A day-by-day drying log template for water losses: which readings to capture, how to note equipment changes, and what a complete daily entry looks like.
A drying log isn't paperwork you catch up on Friday. It's the daily record that shows a loss actually dried, and it's the first thing anyone reviewing the file will read.
Free drying log worksheet
Download the blank worksheet as a spreadsheet (CSV) or open the printable version. It has fields for job and room, dates, outdoor and ambient readings, dehumidifier readings, monitoring points, equipment and notes, and a separate, clearly labeled filled-in example. No form required. Adapt it to your own procedures. It is not a compliance guarantee.
What a complete daily entry contains
Calculate GPP, dew point and grain depression with the free Psychrometric Calculator & Drying Log.
- Date, time on site, and technician name
- Outdoor temperature and relative humidity
- Ambient temperature, RH, and GPP for each affected area
- Dehumidifier intake and outlet readings
- Material moisture readings at each numbered monitoring point
- Equipment currently running and any additions or removals
- Notes: occupant access issues, containment condition, anything unusual
Day one looks different
The first entry sets the baseline: initial conditions before equipment, the dry standard from an unaffected area of the same material, and the initial equipment placement. Everything after is a comparison against that entry.
Middle days: same points, same order
Read the same numbered points in the same sequence every visit. That's what turns a pile of readings into a drying curve, and a drying curve is what justifies the equipment days you're billing.
The final entry
Record the readings that show the dry goal was met, note equipment removal, and photograph the areas in their final state. Pulling equipment before the log supports it is the most expensive shortcut in mitigation.
Common gaps that cause trouble
- A missing day with no note explaining why
- Readings with no dry standard to compare against
- Equipment changes recorded on an invoice but not in the log
- Different monitoring points read on different days
See ANSI/IICRC S500 for the underlying drying criteria. Today RestorationWorkflow keeps the water job record, field photos, environmental readings and psychrometric calculators in one place. Structured daily drying logs are on the roadmap, so this worksheet is the way to log days for now. Book a 30-minute demo to see what's live.
Keep reading
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A field-tested list of the data points every restoration job should carry, from first call through clearance, and why each one matters when a file gets questioned.