Fixing up water damage in your home is one of mankind’s most unenviable tasks. But it may be far more daunting than you think.
Even when you’ve finished rebuilding floors, repainting walls, and replacing damaged items around the house, there’s still one more enemy to contend with. Hidden within bathroom tiles, kitchen floors, or any other moist area in the home you can find breeding grounds for mold. And the worst part is, you might not even see it yet.
Mold typically starts growing in damp areas. It may first appear as little black or green dots on the wall or floor, or it may not be visible at all. Some people would see these spots and either mistake them for dirt, or think to themselves, “Eh, it’s no big deal.” The fact is, though, mold in any shape and size is a very big deal. If left alone, those tiny specimens will spread quickly. The room will have a musty odor, stains will appear on the walls, and even water pipes could become clogged. Also, anyone who enters a room infested with mold has a high risk of respiratory illnesses or intestinal problems that result from inhaling or simply coming into contact with microbes.
If your house has experienced a flood or other water-related problems, call a mold specialist immediately for an inspection. These people are equipped with the proper instruments that can detect mold where the human eye could not, especially if it formed behind a wall. The experts must then check the air quality to make sure the room is still inhabitable while the microbes are being eliminated. If the air proves too dangerous, the room will be sealed off so only the cleaners will be allowed inside.
Since there are many different types of mold, the experts will make sure to take a sample to a laboratory so they can determine how hazardous it is. Using this information, they will take all appropriate measures to remove it from the premises. First, they will scrape the mold away from all surfaces in and around the room. Once the surfaces have been disinfected, they will take additional steps to make sure the air has been sanitized before allowing anyone else to enter the room. If the area is carpeted, the experts will equip themselves with special carpet cleaners to make sure no microbes have stuck to the fibers.
Removing mold is a very meticulous and important process, and should never be taken lightly. This is not a job for a do-it-yourselfer, since most people don’t have the training and equipment to properly sanitize their homes. Make sure you hold onto the contact information for mold specialists as you would plumbers or electricians. This is the kind of green nobody wants around.
