this minute. When you do file, watch your words. Homeowners naturally say “my basement flooded,” but calling it a “flood” to insurance can get a claim denied. Say “pipe burst” or “sewer backup” instead. Carriers also routinely short claims, paying 50 to 80% off their own pricing matrix rather than 100%. We help you push back with a simple question: tell me what Yeti did incorrectly.
Why Cincinnati Homeowners Choose a Yeti
A certified, background-checked Yeti on every job
An IICRC-certified Yeti who is also background-checked leads every single job. That matters because some franchise operators often hand your home to whichever crew happens to be free that day.
No hard sell. No contracts at your door.
We don’t hard-sell. We don’t even bring contracts to your door. We send them electronically so you can process everything at your own pace. Our Support Managers are hired to look out for you, not to close a sale, and if you don’t actually need us, we’ll tell you.
Matt Heinbaugh, our Chief Yeti, brings 20+ years in the industry and his own story. His wife once called him, panicking that their bathroom and the basement below were flooding, and the adjuster’s remediation/repair number came in around half of what the work really cost. He had to fight for a fair outcome.
“I’ve been through what these people are going through. I know what it feels like.”
That’s the whole point of Yeti, competence plus someone who’s actually sat where you’re sitting.
4.9 stars from Cincinnati homeowners
Rating
Will did a fantastic job explaining the process. He was very knowledgeable .
Great service throughout the process and a knowledgeable team. Aaron, Will, and Deshaun did a great job with the remediation.
It was a pleasure dealing with Yeti Restoration. The scheduling, explanation on procedures to actual work. I like to give a shout out to Brian, Vicky, Aaron and Wil. very good team
Thanks to Aaron and DeShawn for taking care of the mold remediation in our basement. I couldn’t be happier with the service provided by Yeti throughout the entire process. Thanks!
Yeti responded so quickly to our water damage in our home. Within 24 hours of our call, they sent a team out with Aaron, Deshawn, and Will. In that time, they worked very efficiently to work on the damage in our basement. Highly appreciate their work and I would recommend them to anyone with water damage!
We highly recommend Aaron! He was very knowledge, kind, and thorough. We would definitely work with Aaron again and appreciate the attention to detail he had with our home. Thank you so much!!
Aaron and Deshaun did a great job cleaning up growth in our basement and attic!
We chose Yeti Restoration to remove the extensive mold that resulted from a foundation crack at my mom's house. Aaron, DeShawn, and Will were great! They were all very professional and hard working, and communication was great throughout the process. Shout out to Aaron whom was an impressive team leader, very clear and respectful in directing his team. Nice group of workers. Definitely recommend. Hopefully we won't need to contract a mild restoration service again, but if we do, I would select Yeti without hesitation.
Incredible and super professional crew from Yeti restorations! Aaron and his crew were exceptional, polite, caring and clean. All my experience from Bryan, to Vicky and this crew was great and I highly recommend them!
Aaron and his team did an amazing job. Very clean and got everything done very efficiently. Unbelievable service.
Yeti were a fantastic company to deal with. They did excellent work and are very responsive. Aaron completed work on our home today and I was impressed by how thorough and diligent he was. I would definitely recommend this company.
Mike and Aaron arrived on time, explained in detail what they were going to do, finished when they said they would and provided a detailed summary of what they did afterwards. Was very impressed by their professionalism and would recommend.
I used Yeti Restoration for mold remediation in two locations of my house. Mike and Aaron took exceptional care of our property and were very clear and thorough of the process when explaining. I highly recommend this team.
Mike did a great job!!! Fully explained what he was going to do, did exactly what he said he was going to do, on time, clean, professional job.
Aaron was very professional and we had more damage than we thought. That was scary, but he said it in a very business like way and told us what we needed to expect. He was also right on time!
Our experience with Yeti was professional & service was great. Mike & Aaron were fantastic! They both kept us updated as they progressed from start to finish.
Called yeti on a holiday saturday morning. They had a team out that afternoon to deal with my water issue. Mike and Tony did a fantastic work, got everything done and cleaned up after themselves. Great experience on a crap situation
Aaron and Mike were very helpful, friendly, and on time. Seems like they did a great job!
After coming home to find extensive water damage from this winter’s snow & ice, Yeti Restoration has been clutch. Mike & Aaron are rock stars as they’ve been here for two solid days removing plaster, insulation, carpet, scrubbing the interior of the walls with the necessary cleansing solutions and setting up fans & dehumidifiers. Matt (one of their foremen) has been very helpful as well, with needed advice & suggestions. Highly recommend.
Aaron and Mike did a terrific job. Thankful for their hard work to keep us confident in our new home.
This is one of those services that you hope you never need. But, if you do, I would strongly recommend Yeti. Responsive, fair, and excellent service.
We had a water leak and mold in our drywall around our fireplace. Yeti Restoration were available right away to come and remove all the mold related to the water damage. Mike and Aaron were very thorough and did a great job of explaining everything. They also left our house looking clean and covered up the area well. I highly recommend hiring Yeti Restoration since I would use their services again!
Mike, Aaron and Brian came by after a disaster flood from a bathroom and have been very thorough to ensure our house is fully dry and mold free def recommend to anyone needing restoration after flooding! Thanks again guys !
I used Yeti a few years ago when I had a major leak in a bathroom that caused mold all in my walls and in the floor in the next room. They were quick, informative, and made the whole process very easy which made all of it much less stressful. Recently, I was worried that their was mold in a different area because of a strange smell. It was truly making me feel crazy. The owner was the one who came out to check it out and do some tests to see, and while no signs of mold were found, he gave me a lot of good information and suggestions, which gave me so much peace of mind. I was so stressed about all of it, and Matt was so kind, courteous, and reassuring. He made sure I felt heard and that he addressed all of my concerns. Dealing with problems with my house is absolutely the most stressful thing to me, but every single staff member I have talked to there has been so kind and really helped ease a lot of the anxiety I've felt. I would recommend them to anyone, and god forbid I have another mold issue, I will absolutely be calling them again.
We loved working with Yeti! Vicki was super helpful on the phone as we got scheduled while we were out of town, and really helped with being flexible when we had a scheduling conflict. Aaron was amazing on site - super responsive, left the place nicer than he found it, and was done even faster than expected. I loved working with Yeti and would do it again!
Mike and Aaron were great. Quick and professional. They did a fantastic job. Highly recommend
Mike & Aaron did a great job explaining the scope of work, answering all my questions, and being thorough and efficient with the work
I had a fantastic experience with Yeti for mold removal in my basement. From start to finish, the process was smooth, professional, and incredibly reassuring. Mike, the technician who handled the work at my home, was exceptional. He arrived right on time, walked me through everything with clear explanations, and demonstrated a level of knowledge that immediately put me at ease. Mike was not only thorough and efficient but also genuinely helpful—answering every question, pointing out what to watch for in the future, and making sure the space was completely safe before wrapping up. It’s rare to find someone who combines expertise with such a friendly, customer‑focused approach. Thanks to Yeti and especially to Mike, my basement is clean, safe, and mold‑free. I’d confidently recommend them to anyone looking for reliable, high‑quality mold remediation.
We had a burst pipe last week during the extreme cold in January in a house we’ve only lived in for 8 months. Yeti Restoration was onsite the next day, helping us navigate the work that needed to be done and willing to work with our insurance company. The team was Matt, Adam, Mike and Aaron. Each one of them being incredibly professional, efficient with excellent attention to detail, communicative and fun to work with through a stressful time. I can’t say enough good things about them all!
Mike and Arron are GREAT!!! Friendly and informative! They did a great job. Would definately recommend to friends and family!!!!
We moved into a 1950s home that needed some love inside the home utility room and in the garage. Yeti and the crew (Mike, Aaron, Adam and Matt) cleaned up and eliminated our mold concerns in no time. I’ll be back if we ever have any other mold issues.
Aaron was amazing. Did everthing quickly and professionally. Would recommend!
Thank you Mike! Excellent work!!! Got everything cleaned up properly. Cleaned up after he was done.
Aaron was very professional and a hard worker. He kept the area clean and left it better than he found it! He explained his work thoroughly and answered questions patiently. We totally recommend Aaron and Yeti Restoration!
Mike did our mold mitigation in our crawl space. He did an excellent job, and the communication about the process was outstanding. Highly recommended! Jeff
This was an amazing experience in a tough situation. Aaron, Mike, and Adam were a delight to have out. They made the painful process of mold removal simple. Thank you Yeti Restoration
Mike & Adam came out for mold remediation. I’m so impressed with all of Yeti restoration - Matt the owner, Vicki in the office and Mike and Adam have all been fantastic and thorough. You are in good hands with Yeti! Thank you! Edit: We needed to wait on mold removal for our basement until we figured out the water entry problems. They came out to do the basement yesterday and did a great job. It was Mike, Adam, and Aaron
I called Yeti Restoration because I was smelling some mold in my home, but I could not identify the source of the issue. I decided to schedule a visit with their professionals, and they arrived on-site with great communication and they were prompt too. I let them know everything I had seen and smelled, and they gave me an excellent consultation with some very informative recommendations! I really appreciate Matt & Adam for stopping by and working through some solutions with me. I highly recommend Yeti Restoration for their consultation and services.
Mike, Aaron, and ash did a great job at cleaning all the mold out and explaining everything they did.
Mike and Aaron were highly professional, and more so, very helpful in assisting in my understanding (when I have rather limited understanding on such things). They also cleaned up well ; ) HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Mike P.
Water Damage Restoration Across Greater Cincinnati, 24/7
We’re based at 10965 Canal Rd in Cincinnati and cover Greater Cincinnati and the Tri-State. Real trucks, real crews, and an owner born and raised here who’s raising his kids in the same city. When water hits your home, on-site fast across Greater Cincinnati isn’t a slogan for us, it’s how the day actually runs.
We handle both residential and commercial water losses, from a single flooded basement to multi-unit properties running several apartments at once.
Call for immediate helpWater Damage Restoration FAQs
Will my insurance cover this?
Usually, if the cause was sudden and accidental, like a burst pipe or an appliance failure, it’s likely covered. Long-term neglect often isn’t. We document everything you need (photos, equipment logs, and a day-by-day narrative) so you have what it takes to be compensated properly, and we’ll coach you on the right questions to confirm coverage before you file.
Do I need to leave my home?
For most clean-water basement losses, no, you can stay upstairs while we dry the lower level. The equipment is loud and runs around the clock, but the living space stays usable. Sewage or heavier losses are handled case by case, and we’ll tell you honestly what makes sense.
Do you really need to cut the drywall if it looks dry?
Yes, when the meter says it’s wet, because “looks dry” and “is dry” are two different things. Drywall can read fully saturated while feeling dry to your hand, and wet drywall doesn’t recover well and breeds mold. We cut only what’s needed, a couple inches above the highest moisture reading, and dry the framing behind it in place.
Can you save my flooring?
Often yes, if we catch it fast. Carpet is frequently savable even when the pad has to come out, and hard flooring depends on how long the water sat and whether it got underneath. On sewage losses, anything porous has to go, but we’ll always tell you what’s genuinely restorable versus what’s better replaced.
Do I need to call insurance before you start?
No, and sometimes you shouldn’t rush it. We can begin stopping the damage and drying immediately while you decide whether filing is even worth it. A claim can flag your account, and you typically have up to six months to file, so we help you think it through first and guide you to ask questions of your insurer to ensure coverage prior to filing a claim.
Why can’t you just use hardware-store fans/dehumidifiers?
Because retail fans move air but can’t pull deep moisture out of walls, pads, and slabs. Our commercial dehumidifiers are roughly ten times more powerful, and paired with air movers and, when needed, HEPA scrubbers, they actually dry the structure instead of just circulating damp air. Our equipment is designed to run 24 hours a day for weeks or months and most equipment you find at big box stores are not designed to do that. Nor do they pull as much water out of the air or move as much air as our equipment. Speed of drying is incredibly important so mold does not form.
Do you charge for water damage inspections?
No. Inspections for water damage are free and on-site with no obligation. We find the source, take moisture readings, and tell you straight what you’re dealing with.
How fast can you get here?
We answer 24/7 and dispatch crews around the clock across Greater Cincinnati and the Tri-State.