What to Do After a Basement Flood
Mold in the home is more than just a nuisance and an eyesore; it can also pose a serious health hazard. Depending on your body’s sensitivity to mold spores, you may be suffering from watering, red, and irritated eyes, nasal congestion, or difficulties breathing all as a result of your home’s mold infestation. No one wants to delay in getting rid of this harmful nuisance, but if you have children or pets in your home, you may be extra cautious of how to return your home to normal. What mold remediation treatments are safe, and how can I prevent this from happening again?
Water remediation and hot water extraction just may be your answer. This is the act of correcting a problem in the home that was caused by water damage, in the form of flooding, a broken pipe, or anything that has resulted in too much standing water for too long of a time.
Standing water can have some serious effects on your home and your health. Standing water can contain raw sewage, chemicals, or toxins. It can wreck your flooring, your walls, and your furniture. It toys with the humidity levels in your home and provides a prime environment for the development of mold and other fungi. If your home’s mold testing has come back positive, here is how water remediation and hot water extraction services will help you.
Step one: get some air. And by that, we mean evaporation. Nothing can be done until all the water is dried out of the afflicted area. Depending on the severity of your situation, you may need a system of commercial grade water vacuums, air blowers, and wood floor dryers to fully accomplish this. Throw open your windows and set your ceiling fans to high, because even the slightest bit of moisture in your carpeting or upholstery welcomes mold growth back into your home.
Step two: germs be gone. Now that your home is free of standing water and excess moisture, it is time to sanitize, sanitize, sanitize. Water can leave behind mold spores and other toxins that are hazardous to your family and pets. This step of water remediation and hot water extraction will include carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, and washing on hot any linens or clothing that were affected by the water. Professional grade shampooers and eco-friendly carpet cleaning are best to ensure the right cleaners and the right temperature of water are used to nip any mold dangers in the bud.
Step three: take inventory, and begin repairs. Some things that were affected by your home’s water issues may be too damaged beyond repair. Carpet, hardwood flooring, or furniture that sat too long in standing water before the situation was noticed or remedied may be deemed a loss by your mold cleanup professionals. Otherwise, you may need to rent some steam cleaning equipment, restain wood, repaint walls, or steam your floors and walls to erase signs of damage and the smell of mold and water.
Mold is an annoying and dangerous nuisance; thankfully, as long as you are proactive in water remediation and hot water extraction and make sure to check your basements and low points of your home after a heavy rain, and promptly report suspected pipe breaks or leaks, you can prevent this nuisance from invading your home ever again, and live a comfortable life free of allergens introduced by mold.
