Mold begins growing after a day or two of water damage. Even if you do not see it but smell a musty earth smell, know that that is mold growing. To prevent mold, you must act fast. Exposure to mold can trigger asthma symptoms and body allergies such as eye, lung, nose and throat irritations. Mold will also leave green ugly patches in your house.
To deal with mold in an event of water damage, you must first deal with the cause of the water damage.
Causes of water damage
There are numerous causes of water damage. Some are visible while others aren’t and can only be assessed by a water damage expert. For instance, water might leak from broken pipes inside the house walls. It can also be from hoses and pipe joints that are not properly fitted. Sometimes the pipe might burst because of drains or toilets that are blocked causing pressure on the pipes.
A pipe might also burst especially if it is too old or not of good quality. The most common
Old appliances like dishwashers, water heaters, and refrigerators are prone to leak; however, the most common appliances that will cause leakage once old are hot water tanks and washing machines. Don’t forget that natural disasters such as floods are also major causes of mold growth.
So how do I prevent mold from growing?
Shut off the source of leakage
First, you must identify and shut down the source of the water leakage. If the leakage is directly connected to your main water supply then shut off the supply. If you can find the cause of leakage but the damage is continuing to happen, then do step 2.
Call a water damage expert
What a water damage expert like Lotus Restoration Services will do;
• When the water damage has caused mud, sewage and slit to fill up your house especially on items like carpets and furniture, it becomes extremely difficult to thoroughly clean it up by yourself. It can take you days and you still won’t clear up everything. A Water damage company will use a special wet and dry vacuum to swab up all the water.
• After all the water is wiped out; they will steam the floor and carpet. If the damage is excessive, the company might provide and replace carpet puddings for your floor.
• They will dehumidify the room using dehumidifying machines. These machines eliminate moisture, which helps to provide fresh air preventing mold from growing.
• They will disinfect the walls and any other intoxicated areas.
What to do if you can’t afford to hire a water expert?
Keep the fans on! Although fans won’t dry your house fast, they will eventually dry it over a period of 5-7days. Make sure you keep them on for all the 5 or 7 days for 24 hours. But you must know that the fans might not fully dry the carpet especially if your carpet is made of heavy wool and if the damage is excessive. Use fans only to dry small damages.
Conclusion
The safest way to prevent mold is by hiring a water damage company to do mold remediation and removal like ours
We will thoroughly and safely clean and dry your house.
