Picture this! It’s early in the morning and you’re bundled in the warmth of your blanket, snuggled in bed, and you know you shouldn’t be up yet. But hang on – why is your face wet? Hmm… what’s that bleeping, dripping noise all over you?
Oh… It’s water from your soaked ceiling giving you an unexpected shower in your bed. Amazing.
So, you wake up, frustrated and panicked at the sight of your ceiling dripping with water, and then you get out of bed and step on a soaked carpet. What happens next? Well, you get mad, try to mop the place down, think about calling a plumber… The usual stuff. But something else might be happening at the same time – there can be mold growing all around your house without you even realizing it.
Water damage is annoying, it’s an inconvenience, and it can cost you a good amount of money to handle it. But forget about timing or finances; if you ignore it for too long, you’ll then have even more financing to worry about. Why? Well, mold spores act pretty quickly and you have only about 24-48 hours before molds get established (even if you don’t see it on the surface, it’s likely imbued into the core already. You should definitely move fast. Besides looking awful, mold destroys your walls, floors, and it makes you sick (e.g., black mold).
Some good news, though. This disaster can sometimes be prevented, even if you have had serious water damage, but instead of looking frantic and worrying, think about acting immediately.
Keep reading and by the end of this article, you’ll know exactly why, how, what and to do!
How to Spot Signs of Mold Risks After Suffering Water Damage
Mold can best prosper in water-damaged locations, meaning, they are damp and are (ideally) in the dark. If the parts of your home that are susceptible to mold damage include walls, ceilings, carpets, and upholstery, this can really create an issue, because they’re not that easy to deal with.
The other misfortunate thing about mold is that you don’t always see it. Most often, it hides behind drywall, under floors, or inside HVAC systems making it really hard to detect. So even if you clean the surface, and the area looks clean, it’ll simply spread and come back. You need to remove it completely (at its core).
Some early signs are musty odors, dark or discolored patches on surfaces, and non-stop allergies and respiratory symptoms. If you’re able to identify any of these, you’ll be that much nearer to preventing a mold infestation because you’ve (likely) caught it early.
Steps For Mold Growth Prevention
Surficial cleaning isn’t possible if you have water damage; also, eliminating this is more complex than just wiping it down. You will need to remove moisture from the area, remove the mold, conduct deep cleaning, and finally have some measures to stop it from recurring.
What to Do Right Away
Time is critical because mold develops fast.
The first thing to do is to remove standing water with wet vacuums or water pumps. Pay close attention to places where water pools, like basements or low-lying rooms. Once that’s done, move all furniture, rugs, and other things somewhere that’s dry and well-ventilated so water doesn’t absorb even more and cause more damage.
Then, open all the windows and doors because airflow is incredibly important. You can even use fans to circulate fresh air. If there’s a lot of damage, rent high-powered air movers. Basically, do whatever you can to make the place dry as fast as possible and if you think you’re doing too much – we promise you, you’re not.
Deep Clean
After the water is gone, you need to deep clean everything. Regular cleaning products won’t do you much good here, you’ll need to use disinfectants that were made specifically to kill mold spores on surfaces.
During cleaning, wear gloves, a mask, and goggles so you’re not exposed to mold spores, bacteria, and chemicals from cleaning products.
Drying and Getting Rid of Humidity
Even if everything looks dry, that doesn’t mean it is. If you take a look at the drying and dehumidification process following water damage, you’ll see that professionals use advanced tools like moisture meters and thermal imaging cameras to detect water pockets that are hidden. That’s how problematic moisture is and that’s how important it is to get everything bone dry.
Use industrial-grade air movers and high-capacity dehumidifiers to get all the moisture out of the air and to make the drying process faster. The humidity level has to be lower than 60%. Any higher than that and you risk mold growing.
Conclusion
You probably think that the worst event you can ever get to face is water damage, but unfortunately, that’s only the beginning of a much larger problem. While water can do damage on its own, it also leaves a damp breeding ground for mold growth. And if you don’t deal with it straight away, you’ll soon suffer more damage.
There can never be too many open doors, windows, fans, or dehumidifiers (especially if the air in your area has high humidity). All of these help remove moisture and help keep the place dry, which in turn prevents mold.
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