How Hidden Water Can Damage Your Home

Sam Simon

July 23, 2025

Hidden water damage is one of the biggest threats to Chicagoland homes. Learn where water hides, why it’s dangerous, and how ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons finds and removes it before serious damage sets in.

Discover the Sneaky Ways Water Can Hide — And How to Stop the Damage Before It’s Too Late

Have you ever seen a magician pour water into a cup and make it vanish? (Spoiler: it’s sodium polyacrylate, a super absorbent used in diapers.) But in your home, water can disappear without any tricks—only to reappear later as mold, warped floors, or peeling paint.

Water is great at hiding. And in homes across Chicago, Oak Park, River Forest, and the North Shore, hidden water is a major cause of costly property damage. Even if a surface feels dry, moisture can still be lurking underneath, leading to long-term structural issues and mold growth.

Let’s break down how hidden water damages your home — and what you can do about it.

Where Hidden Water Lurks in Your Home

Water travels like a “T” shape — downward and outward. But it also moves upward through capillary action in porous materials. For example:

Water can wick up drywall at a rate of 1 inch per hour in a 24-hour period.
Moisture from a leaky pipe may collect behind insulation, in subfloors, inside cabinets, or behind walls.
Even when surfaces feel dry to the touch, water can still be present beneath hardwood, tile, or carpet.

Common hidden water zones include:

Behind walls and cabinets
Under hardwood flooring
Beneath dishwashers, bathtubs, and sinks
Inside subfloors and crawl spaces
In HVAC ducts or under attic insulation

If you’ve had a leak, flood, burst pipe, or appliance overflow, assume water may be hiding somewhere.

Why Hidden Water Is Dangerous

Even small amounts of trapped water can lead to:

Mold growth in as little as 24–48 hours
Structural damage to drywall, studs, or flooring
Ruined hardwood or laminate floors
Increased remediation costs if delays worsen the damage
Electrical risks when water gets into outlets or wall voids

And unlike visible puddles, hidden water keeps spreading silently. It doesn’t stop until it’s dried by professionals with proper equipment.

Don’t DIY — Call the Pros

Hidden water is almost impossible to fully detect without professional equipment. At ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons, we use:

Thermal imaging cameras to locate moisture behind walls
Moisture meters to detect dampness in drywall, subfloors, or carpet
Infrared detection for mapping moisture boundaries

Our IICRC-certified technicians specialize in finding, extracting, and drying hidden water. And we do it fast — to prevent costly secondary damage.

Serving Chicago, Oak Park/River Forest & the North Shore

With 40+ years of trusted local service and the national power of ServiceMaster Restore® (founded in Chicago in 1929), we bring unmatched experience and transparency to every water damage emergency.

✅ Available 24/7 — Live phone support, rapid response
✅ Certified Technicians — IICRC Master Water Restorer
✅ MBE/WBE Certified — Woman-owned, family-operated
✅ RIA Member — Restoration Industry Association

We proudly serve:

Chicago neighborhoods: Lincoln Park, West Town, Wicker Park, Bronzeville, Lakeview, Bucktown, Austin
North Shore: Evanston, Skokie, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Glencoe, Highland Park, Lake Forest, Northbrook, Glenview
Oak Park & River Forest

Call Today Before It Spreads

Water damage won’t wait — and neither should you. If you suspect hidden water in your home, trust the experts who can find it fast and stop it in its tracks.

📞 Chicago & Cook County: (773) 376-1110
📞 North Shore & Lake County: (847) 316-9145
📞 DuPage County & Oak Park: (708) 524-0304
🌐 servicemaster-restorationbysimons.com

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Author’s Note

This blog was written by Sam Simon, IICRC Master Water & Fire Restorer and co-author of RESTORE: A Complete Guide to Protecting Your Home As Your Most Valuable Asset. With decades of experience serving Chicagoland homeowners, Sam’s mission is to help families restore what matters most.

Sam Simon

Sam Simon is the Co-Owner and Managing Director of ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons, a certified MBE/WBE disaster restoration and specialty cleaning firm proudly serving Cook, Lake, and DuPage Counties in Illinois. With over 30 years of experience in restoration project management, field operations, and emergency response, Sam plays a vital leadership role in overseeing service execution, technician development, reconstruction, and subcontractor coordination.

He holds the IICRC’s highest technical designation as a Master Fire & Water Restorer, a distinction achieved by fewer than 1% of professionals in the restoration industry. His technical scope includes water and flood damage restoration, fire and smoke recovery, mold remediation, and post-disaster reconstruction across both residential and commercial sectors.

Sam has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to helping communities in crisis. He has participated in large-scale disaster recovery efforts across the U.S., providing boots-on-the-ground leadership during Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy, and Harvey, as well as catastrophic floods, wildfires, and deep freeze events throughout Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, and beyond. His dedication to serving distressed families and businesses in the wake of national catastrophes reflects both his personal values and ServiceMaster’s mission of restoring peace of mind.

In 2019, Sam was selected for the HACIA Contractor Training Program, a competitive six-month construction management cohort offered by the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association. The program delivers intensive instruction in blueprint reading, estimating, project management, and construction law—skills that support the company’s continued growth in emergency build-back and general contracting services.

Before co-founding ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons, Sam built a successful creative career, contributing to notable film and television productions including Chicago Fire (2012), Juvies (2007), and Image Union (1978). His media and videography background continues to shape ServiceMaster’s marketing strategy, digital training resources, and brand storytelling.
→ IMDb Profile

Sam is also the co-author of RESTORE: A Complete Guide to Protecting Your Home As Your Most Valuable Asset—a practical guidebook for homeowners navigating the challenges of water, fire, and mold damage.

Under the direction of majority owner and President & CEO Nasutsa Mabwa, and with Sam’s operational leadership, ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons has earned numerous regional and national accolades, including:

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