Guide
· 8 min read
Flooded basement cleanup in Toronto starts with photos, then a haul of wet carpet, drywall, and furniture. We do not dry the basement or remove mould.
Flooded basement cleanup in Toronto is a sequence. Make the basement safe, stop the water, call your insurer, and photograph the damage before anything is carried upstairs. The haul comes after that, once you know what has to leave.
Junk 'Of' Urs hauls ruined furniture, boxes, wet carpet and underpad, and the drywall, insulation, and flooring that a restoration company or your contractor has already cut out. We carry it up and out and take it away. The job is the haul only. We do not extract water, pump, dry, or dehumidify. We do not test for mould or do mould remediation. We do not clean sewage or biohazard material. We do not do plumbing or backwater valve work. We never test for or remove asbestos or other hazardous material. We do not do structural, foundation, slab, waterproofing, or excavation work.
If the water was a sewer backup, or if mould is already visible, a restoration professional handles that first. We come after they have cleared it. We do not handle contaminated material, and we do not tear out drywall in a flood.
A dry basement full of stored junk is a different job. The sorting checklist is at junkofurs.com/blog/basement-cleanout-toronto. The haul itself, including after a flood, is at junkofurs.com/services/basement-cleanout.
Safety, then the source, then your insurer, then the photos. Nothing should leave the house until the photos exist.
If water is near outlets or the electrical panel, do not wade in. The City of Toronto tells residents to contact Toronto Hydro to shut the power off when water has risen above outlets or near the panel, and to stay away from electrical equipment. If you are not sure it is safe to reach the panel, contact Toronto Hydro or an electrician before you go down the stairs.
Stop the source only if you can do it without standing in the water. A split supply hose on a washing machine is a different problem from a sewer backup. If you suspect a sewer backup, the City says not to use toilets and sinks until it is resolved, because water sent down the drain can come back into the basement. Report the flood to the City through 311. That report creates an inspection record, which matters if you later ask the City to look at its sewer. The steps are on the City's basement flooding page: toronto.ca/services-payments/water-environment/managing-rain-melted-snow/basement-flooding/.
Call your insurer and report the damage. Photograph and video the room, the water line, and each damaged item before anything moves, and keep a list. The City says to keep those photos and the receipts from emergency repair or clean-up work, and to check with your insurer before items go out, because proof of damage may be needed. Ask your adjuster before you throw out anything they may want to see. Ask the hauler for a written invoice for the claim.
Follow your restoration company and your insurer. The lists here are general guidance for what to throw out after a basement flood, not a decision on your claim.
Soaked carpet and the underpad under it usually go. So do upholstered furniture and mattresses that sat in the water, particleboard furniture, cardboard boxes, and wet insulation. Health Canada's flood cleanup guidance says to dispose of insulation, drywall, carpets, particleboard furniture, mattresses, box springs, and furniture coverings that were exposed to flood water and cannot be dried. The City says to discard contaminated items that cannot be washed and disinfected, and to remove and discard drywall and insulation contaminated with sewage or flood water.
Solid wood and bare metal can often be cleaned and dried when the water was relatively clean and you start quickly. Sewage-contaminated porous items always go. That includes carpet, upholstery, mattresses, and cardboard that sat in a sewer backup. The City also says to consider a professional cleaning company familiar with sewage-contaminated basements, and to keep children and pets out until that cleanup is finished. That company is not us.
Wet drywall removal, for this haul, means the pieces that are already cut out. Your restoration company or contractor does the cutting. We carry the pile once it is down and safe to carry. Older homes need a pause before anyone cuts. Drywall compound, plaster, old floor tile, and pipe wrap can contain asbestos. A designated substance check comes before anyone tears into suspect material. We do not test it, and we do not take it.
Soaked carpet, boxes, and cut drywall hold water against the floor and the walls. Health Canada says mould will begin to grow where there is excessive moisture within 48 hours, and that a house and its furnishings are less likely to grow mould if they are dried within 48 hours. Getting that material out is what lets drying equipment work on the parts of the basement that are staying.
We do not run fans, pumps, or dehumidifiers. The restoration company does the drying. Our part is clearing the soaked contents so that work has room to happen. The Health Canada flood page is at canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/healthy-living/flood-cleanup-keep-mind-indoor-air-quality.html.
Household flood debris is priced by truck volume, quoted from photos. Every household figure below is all-in, HST included.
An eighth of a load is about 2 cubic yards and is $179. A quarter load is about 4 cubic yards and is $299. A half load is about 7.5 cubic yards and is $469. A three-quarter load is about 11 cubic yards and is $629, the size the rate card uses for a big garage or basement. A full load is about 15 cubic yards and is $739. Each extra full load on the same job is $650. The minimum job is $99.
Wet material is heavier than the same items when they are dry. A basement of soaked carpet, a couch, and boxes can reach the truck's limit before the photos look full. Send two angles of the whole pile, with a doorway or a person for scale, plus the stairs and the spot where a truck can park.
Basement carry-out for loads adds $75 to $150. Stairs for loads add $50 to $100 per flight. A typical house is one flight from the basement to the side door, and the truck often parks at the curb, so name both in the note with the photos.
If the job is mostly torn-out renovation material, such as drywall and flooring a contractor has already cut, it may be priced on the renovation debris card instead. A small pile on that card is $99 to $150 before HST. A full light mixed load is $650 to $850 before HST. HST is extra on those two ranges. Other household rates are at junkofurs.com/pricing.
Houses on City of Toronto collection can set flood-damaged household items out on the regular garbage day. Place them at the curb by 7 a.m. and leave them until they are collected. Check with your insurer first. Bulky furniture, including couches and mattresses, does not have to be taken apart. Carpet must be tied in rolls. Each roll should be 1.2 metres (4 feet) or shorter and should weigh no more than 20 kilograms (44 pounds). Spoiled food goes in the Green Bin. Bagged excess that will not fit in the garbage bin needs a Garbage Tag. The rules are at toronto.ca/services-payments/recycling-organics-garbage/houses/excess-garbage-recycling-organics/.
Construction and renovation waste stays off the curb. The City names drywall and wood, and says to take them to a Drop-Off Depot. Fees apply. Clean drywall is accepted only at the Bermondsey, Ingram, and Commissioners depots, up to 1 tonne per load, after nails, screws, metal corner bead, ceramics, and wood are removed. That limit is on the City's accepted-items page: toronto.ca/services-payments/recycling-organics-garbage/drop-off-depots/accepted-items/. Condos and apartments usually cannot use the house set-out. Ask the building where a pile is allowed to sit. The Toronto page for this haul is at junkofurs.com/junk-removal/toronto/basement-cleanout. Debris that is already down from a renovation is at junkofurs.com/services/renovation-debris-removal.
Low-lying streets near the city's river valleys see this after a big storm. Hoggs Hollow, in the West Don valley near Yonge and York Mills, is one of those places. A June 14, 2005 City staff report says flooding had been reported there since the early 1980s, and a 2002 survey found about 25 percent of homes in the study area had experienced some form of flooding: toronto.ca/legdocs/2005/agendas/committees/wks/wks050629/it003.pdf. On July 8, 2013, the Toronto Sun reported a warning that the Don's banks were at risk of collapse in Hoggs Hollow. On July 16, 2024, CBC News reported the Don over its banks along the Don Valley Parkway, and more than 700 calls to 311 about basement flooding across the city. That parkway flooding is the lower Don, not a report that Hoggs Hollow homes flooded that day. The haul steps are the same on a valley lot and on a flat street.
Once the basement is empty and a restoration company has dried it, look at the City of Toronto Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program. Eligible owners of a single-family home, duplex, triplex, or fourplex can apply for help with backwater valves, a sump pump, and severance and capping of a foundation drain connection. Who qualifies, and the current amounts, are on the City page: toronto.ca/services-payments/water-environment/managing-rain-melted-snow/basement-flooding/basement-flooding-protection-subsidy-program/. We do not install those devices. A plumber or drain contractor does that work.
Send photos of what is ready to leave, the stairs, and where the truck can park. Note whether a restoration company has already cleared sewage or visible mould, and whether the pile is household contents or torn-out drywall and flooring. The price is confirmed before we load. Request the quote at https://junkofurs.com/quote. Great projects start with a clean slate.
Soft-strip, demo and junk removal
6 years GTA experience. Send a quote, get your price, then book the pickup. You pay after the job is done. We reply Monday to Saturday, usually within 30 to 60 minutes.
