Also, labeling shutoffs is great, but I’d argue it’s just as important to check that they actually work. Mine was so corroded it barely budged... fun times.
You’re not wrong about testing the shutoffs, but I’d push back on the towel thing a bit. Wet/dry vacs are great—if you’ve got one handy and the power’s on. What if you’re dealing with a power outage or the vac’s in another unit? Old towels have saved me more than once, especially for leaks under sinks or slow drips where a vac’s overkill. Ever tried wringing out a soaked towel at 3am? Not fun, but sometimes it’s all you’ve got.
Wet/dry vacs are great—if you’ve got one handy and the power’s on. What if you’re dealing with a power outage or the vac’s in another unit? Old towels have saved me more than once...
Fair point on the towels, but honestly, I’ve seen folks rely on them way too much and end up with water damage anyway. Towels are fine for a slow drip, but if you’ve got a real gusher, they’re just not gonna cut it. I always tell people to keep a cheap plastic pan or even a bucket under the sink—doesn’t need power, and you won’t be wringing out towels all night. Learned that one the hard way after a supply line let go at midnight... towels just spread the mess around.
Buckets under the sink are a lifesaver, no doubt. I’ve walked into units where folks tried to “towel it up” and ended up with soaked baseboards and warped cabinets. Once had a guy use his bathrobe—didn’t help much. Quick catch pans or even a roasting pan from the kitchen can buy you time till you get the water shut off. Towels are just backup, not the main plan.
Yeah, towels are pretty much a last resort. I’ve seen folks try to “build a dam” with them, but once that water gets going, it’s game over for your cabinets. I keep a couple of those cheap plastic storage bins under my sink—way sturdier than a roasting pan, and they hold more. Not pretty, but they’ve saved me from a lot of headaches. Honestly, I think people underestimate how fast water can wreck a kitchen.
Yeah, you nailed it—towels are basically a band-aid, not a fix. Once water starts pouring, it’s amazing how fast it spreads and how much damage it can do. I’ve seen people try to stack towels, pans, even baking sheets under a leak, but that stuff only buys you a few minutes at best. Those plastic bins you mentioned? Smart move. They’re cheap, hold a lot, and you can just dump them out and slide them back in place. Not pretty, but neither is a warped cabinet or ruined floor.
People really do underestimate water. It’ll find every crack and seam, and before you know it, you’re dealing with swollen wood, peeling laminate, or worse—mold. I’ve been called out to jobs where folks thought they had it “contained” with towels overnight, only to find their subfloor soaked through by morning. At that point, you’re looking at way more than just plumbing repairs.
Honestly, keeping a couple of bins or even a big bucket under the sink is just good sense. Doesn’t matter if it looks ugly—nobody’s showing off the inside of their cabinet anyway. And if you ever do get a leak in the middle of the night, you’ll be glad you had something ready to catch the water.
You did the right thing thinking ahead. Most people don’t until it’s too late. If more folks took simple steps like that, I’d see a lot fewer kitchen disasters.
