And Then There Was Mold
When water damage occurs, mold can start growing within just a couple of days. It doesn’t matter if it’s summer, winter, or spring. If there’s moisture, mold will grow.
Moisture Likes to Hide, and Mold Does Too
One of the challenges with water damage is thoroughly drying all parts of your home. Moisture can hide within the walls and flooring, making it challenging to know precisely what is and isn’t wet.
It takes an experienced professional with specialized equipment to eliminate all moisture so mold doesn’t grow in hard-to-reach spots.
Mold Is Difficult to Remove
Unfortunately, mold from water damage is particularly difficult to remove on your own. Typical methods for removing mold are geared towards dealing with surface mold, not mold on water-damaged areas.
For this reason, drying or spraying bleach can actually spread the mold. Similarly, AC and heating systems can spread mold spores through the air and into other parts of your home.
Mold Likes to Hibernate
Once mold establishes itself, it won’t go away until it’s intentionally removed. Even without moisture, mold can stay inactive in walls, floors, and other spots it has started to grow on. And when it gets access to water, it will start to grow again.
Mold Is Great, But Only Sometimes
Mold has an important role in human life. Think cheeses, miso, and even medicines like penicillin. However, the mold growing on your house’s walls or infrastructure isn’t what you want around.
This kind of mold can cause an array of adverse health conditions, including:
- Respiratory issues, such as difficulty breathing and tight chest
- Coughing
- Sneezing
- Skin irritation
What to Do When Water Strikes
Water damage is not something anyone asks for. But if it happens, it’s essential to start the cleaning process within the first 24-48 hours. After that, it becomes much harder to salvage property, and harmful mold spores may begin growing.
Steps You Can Take
To ensure your home or business is fully restored, it’s critical to call professional help as soon as possible. However, there are some actions you can take to mitigate the damage until help arrives, such as:
- Turning off water sources (especially if the water damage is coming from somewhere in your home).
- Turning off AC and heating units. Using the central HVAC system can complicate the drying process.
- Turning off fans. Using your fans to dry out the water can spread mold spores throughout the house.
- Picking up personal items near the affected areas.
- Moving furniture out of the wet area or propping up the legs to keep them out of the water.
ProKleen’s Water Damage Restoration Process
To prevent mold from growing, we use state-of-the-art water extraction equipment to remove every last drop of water. We also apply deodorizing and disinfectant treatments to eliminate any microorganisms or bacteria that may have started growing.
Our process is thorough and reliable, so you can return to a safe home as soon as possible. We’re also available 24/7. So, whether it’s a broken pipe, an overflowing dishwasher, or a leaky roof, give us a call day or night and know that help is on the way.