The first hour for your belongings
- Do not throw anything away yet. DIFS says damaged items stay until the insurer says otherwise.
- Take photos and video of belongings where they are, and start a list: what it is, how many and what it was worth.
- Call your insurer and ask about additional living expense coverage if the home is unlivable.
- Move wet items off wet floors, and move valuables and electronics out of damage if it is safe.
- When the company calls, ask if the company packs out, cleans and stores, and how it tracks each item.
- Keep receipts for storage, supplies and temporary housing.
The inventory the insurer expects
DIFS's guide to policyholder duties says to notify your insurer as soon as possible, take reasonable steps to minimize the loss, cooperate as the policy requires, and give an inventory of damaged personal property listing quantity, description, actual cash value and amount of loss. It also offers a free insurance claim tracking sheet. A company that cleans your belongings should give you its own item list to match.
What contents restoration costs in Michigan: estimates, not quotes
The table prints no price for contents cleaning. What it shows is pay for the nearest federal occupation, which is not a charge, and the figures for the cleaning itself are not ones we can cite.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | No estimate yet | We found no contents cleaning or pack-out figure, so we give no estimate; ask the company what its pack-out charge covers. |
| Hazardous materials removal worker wage, Michigan median | $22.30 an hour (middle half of workers: $19.66 to $26.65) | What the nearest federal occupation is paid (BLS May 2025, read through O*NET OnLine), not what you are charged. BLS has no water or fire restoration occupation. |
| Same occupation, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn median | $22.30 an hour (middle half: $19.83 to $27.17) | Pay, not price. Mapping to restoration crews is our inference. |
| Same occupation, Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood median | $21.82 an hour (middle half: $19.66 to $27.50) | Pay, not price. |
How we estimate costs: the ranges on this site are estimates, not quotes. We show federal wage data and insurer and FEMA loss figures where we can cite them, and we are collecting Michigan restoration companies' published prices and will show a range once at least five are in. We have not yet collected customer quotes or invoices. Full method. Prices as of Oct 19, 2026.
Where you live while the work happens
If the home is unlivable, DIFS says to ask if your homeowners or renters policy has additional living expense coverage, which may help pay for a hotel, temporary housing, meals and other eligible expenses. The DIFS homeowners guide says coverage for additional expenses is typically 20 percent of the insurance on your house, and the policy's declarations page has your actual limit. If the property is uninsured after a fire, DIFS lists the Red Cross and FEMA.
What a flood policy leaves out
FloodSmart lists what the NFIP does not cover whatever the cause of the flood: currency and valuable papers, most vehicles, personal property kept in basements, property outside the building, temporary housing and additional living expenses. Basements get limited coverage for items connected to power and installed, and contents coverage for basement items connected to a power source such as washers and dryers. The two statements conflict in wording on FloodSmart's own pages, so ask your agent for the policy text.
Throw out what cannot be cleaned, but only after you have documented it. EPA and the Red Cross say to discard wet materials that cannot be repaired or dried, and NFIP says to document items that pose health risks before discarding them.
When belongings cannot wait
- Items are wet and may mold within the EPA window of 24 to 48 hours.
- Smoke or soot is on clothing, upholstery or papers.
- Sewage or flood water touched them.
- Dry, undamaged items that you can store, once the inventory is done.
- Sentimental items that are not wet; photograph them and decide with the company.
Contents work: permits and licensing in Michigan
Cleaning and packing out belongings needs no permit that we found, and it is not a licensed craft in Michigan. IICRC credentials such as Fire and Smoke Restoration Technician are voluntary and come from a private body. Ask what happens to your belongings if they are stored: where, who has access and what insurance covers them.
Ask which licenses your state requires for the work, and check them with your state's licensing office before any work starts. A credential from a private body, such as IICRC, is not a license.
A tool for this job
Will insurance pay?
What insurance pays depends on the cause and on the policy in your drawer, and nobody here has read yours. This tool gives what the Michigan insurance regulator (DIFS) and the National Flood Insurance Program say for each common cause, and what to ask your agent. It is not a coverage decision.
Open the toolQuestions people ask
What should I list for my insurer after a loss?
Quantity, description, actual cash value and amount of loss for each damaged item, per DIFS. Photograph first.
Does insurance pay for living expenses while the home is repaired?
If your policy has additional living expense coverage, it may help with a hotel, temporary housing and meals. DIFS says the amount is typically 20 percent of the insurance on your house, and the declarations page has the real limit.
What does flood insurance leave out of belongings?
FloodSmart lists currency and valuable papers, most vehicles, personal property kept in basements, property outside the building, temporary housing and business interruption as not covered.
How much does contents cleaning cost in Michigan?
No primary or third-party figure is citable, so the page prints no price. Ask for an itemized quote.
Should I keep damaged items?
Yes, until the insurer says otherwise, per DIFS. Document first, then ask in writing before you discard.
- RestorationMatch: how we estimate costs (editorial policy) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- O*NET OnLine (U.S. DOL/ETA), BLS 2025 wage data: Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041), Michigan Read Oct 19, 2026. This is our interpretation, and the source does not state it outright. Confirm it with the source before you rely on it.
- DIFS Consumer Counselor: Homeowners Insurance Policies: How to Claim What is Yours (FIS-PUB 0216) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- DIFS Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Read Oct 19, 2026.
- DIFS: Your Guide to Homeowners Insurance for Michigan Consumers Read Oct 19, 2026.
- DIFS Disaster Prep: Fire Read Oct 19, 2026.
- FloodSmart (NFIP): Buy a policy Read Oct 19, 2026.
- FloodSmart (NFIP): Start a claim Read Oct 19, 2026.
- Flood Cleanup (EPA) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- American Red Cross: Flood Safety Read Oct 19, 2026.
- ASD, AMRT, WRT, FSRT (IICRC) Read Oct 19, 2026.