Recently, the insurance community — and even some restoration firms — have asserted that a competent restorative drying service should guarantee that structures will be dried within a three-day timeframe. Those with a background in restorative drying use this “guarantee” in an effort to attract new adjusters to their client lists. Additionally, those with a background in insurance damage repair say that one of the ways to spot a problem contractor is when an invoice for drying services denotes drying time that exceeds this three-day guideline. But are expectations of this sort problematic?

Perpetuating a Myth

Restoration association and certification bodies — such as the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC) and the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) — do not publish guidelines stipulating that the drying of structures should be accomplished within a specific timeframe. It's true that some individuals have claimed that the IICRC S-500 states that “a simple fresh-water loss of one or two rooms that was found within 24 hours and has limited damage to walls typically can be dried in three days.” However, I would challenge any individual to produce such a reference. In fact, there is no allusion to “three-day drying” (or a derivative) anywhere in the IICRC S-500, v3-2006, v2-1999, or v1-1994. The verbiage listed below is the closest reference to a defined drying period currently available: