Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. I think you are doing the right thing. There are water restoration companies that have big, powerful fans and dehumidifiers. If the water was extensive you could try calling one. Not sure if they work round the clock. Since you caught it early it may be OK.

The highest probability of damage is to the sides at the base, with a particle board side the most likely to swell. A kick plate can be easily replaced.

Sounds like you wiped up what you could see. The fans are good. If you have a dehumidifier, set that up nearby. If not, buy a few tubs of Damp Rid to suck moisture out of the air. You can put them in the cabinet if needed, or right next the where the cabinet got wet. If there is a wet place you can see and access from the kitchen easily, you can also use a hair dryer on low to blow warm air on it, but I imagine very hot air might affect the finish eventually. Warm air will pick up more moisture than cold air from the fans.

I don't know enough about things to know if that water might ruin them, but flooding I have felt with before. Good luck!

Eh, I do that all the time.
Ok, well not all the time.
My sink is low and recently I had a large pan tilted, filling up. I forgot.
When I went back into the kitchen, I found not only was it full, it was full and pouring the extra water onto the countertop, which went down beside the fridge and into limbo.

What's a chick to do?
[scream]
Wiped up what I could, put a fan in the room (no toe kicks yet, so aimed there somewhat) and prayed it didn't get under the floor (no flooring in yet) on to the concrete pad and into the insulation. Nothing was running out of the front of the house, so I could only pray it went somewhere I won't find later.

The worst thing for you would be if you had particle board or MDF cabs. They'll swell. Hopefully not on the inside. If it does turn out that the damage is very extensive, I'm afraid an insurance call might be in order.

Keep the air on and take a breath.

An accident is an accident.

If it messed up the cabinets, there is always insurance. Sorry about the mess!!

Nancy

Thank you for all the replies!
The house is on a concrete slab and my kitchen floors are not in yet. This house has settled in the last 26 years. And I think it may be in my favor. Water was coming out the front on the house. I went with plywood cabinet boxes.
This morning I felt of the cabinets. They didn't feel damp from the outside. I'll have to get some of the damp rid to help.
I kept the fans going during the night.
Thank you again...

Vicki

Couldn't be more optimal for a flood than that!

If you can't see swelling in your cabinets, at this point you're probably not going to get any.

Keep the fan going.

I know what you mean about running out of the front of the house. Unfortunately for me, my DH/STBX/GC husband didn't close that access, nor insulate. The room under which the water can run out of the house is f.r.e.e.z.i.n.g.

Make certain you close that up somehow and your insulation under your feet is enough!

Does your homeowners' insurance cover a replacement husband? :)

Check the nearby rooms. Look for ANY sign of water. Our leak was under the kitchen sink- found it the next morning... thought it got the sink cabinet and kitchen floor (ripped it out ASAP). It actually ran into the bathroom on the adjoining wall, under the tub and into the computer/guest room. Never saw any sign of the bathroom damage (tile floor) and didn't catch the bedroom carpet until the next night. DH & DIL ripped out the wet carpet right then. I still figured we were ok- one small room of carpet, a sink base and small kitchen floor. Wrong. When I went to measure the kitchen floor (3 days later by now) the kickplate was swelling up and I knew it was worse than I thought. Ended up with a restoration company (Service Master in Ft Myers, FL who I would NEVER recommend, btw)- they had to cut out drywall, run 2 giant dehumidifiers and 10-12 fans for 4 days to avoid mold. The bill for the dryout was over $2000. It was like living in an extremely hot airplane engine.

What did they use for your walls? Is it waterproof? How about the insulation? We have a concrete foundation, too, but the walls are what I'd be concerned with.

And FWIW, if you do see any sign of water damage- call the insurance company and have THEM contact a restoration company. That way they're responsible for everything. (Lesson learned, Service Master broke my Miele d/w & ripped the sockets under the sink out of the wall. Insurance refused to cover it because it wasn't caused by the water & Service Master (the a$$h0le owner) offered me a whole $90 for the damage they caused- electrician was $225 & d/w service call will be a minimum of $150 + parts).

Oh you must be so upset. Terrible. I would be crying too.
I think you are doing the right thing running the fans.
Can you borrow a de-humidifier or run to a lowes/hd and
pick one up? I think that could help too.

And try not to be too upset with your husband. He did not
do this on purpose and probably feels horrible. And when
you really feel like loosing it (because I know I would be)
Just imagine how truly horrible the water
damage is in on the New Jersey shore and maybe that will
help you dry those tears.

Hoping your kitchen is beautiful again the way you dream.

Open the cabinet doors...turn on some fans...and a dehumidifier would be a good idea. That's what serv-pro did when the supply line in my mom's bathroom broke and it took me 30 minutees to figure out where the general cut-off for her condo was. After the under-sink cut-off broke off in my hand. Yeah. LOTS of water.

It was fine. But it wasn't pretty....

I am so sorry to hear about your mess - and I would be in tears also! Sounds like you might have lucked out - but do check everywhere and don't close any doors until you are sure everything is extremely dry (you don't want to add mold to the mix!)

Fortunately my OCD DH would never leave a sink, so I won't have to replace him - but me... yup the Venetians of the world are natural multi-taskers - just sometimes we have too many things going on at the same time.

Here is an internet hug to get through this mess