You do not need restoration software or a claims platform to keep a timed mitigation record. The Water Damage Mitigation Log was built for the tools already in your hand during a flood: your phone for real-time entries and photos, a free PDF reader for the log pages, and either Excel or Google Sheets to total equipment hours and track readings over days.
What software opens and edits it
The kit arrives as PDFs and one spreadsheet, in five files. The flat printable PDFs — US Letter and A4, plus an ink-friendly black-and-white US Letter version — open in Adobe Acrobat Reader (free), Apple Preview, Apple Files on iPhone and iPad, Files by Google on Android, and most modern web browsers. Print the first-hour and hourly log pages and keep them on a clipboard in the affected room if paper survives your workflow better than a phone with wet hands nearby.
The fillable PDF is the working version for most people. Open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader (free) on your phone, tablet, or desktop and tap-type into 134 fields in real time: first-hour steps, hourly actions, equipment start and stop times, and moisture readings as they are taken. Real-time entry is the point of this kit — a reading typed in the room carries its moment with it, while a reading reconstructed at midnight is a guess. Save a copy at the end of each day so the record grows in dated layers.
The Mitigation Tracker is an .xlsx file. It works in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, and LibreOffice Calc. Google Sheets is the easiest free option if you do not own Excel: upload the file to Google Drive, open it as a Sheet, and equipment hours total as you log them — the demo shows 3 timed actions, 44 total hours across 3 equipment items, and 3 moisture readings. Replace the demo rows with your own event from the first entry.
What devices it works on
- iPhone and iPad — fillable PDF in Files or Acrobat Reader; camera for the daily photo log in the same device
- Android phones and tablets — fillable PDF in Acrobat Reader; tracker in Google Sheets
- Windows and Mac desktop — best for closeout, with receipts and professional invoices open alongside
- Any home or office printer — US Letter or A4, color or the included ink-friendly black-and-white version, for a clean copy to hand over
A practical setup is phone in the room, desktop at closeout: log and photograph everything where it happens, then sit down once the space is dry to reconcile receipts, visits, and totals into the finished record.
What pairs with it
The log pairs with the readings themselves — a moisture meter in a professional’s hand, or your own dated observations — each entered next to the targets your professional gives you. On the DealShore shelf, it pairs well with the Insurance Claim Communication Log for every adjuster call and letter, the Home Inventory Master List for what was in the room before the water, and the Post-Storm Roof Damage Inventory when the water came through the roof.
Honest comparison: this log vs. doing it manually
You can keep a flood record in a notes app and a camera roll, and in the first hour that is better than nothing — until times are missing, photos are separated from the actions they prove, and equipment hours live in three different messages. Doing it manually usually fails on totals and sequence, which are exactly what a timed log protects. A mitigation company’s own paperwork documents their work, not yours: your calls, your actions before they arrived, and your readings between visits belong in your file. This log costs a one-time price, asks only for tools you already own, and is honest about its limit: it records your response, it does not set drying standards or promise a claim outcome.
This kit is a general organization tool. It is not legal advice, consult an attorney about your situation. It sets no drying target or standard, and states no claim rule, deadline, or coverage term as applying to you.
Get the kit
PROOF. Get the Water Damage Mitigation Log for $12.95, or find DealShore on Etsy.
Get free sample pages + new kit alerts — email contact@dealshore.com