When Water Damage Strikes

4/29/2019 (Permalink)

One of the most important things about water damage is to treat it quickly. Whether you have sustained a busted pipe or something more serious, if the water damage reached your carpets and was not treated professionally, you still have damage happening right beneath your feet. Mold is growing in your carpets, and you need to take care of it. ASAP.

Mold can start within 24-48 hours of the time of loss in the right environment and conditions. Your home offers a constant food supply to the mold spores. Mold spores feed on wood, drywall, insulation, paper and anything it can get attached on. After a day or more, the mold starts colonizing, creating those big black stains we all know from photos (or from our home, if luck wasn't on our side).

Mold Is Dangerous, Even When Hidden

In most cases, mold will be discovered after it colonizes, and by then its growth is rapid. If you suspect you have mold, you should call a mold expert to check it out. Whether it's a water damage certified technician, a home inspector or an industrial hygienist. The mold usually grows where water damage hit, or where high humidity is found. If water leaked on your carpet - that's where the mold will start growing.

To protect your carpets from mold after they're flooded by water, you should follow the steps below. If it already happened, and you missed one of the steps, you should check your carpets for dark stains or moldy smell. You don't want mold growing under your carpets, in your floors and all around your home.

Steps to prevent mold after water damage:

1. Stop the water source - first thing first. Stop the water from flowing in and get them out of your home. If it's a leaky pipe or a broken appliance, close the water main. If it's the roof, try and see if you can get a roofing company to come for an emergency service and close the gap. Once you've stopped the water from coming, you need to get it out.
2. Extract the water - to prevent further damage and minimize long term effects, it's important to get the water out. If it's a small amount, you can blot it out or use a mop to absorb it (if on the floor and not carpets). If it's a large amount, get a water mitigation company like SERVPRO of Stone Mountain/Clarkston to help you with it.
3. Get it Dry – Fast! - If you have fans, or you know where you can rent drying fans - go for it. If you need some help with drying your home, we'd be glad to help as well. Call us and let us know what you need. It's important to have the property dried as fast as you can to avoid mold growth, as well as the water being absorbed in carpets, floors, rugs or other items. It's also recommended to use dehumidifiers to lower the humidity in the affected area, especially if you can't air it out properly.
4. Steam clean everything you can - carpets, rugs, flooring, furniture - if it had water get to it you want it professionally cleaned right now, before the mold gets comfortable and colonizes. Once the mold sets in, that item is probably lost and will need to be replaced.
5. Sanitize the affected area - if you hired a professional damage restoration company, they'll do it as part of the water mitigation process. If you didn't, and decided to solve the issue yourself, you should clean anything that met the water.

WE WILL MAKE SURE THE MOLD IS GONE

If you still feel like your clean-up wasn't enough, or you feel there is mold hiding somewhere - contact us at SERVPRO of Stone Mountain/Clarkston at 770-496-1976. We'd be more than happy to pay you a visit and provide a professional opinion on the matter.

Remember, it's very dangerous to have mold in your home - mold can have very serious side effects on you and your health. Get your mold remediated as soon as you can.