If you have ever experienced water damage, then you know how incredibly stressful it can be. You’ll need a professional restoration company to help you deal with the damage caused. But did you know that there are steps you can take to prevent mold growth in your home?
Before we get into prevention, let’s look at some terminology. Mold is a fungus that affects every corner of our homes. When it grows, it releases spores into the air, which can cause a variety of health problems. There are more than 100 types of mold that affect us in some way or another. While some types of mold are harmless, others can cause serious illness, especially if you have allergies or asthma.
Of the 100+ types of mold, only about 10 are typically found indoors. Because so many different types of mold affect us in some way or another, it’s important to be able to recognize it when you see it.
Easiest way to tell if you have mold is by sight, but there are some signs that mold may be growing in your home even if you can’t see it:
- 1) You start to feel sick more often.
- 2) You have a persistent sore throat.
- 3) You start to have coughing or sneezing fits.
- 4) You have trouble breathing.
- 5) Your eyes get itchy and watery.
- 6) You have frequent headaches.
- 7) Your nose runs a lot.
- 8) Your skin feels itchy, irritated and dry.
What is mold and what causes mold?
Mold is a fungus that grows anywhere around 70 degrees Fahrenheit and over. It’s found in our homes, schools, offices and other buildings in large cities. Mold grows best on things that contain moisture; that means walls, ceilings, clothes, foods, plants and pretty much anything else you can think of.
When mold grows indoors, it can cause a number of illnesses and health problems. It’s especially bad for people with allergies, asthma or other respiratory conditions. Most often, people with these conditions will experience allergic reactions to the spores released by the mold. Depending on the type of mold, there are a variety of symptoms ranging from mild irritation to extremely serious illness, including:
- Congestion
- Coughing
- Wheezing
- Skin rashes
- Nausea and vomiting
- Headaches
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Asthma
How to prevent mold growth at home
Preventing mold growth in your home is essential to your long-term health. Mold can affect anyone within your home if you don’t take the right precautions. If you do have it, there are ways to get rid of it.
If you want to learn more about prevention and removal of mold, consult with a restoration company. They can help you get your property back to normal after it has been damaged by water or mold.
Before you go out and buy a bunch of anti-mold products, you should know that very few anti-mold cleaners are effective if you are dealing with extensive mold growth. Without professional cleaning and drying, there is a good chance that the mold has already spread throughout your home and will continue to get worse.
The most effective way to prevent mold is to make sure it can’t grow. Mold grows on damp surfaces, so you should take these precautions:
Remove standing water as soon as possible. If there is any standing water in your home after a storm, flood or leak, then remove it quickly. This will prevent the risk of mold growth in your home.
Make sure your home is well-ventilated. Air circulation prevents the growth of mold. Make sure that you don’t have any leaks in your roof, flooring and plumbing.
Keep your drywall dry. If you have exposed drywall, you need to make sure it doesn’t get wet. If it does, you will have problems with mold growth.
Keep your air clean and free of moisture. If you can’t ventilate properly, the air in your home probably has too much moisture in it.
Regular home maintenance is the key to preventing mold from growing in your home. This means that you should clean, scrub and repair things around your home on a regular basis.
How to prevent mold from coming back after water damage
Prevention isn’t always effective, which is why most people with water damage turn to professional restoration services for assistance. But even with all of that assistance, you still need to take a few steps to prevent mold from growing back. Here are a few things you need to do and remember:
1) Keep everything dry
After any type of water damage, the key is to get everything dry as soon as possible. Whether it’s a flood, fire or sink overflow, you need to get all of the water out of your home as soon as possible.
For clothes and bedding, put them in a dryer on the “air” setting. You can also place them in plastic bags and seal them shut so air can’t get inside. For carpeting and other furnishings, you’ll need to remove them from the premises and put them in a dry room.
The longer you wait to get everything dry, the more likely it is that mold will start to grow.
2) Air out the home
Once everything is dry, you need to make sure that you are getting all the moisture out of your home. Mold thrives on moisture, which means that getting rid of humidity is essential for preventing mold growth.
Open up windows and doors and leave your home for a few hours every day until your home is dry. After that, make sure that your HVAC system has been cleaned and dried properly. If it hasn’t been cleaned since the last time you had a water issue, you are going to have a lot of mold problems after the next storm or leak.
3) Do a thorough cleaning
Make sure you are getting rid of any water that you find. If there is standing water anywhere, use hot water and soap to wipe it up. You should also inspect the affected areas for mold. They can be hard to spot, especially if they haven’t spread very far.
If you do find mold, don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s gone. At the earliest chance possible, hire a professional restoration company to inspect your home and remove all the mold.
How soon will mold grow after water damage?
The longer you let the water sit in your home, the more likely it is that you will have mold problems. If you have a small leak, it might take a few days for mold to begin growing. But if you have a big flood or another type of damage, mold will begin to grow almost immediately.
There aren’t any set times for how fast mold will start to grow after water damage. But depending on the amount of moisture, size of the area affected and how long it was wet, you could see signs in as little as an hour.
Because mold grows so fast, you need to get started with restoration services as quickly as possible. You also need to make sure that the mold doesn’t spread to other areas of your home. That means inspecting your home for signs of mold and taking precautions against it.
What is the best way to prevent mold?
Prevention is always better than cure – and this is especially true when it comes to mold. Mold is extremely dangerous and can cause short-term and long-term health problems if not dealt with quickly and properly. This is why it’s so important to prevent mold growth in your home after a flood or leak. Here are a few steps to take:
1) Remove Standing Water
Whether it’s dealing with water damage or right after a storm, floods or leaks, make sure you do everything possible to get all the water out of your home. Not only will this prevent mold growth, but it also prevents more damage from occurring as well as further health issues such as electrocution and electrocution if the wiring has been damaged by water.
2) Get Rid of Air Moisture in Your Home
Once the water is gone, you need to deal with all excess moisture in your home. This means that you should thoroughly dry out any items that were affected by the storm or leak before putting them back in your home. You should also clean any areas affected by the flood or leak and thoroughly dry them out as well. This prevents further damage and eliminates wet spots where mold can grow.
3) Remove Mold and Fix Damaged Areas
Even if there isn’t visible mold in your home, there could be hidden spores that will eventually sprout into full-blown molds. Make sure that you check all areas that may have been affected by the flood or storm for signs of mold growth before putting anything back where it belongs. If you find visible signs of mold growth, call in a professional restoration company right away! They can help get rid of the mold while addressing any issues that may still need to be resolved.
Mold prevention is one of the most important things you can do after a flood or storm damages your home – but it isn’t always successful. That’s why many people turn to professional restoration services for complete restoration after disaster strikes. Whether it’s flood damage or storm damage