Here is a list of some of the things that you should know about mold, whether you’re a tenant, a landlord, or a homeowner.
1. If you’re renting a property and it has mold when you move in, it’s your responsibility to report if to the property owner and it’s their responsibility to remove it if you intend to keep living there. You are not responsible for this expense if you are merely renting.
2. You can’t get rid of all of the mold in your home. Mold spores are a constant presence and while many are dangerous, some common types of mold are not.
3. Mold isn’t always visible to the naked eye. It grows not only where you can see it, but in places where you can’t like underneath wallpaper, behind walls, underneath your carpet, basements, air conditioners, and any other area in your home that is warm and moist.
4. Some of the most frequent culprits of letting mold into your house are structure flaws. The ground surrounding your home should slope away from your home’s foundation to avoid letting moisture and standing water into the house, especially if you have a basement.
5. While mold spores are indeed everywhere we go, higher concentrations of them can lead to health complications. High concentrations of these spores in homes and businesses are what cause most problems as opposed to control tests done outdoors.
6. Professional laboratory testing is required to discover just what kind of mold you have living in your home. No matter what kind of mold you might think you’re dealing with, it could probably just as easily be another variety.
7. Removing mold in your home can be a do-it-yourself project if the problem is not too severe. Most people think that they should call a professional to remove even the smallest infestation, but this is not true. If you’re on a budget and you know how to do it safely, removal of small mold colonies can be easy and wallet-friendly.
8. Most mold doesn’t need a steady supply of standing water to grow. In fact, most molds don’t require more than the amount of condensation that forms on the outside of your glass when you’re having a cold drink after work, if that much. The tiny water droplets that form inside your bathroom after a shower and stick to your wall are usually enough to nurse mold spores to life.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood water damage restoration chicago and other states such as
South Carolina mold remediation companies across the united states.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Things to Know About Water Damaged Vehicles
You might not know it, but if a vehicle is caught in a flood and is partially or even entirely submerged, it isn’t always taken off to the junk yard for scrap. Many times these card are sold through salvage auctions, taken to far off locations, and cleaned up for re-sale. It’s not often the case that these cars that are being re-sold are identified as having been flooded before.
There are a lot of things you should know about water damaged vehicles. Any vehicle that has sustained water damaged is susceptible to mold growth in the vehicle’s interior, especially if the vehicle was allowed to sit untreated in warm temperatures and dry naturally. If the doors to the car or truck have been left shut and it’s been let to try naturally, the musty odor inside will be very prevalent and you won’t have to have any kind of training to detect it. Some dishonest car dealers (or private owners trying to get rid of the car) will try to mask the smell of the water damage with all manner of air fresheners and if you smell anything pleasant while looking inside a car that obviously isn’t brand new, you should probably walk away because they’re hiding something.
Look for any kind of rust in the interior of the car and the trunk, especially near the taillights and check the carpeting for signs of damage. Carpet that has soaked up water and hasn’t been properly treated will most likely stink, especially if it’s been submerged in the sewer water that’s often brought to the surface by flooding.
You might think that if the water dries out, the engine of the vehicle will be just fine, but this probably isn’t the case if it hasn’t been restored by a professional. Sewage, sand, and other debris could have seeped into it and cause misfirings and blown gaskets.
Water damaged vehicles can also suffer electrical problems, especially in newer models where most things are monitored electrically like timing on headlights, the radio, when the oil needs to be changed, and all the way down to how many miles are on the car.
Unless the carpet and its padding were removed and the interior cleaned by a professional and the car was submerged in sewer water, high levels of bacteria and mold are very possible, too.
Paying for a vehicle history from Carfax.com could be beneficial if you get the car’s VIN, but please be aware that the car will only show up as having been flood damaged if an insurance agent has looked at the car and it was recorded. If the vehicle history report doesn’t show it was flooded, but it appears to be water damaged, back away. You’re likely to find a better deal somewhere else.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
North Carolina Sewage Damage Cleanup and other states such as
South Carolina mold remediation companies across the united states.
There are a lot of things you should know about water damaged vehicles. Any vehicle that has sustained water damaged is susceptible to mold growth in the vehicle’s interior, especially if the vehicle was allowed to sit untreated in warm temperatures and dry naturally. If the doors to the car or truck have been left shut and it’s been let to try naturally, the musty odor inside will be very prevalent and you won’t have to have any kind of training to detect it. Some dishonest car dealers (or private owners trying to get rid of the car) will try to mask the smell of the water damage with all manner of air fresheners and if you smell anything pleasant while looking inside a car that obviously isn’t brand new, you should probably walk away because they’re hiding something.
Look for any kind of rust in the interior of the car and the trunk, especially near the taillights and check the carpeting for signs of damage. Carpet that has soaked up water and hasn’t been properly treated will most likely stink, especially if it’s been submerged in the sewer water that’s often brought to the surface by flooding.
You might think that if the water dries out, the engine of the vehicle will be just fine, but this probably isn’t the case if it hasn’t been restored by a professional. Sewage, sand, and other debris could have seeped into it and cause misfirings and blown gaskets.
Water damaged vehicles can also suffer electrical problems, especially in newer models where most things are monitored electrically like timing on headlights, the radio, when the oil needs to be changed, and all the way down to how many miles are on the car.
Unless the carpet and its padding were removed and the interior cleaned by a professional and the car was submerged in sewer water, high levels of bacteria and mold are very possible, too.
Paying for a vehicle history from Carfax.com could be beneficial if you get the car’s VIN, but please be aware that the car will only show up as having been flood damaged if an insurance agent has looked at the car and it was recorded. If the vehicle history report doesn’t show it was flooded, but it appears to be water damaged, back away. You’re likely to find a better deal somewhere else.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
North Carolina Sewage Damage Cleanup and other states such as
South Carolina mold remediation companies across the united states.
Step Two of Drying Out Water Damaged Properties
The second half of the drying process of water damaged homes or buildings should begin by removing any water damaged items from the home like furniture, paintings, photographs, and etcetera and allowing them to dry out outside the home. Squeeze as much water as possible out of couch cushions and try to leave them outside in the sun for as little time as possible, because sun damage can also occur if they’re left exposed for too long.
If the floors of your home are covered in mud or silt, washing them with clean water is usually the only solution. Don’t rush the drying of the floors or what is called warping or buckling and if you can, remove any insulation from under the floor to allow air to circulate. Rapid drying of hardwood floors by using heating, air conditioning, or other forced air to help dry the floors can cause cupping. Completely drying them naturally can take weeks or months.
Any electrical components in the house, like AC outlets, should be replaced if the water level was high enough to damage them. Again, make sure there is no electricity running to that area of your building or even to the entire building itself. When dealing with flooded properties, the possibility of electrocution is great.
Don’t be so quick to remove all the water in your basement. The walls of the basement could collapse due to the ground outside that is still saturated with water and the water still standing in your basement could be the only thing stopping this. After the water around the house has drained away, pump out two or three feet, mark the water level, and wait until the next day. If the water level in the basement rises, don’t continue pumping out the water.
In most cases, washing wet mud away from objects with clean water before drying them is a good idea. Unless it’s an antique item of special significance, this is generally the way to go. If it does fall into the category of antique or historic, consult a specialist as quickly as possible.
Air circulation through the building is essential to drying it out entirely. Heaters should not be used and air conditioners should be used sparingly, if at all. Forcing the building to dry unnaturally can possibly cause even more damage.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood water damage restoration chicago and other states such as
New Jersey mold remediation contractor companies across the united states.
If the floors of your home are covered in mud or silt, washing them with clean water is usually the only solution. Don’t rush the drying of the floors or what is called warping or buckling and if you can, remove any insulation from under the floor to allow air to circulate. Rapid drying of hardwood floors by using heating, air conditioning, or other forced air to help dry the floors can cause cupping. Completely drying them naturally can take weeks or months.
Any electrical components in the house, like AC outlets, should be replaced if the water level was high enough to damage them. Again, make sure there is no electricity running to that area of your building or even to the entire building itself. When dealing with flooded properties, the possibility of electrocution is great.
Don’t be so quick to remove all the water in your basement. The walls of the basement could collapse due to the ground outside that is still saturated with water and the water still standing in your basement could be the only thing stopping this. After the water around the house has drained away, pump out two or three feet, mark the water level, and wait until the next day. If the water level in the basement rises, don’t continue pumping out the water.
In most cases, washing wet mud away from objects with clean water before drying them is a good idea. Unless it’s an antique item of special significance, this is generally the way to go. If it does fall into the category of antique or historic, consult a specialist as quickly as possible.
Air circulation through the building is essential to drying it out entirely. Heaters should not be used and air conditioners should be used sparingly, if at all. Forcing the building to dry unnaturally can possibly cause even more damage.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood water damage restoration chicago and other states such as
New Jersey mold remediation contractor companies across the united states.
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