If you’ve experienced water damage in your home or business, you will most likely develop mold shortly afterwards. Mold thrives in high moisture environments and typically begins growing within a few days after water damage. This makes it critical to call a professional water damage restoration company right away. You have limited time to prevent mold growth and the serious health issues that often accompany it.
While you may feel inclined to try and tackle the job yourself, it’s best to have water damage addressed by a professional who has the specialized equipment necessary to fully extract and dry all water from your property, including in places that aren’t readily visible such as behind walls, in the floors, in your furniture or inside insulation. If mold is detected during the water damage restoration process, it’s important to have professional mold remediation services performed to eliminate all mold and prevent regrowth.
Steps You Can Take to Minimize Mold Growth After Water Damage
Even though professional water damage restoration and mold remediation services are necessary to prevent mold growth after a water incident, there are certain steps you can take while you wait for the water damage restoration company to arrive:
- Shut Off the Water Supply – If the water damage has been caused by a plumbing leak, burst pipe or a malfunctioning appliance, you should turn off the water in your home to prevent additional flooding. By stopping the water source, you can minimize the damage, make it easier to dry your property and reduce your risk of mold growth.
- Turn Off Your HVAC System – If possible, avoid using your heat or central AC after water damage since excess heat or coolness can potentially complicate the drying process. In addition, if you have begun developing mold, the forced air from your HVAC system can spread the mold throughout your house, creating a larger problem that will be more challenging to address.
- Turn Off Fans – Discontinue using any ceiling fans, box fans or freestanding fans. These fans won’t do much to help dry your home or business, and they can spread any initial mold growth to other areas of the building.
- Move Furniture Out of Standing Water – Fabric and upholstery in couches, chairs and other furniture will hold tremendous amounts of water, making them breeding grounds for mold growth after water damage. To minimize this risk, move furniture out of wet areas or place wood blocks under the legs to keep your furniture out of standing water.
Professional Water Damage Restoration Is Required to Prevent Mold Growth
Even if you do a good initial job at drying out the water using towels, buckets and wet-dry vacuums, it’s unlikely that your efforts will fully dry out any water damaged areas in your home or business. Without the tools to detect hidden areas of moisture, you risk additional structural damage to your property as well as mold growth.
By working with a professional water damage restoration company, you’ll have peace of mind that the entire process is handled correctly. Water damage restoration companies have specialized equipment that will dry out your property to prevent mold growth. They will also be able to perform mold testing to make sure you haven’t already developed mold. If they detect mold, they can perform mold remediation to eliminate it and restore a safe and healthy environment.
Steps Involved in Professional Mold Remediation
If mold is detected during the water damage restoration process, professional mold remediation will be necessary. This process involves the following steps:
- Address the Water Source – In order to prevent mold from returning, you must first address the water source and dry all affected materials.
- Containment – If an area of mold is disturbed, thousands of spores can be released into the air and spread throughout the building. Before this mold can be removed, our mold remediation professionals will use negative-air containment and air scrubbers to trap the mold spores and prevent them from traveling throughout your home or business.
- Mold Removal – Once the mold has been properly contained, our mold remediation technicians will treat hard surfaces to remove mold growth. Any porous surfaces that can’t be effectively cleaned will be removed and replaced. Mold levels will be monitored throughout this process to ensure they return to a normal range.
- Reconstruction – If any materials or structures have to be removed, our team will perform all necessary repairs and reconstruction work to restore your property to its pre-damaged condition. As part of this final phase of the mold remediation process, it’s common to replace drywall, flooring, insulation and other porous building materials.
JRCC Damage Restoration Experts Can Help Eliminate Mold After Water Damage
If you’ve experienced water damage to your home or business, JRCC Damage Restoration Experts can help you restore safe and healthy conditions. We’ve been the leading restoration company in the greater Seattle & Spokane Metro Area since 1954. We provide comprehensive services and can handle the entire process for you, including water damage restoration and mold remediation. Our meticulous process adheres to all industry best practices, ensuring the work is performed correctly the first time.
In addition, we offer 24/7 emergency response services and will arrive at your home or business, day or night, ready to begin work after water damage. This quick response is critical to help minimize damage and reduce the risk of mold growth at your property.
Contact us today to schedule an appointment. JRCC Damage Restoration Experts provides mold remediation services in the greater Seattle & Spokane Metro Area.