This website is dedicated to individuals who are in need of mold fighting solutions. You might need choices other than hiring a contractor because of budget constraints. Also, your priority should be finding the Best Mold Remediation possible so this doesn’t come back and haunt you. You may also need to solve this problem quickly while most contractors are tied up on other jobs in a flood disaster area. I will point out some goals, steps, and methods to tackle Mold. We were caught in this situation recently and had to repair and treat on our own. I will be sharing our experience and research on this very topic.
Welcome to MoldRemediationInHomes.com
I hope the information in this website will be of great use to you. As time goes on, there will be more articles posted and are welcome to comment. You can find posts on the right-hand side of this page. If you have anything to add, then please do so within the comments. The goal here is to help one another under any circumstances.
I would also say that I hope you enjoy the information being provided. This could be bittersweet since you’re probably not enjoying the moment, but hopefully this event will make you stronger after recovery.
Natural Flood Disaster
Natural Flood Disasters are occurring at an alarming pace. A flood is an overflow of water that submerges land that is usually dry. The frequency can be debated, but is a subject for the research scientists. The general public’s problem is why such water wasn’t drained quick enough before reaching their residences. Storm drains could have been blocked because of poor maintenance. They also could have been insufficient in the first place due to poor design. These are questions for local officials in the future, but one thing is for certain that the damage is done. This also could be a very rare event that takes place once in a hundred years or more.
Typically, no one wants to go through an event like this. It’s worse than a fire when water within a house is more than one foot deep. Not only do you need to tackle the structural issues, but the belongings that were not elevated are visually damaged. There really isn’t any time to get emotional during this stage because you’re in a mad rush to save everything before mold starts growing.
Also, you may have needed to wait until either flood insurance, government grants or charity assistance arrives. This could be slow and increases the damage at least ten fold. I have seen both horror stories and neighbors helping neighbors in these very tough situations.
Broken water pipes
A magazine study has shown that broken water pipes ranked second behind hurricanes to homes damaged by water. This could be pipes within the walls, hoses and fittings, clogged toilets, etc. The damage could be minor or major if it isn’t spotted soon enough. The pipes could be an older galvanized type or the now illegal Polybutylene that was heavily used in the 1980s and early 1990s. It could occur above the first floor of a house and damage that level and every other one underneath. A 1/8-inch crack in a pipe can release up to 250 gallons of water a day.
Leaking Roof
Your damage could have been caused by a leaking roof. This could be from broken shingles that developed from deterioration from age, hail damage, a large tree limb falling and punctured a hole, etc. There are a number of ways that it can occur. I personally had water seeping from a vent for my stove exhaust hood. After the leak was repaired, I had to also repair the ceiling and replace insulation in the attic. The extent could be minor to major and depends on how much rain you receive. Remember though, you will need to repair the source of the leak before repairing any water damage underneath or time, money, and material will be wasted.
Vacant Homes
If homes have been vacant for some time in a humid climate, it could very well develop mold. They are normally closed up without any ventilation and the stagnant air could be moist. This could be a vacation home or one you are interested in purchasing. When you first open the door and smell mold or start sneezing, then chances are there will be some growth within the home. This will need to be treated before residing in the dwelling. If you are planning on purchasing the home, then factor in the cost of remediation when negotiating the price.
Lovely enumeration of possible causes of mold. Very clear and easy to understand.
Thank you
Thank You for the comment. I hope to help anyone that has this headache and make it easier.
My mother’s house flooded last night! Your site has been very helpful.
I’m really sorry to hear that! I hope it wasn’t severely damaged. If you have questions on anything that’s not covered here, I can provide the answers for you. Don’t hesitate to ask!
Mold remediation is a huge business in my town as it rains regularly, and when it does it pours. I do have some friends that work in the water extraction industry and offer services such as mold remediation. In the pictures above, it’s pretty obvious to see the mold. But sometimes you cannot identify it by just looking at it. Do you recommend any equipment such as those x-ray devices to do that?
The x-ray devices you are referring to are moisture meters. You can buy some inexpensive meters that do a good job identifying the source. If you need a more specialized device, then contractors typically have them and would be cheaper for their service vice buying one outright. If you question a type of dark black mold that exists, then it should be tested to be sure it’s not toxic. Majority of the time it’s not toxic, but you want to be safe rather than sorry. I have a post detailing toxic black mold on this site.