Water, Fire & Mold Damage Restoration in New Brunswick, NJ

Quick answer for New Brunswick

• Call or text (24/7): 732-539-2942 · Text us
• Response: usually on-site within about an hour, anywhere in the city
• Insurance: we work with all major insurance companies and submit our invoice to your insurer on your behalf
• Credentials: IICRC Certified Firm #70028169 · NJ HIC #13VH12188600 · 4.9★ from 91 Google reviews

New Brunswick is a river city, a college town and a hospital town all at once. It sits on the south bank of the Raritan River, with Rutgers' main campus, two major hospitals and Johnson & Johnson's world headquarters inside its borders. That makes for a lot of rentals, a lot of shared walls, and a lot of buildings where people can't afford to be shut down for long. MaxClean Restoration handles water, fire and mold damage for New Brunswick homeowners, landlords, tenants and businesses, 24 hours a day.

New Brunswick neighborhoods and nearby towns we serve

Downtown · Edgebrook–Westons Mills · Feaster Park · Fifth Ward · Lincoln Park · Raritan Gardens · the riverside blocks near Route 18 · the neighborhoods around the College Avenue and Cook/Douglass campuses · the streets around Robert Wood Johnson and Saint Peter's hospitals. Nearby: Highland Park, Piscataway, North Brunswick, Franklin Township, Milltown, East Brunswick and Edison.

Who lives here and what they live in

The 2020 census counted 17,509 housing units in about 5.2 square miles of land. The median age was just 25, because a large share of residents are students. In practice, that means:

• Lots of rentals and multi-unit houses. Older single-family houses converted into student apartments, two-family homes, and larger apartment buildings. A leak or a small kitchen fire usually involves a landlord, several tenants and more than one insurance policy.

• Turnover and empty stretches. Units sit empty over winter break and in summer. A pipe that freezes in January or a supply line that fails in July can run for days before anyone notices.

• Older housing stock. Older buildings bring basements that take on water, cast-iron or clay sewer laterals, and radiator or oil-heat systems in some houses.

• Density. In 2010 the city had more than 10,000 people per square mile, so smoke and water rarely stay inside one unit.

Local restoration risks in New Brunswick

The Raritan floods the riverfront. In the Raritan basin, Hurricane Floyd (1999), Tropical Storm Irene (2011) and Ida (2021) are the three largest floods of at least the past century, according to the Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist. During Ida, 8 to 8.4 inches of rain fell on the area. The next day the river rose over Route 18, which closed from Paul Robeson Boulevard to the Piscataway border. More than 1,000 New Brunswick residents were evacuated, and the city opened shelters for 164 people and 24 pets. Residents of Hiram Street and Riverside were sent home only after their gas and electric were checked, and some downtown buildings stayed closed because they still had no power or gas.

The river is tidal here. During Ida, the city warned that high tide would push the water even higher in the late afternoon. Low streets near the river can therefore flood from a mix of rain, river flow and tide, and the water can take hours to go back down.

Lawrence Brook and flash flooding. Lawrence Brook drains a 48-square-mile watershed through East Brunswick, North Brunswick, South Brunswick and Milltown before it reaches the Raritan at the city's eastern edge. In a cloudburst, storm drains in dense neighborhoods fill fast, and water comes up through basement floor drains. Sometimes that water is sewage.

Statewide storms. In late September 2026, the governor declared a state of emergency for Middlesex County ahead of a strong nor'easter. Wind-driven rain, downed trees and power outages from storms like that put water into attics and stop basement sump pumps across the city.

Cooking fires and space heaters. In shared student housing, small kitchen fires and overloaded outlets are a common cause of smoke damage. These are general fire-safety risks, but they matter more where many people share a kitchen and a hallway.

What to do right now

1. Get out and stay out if it's unsafe. Never walk through water near outlets or a basement electrical panel. After a fire, wait for the fire department's all-clear.
2. Stop the water. Close the main shutoff or the valve at the fixture. Tenants should tell their landlord or property manager right away. Landlords should check the units above and below.
3. If the river or a floor drain is the source, assume it's contaminated. River water and anything that came up a drain can carry sewage. Keep people and pets away, and don't handle soaked materials without gloves and boots.
4. Photograph everything. Take pictures of each room, the water line on the walls, damaged belongings, and anything you throw out. Tenants should document their own belongings for their renters policy.
5. Report the claim and call MaxClean at 732-539-2942. We start extraction and drying immediately and keep records for every party involved.
6. Landlords: plan for the next one. Our free Home Emergency Plan tool puts shutoff locations, tenant contacts and policy numbers in one place.

How we work a New Brunswick job

1. Check every affected unit. Water and smoke travel along pipes, chases and shared ceilings. We check neighboring units with thermal imaging and moisture meters before we set up equipment.
2. Stabilize. We extract the water, board up or tarp the building, and isolate wet areas so tenants who don't need to move out can stay.
3. Remove and disinfect when necessary. After river or sewage water, contaminated carpet, pad, insulation and the lower drywall come out. Then the area is cleaned and disinfected.
4. Dry and clean the air. Dehumidifiers and air movers dry the structure, and air scrubbers and hydroxyl generators handle dust and odor. Daily readings tell us when it's dry.
5. Document and rebuild. The owner, the tenants' insurers and the adjuster all get clear documentation. Our reconstruction crew handles the repairs.

New Brunswick services

• Water & flood damage: river flooding, burst and frozen pipes, leaks between units

• Sewage cleanup: floor-drain and toilet backups during heavy rain

• Fire & smoke damage: kitchen fires, smoke and soot in multi-unit buildings

• Mold remediation: damp basements, vacant units, bathrooms

• Emergency tree removal: street trees and limbs on roofs

• Furnace puff-back cleanup: oil-heat soot

• Reconstruction: repairs after cleanup

• Trauma & biohazard cleanup: handled privately

• Commercial restoration: restaurants, offices, medical and retail space

Insurance in New Brunswick: owners, landlords and tenants

• Building owners and landlords. The owner's policy covers the building. A landlord or dwelling policy often has different terms from a standard homeowners policy, so check yours for water and sewer backup coverage.

• Tenants. A renters policy covers your belongings and often extra living costs if you're displaced. The landlord's policy generally does not cover a tenant's belongings.

• River and surface flooding. These are excluded from most homeowners, landlord and renters policies. They're covered only by a separate flood policy, such as one through the NFIP. A new NFIP policy generally has a 30-day waiting period, so buy it before you need it.

• Sewer backup usually needs its own endorsement.

We work with all major insurance companies. We document the loss and submit our invoice to the insurer on your behalf. Your deductible still applies, and the adjuster decides what's covered. Read our NJ insurance claims guide for more.

Call MaxClean for New Brunswick

Call 732-539-2942 day or night, or send an estimate request. New Brunswick is part of our Middlesex County service area.

New Brunswick FAQs

Do you work with landlords and property managers? Yes. We coordinate access with tenants, check neighboring units, and give owners and managers clear documentation and an itemized invoice for the insurer.

I'm a tenant. Who pays for my damaged belongings? Usually your own renters insurance, if you have it. The landlord's policy generally covers the building, not your belongings. Photograph everything and report the damage to your landlord and your insurer.

The Raritan flooded our street and the basement filled. Can we pump it out right away? Wait until the water outside has gone down. Pumping a basement while the ground outside is still saturated can put pressure on the foundation walls. Treat river water as contaminated and keep people out until it's cleaned and disinfected.

Water came up through the basement floor drain during a storm. Is it sewage? Treat it as sewage unless you know otherwise. Keep everyone away, don't run water or flush toilets, and call us. Our sewage cleanup includes removing contaminated materials, disinfecting and drying.

How fast can you get to New Brunswick? We answer 24/7 and usually arrive within about an hour.

Can you handle a small kitchen fire in an apartment? Yes. Even a small fire can spread soot and odor through the whole unit and the ones next to it. We clean the soot, deodorize, and handle the water damage from putting the fire out.

Do you work on commercial buildings downtown? Yes, including offices, restaurants and retail space. We schedule the work to keep you open where possible.