Protect Your Flooded Home From Mold
For anyone that has experienced a flooded basement, you know that pumping out the water is just the beginning. It's almost inevitable that some mold problems will develop after your home's been flooded. The key is how you deal with situation to minimize risk. Let's take a deeper look at mold growth and steps you can take to prevent mold growing in your home.
Mold is a fungus that typically grows in moist, warm conditions. It is especially dangerous for people with allergies or asthma. High levels of mold can also cause problems for people who are relatively healthy. Symptoms of mold exposure include wheezing, shortness of breath, sore throats, flu-like aches and pains, and fatigue.
Act as quickly as possible after a flood. Mold can start to grow after just a day or two. The sooner you can dry out your home after a flood the better. This will minimize mold problems or possibly even prevent mold from growing.
The best way to prevent mold in your home is to prevent it from flooding in the first place. Big Bags USA® is here to help with all your flood prevention needs. Our flood barriers use half the amount of sand needed for a traditional sandbag wall of the same height. Plus the bags are reusable, to provide flood protection year after year without any added expenses. Big Bags USA® flood barrier systems are meeting flood mitigation and flood preparedness needs all across the United States! Contact us today at 800-337-0537 for more information.
What is Mold?
Mold is a fungus that typically grows in moist, warm conditions. It is especially dangerous for people with allergies or asthma. High levels of mold can also cause problems for people who are relatively healthy. Symptoms of mold exposure include wheezing, shortness of breath, sore throats, flu-like aches and pains, and fatigue.
Tips for Preventing Mold
Act as quickly as possible after a flood. Mold can start to grow after just a day or two. The sooner you can dry out your home after a flood the better. This will minimize mold problems or possibly even prevent mold from growing.
- Move items that didn't get wet during the flood outside to protect them while you clean everything else up.
- Remove as much flood water as you can. You can use things like buckets and mops, or pumping equipment, if it's safe to use.
- Remove any dirt, mud or other debris that came into your house during the flood.
- Using things like dehumidifiers, fans or heaters helps to dry out your home faster. (Make sure it's safe to use electrical appliances first though.) You could also open the windows if the air outside isn't humid.
- Remove any furniture or other items that got wet during the flood and take them straight outside. Make sure not to move them to somewhere else in the house as you can spread the mold problem.
- If your carpet got wet, then you need to get rid of it. The padding on the back takes a long time to dry out if saturated, which leads to bad smells and mold growth.
- Mold can also start to grow on walls or inside the wall cavities in rooms that were flooded. You'll want to cut out the drywall at least 12 inches above where it got wet. Mold cannot be properly cleaned from porous materials like drywall. Be sure to properly dispose of any moldy drywall.
- Typically, wood will be fine once it's dried out, as long as there is no mold growing on it.
- Like carpet, insulation takes too long to dry out and should be removed if wet from flooding.
- Make sure the house is fully dried out before you install new building materials. Pay special attention to wall cavities.
- Once everything has dried out, you can begin to clean and disinfect them. Regular household cleaners and disinfectants will generally do the trick. Anti-fungal solutions can also be used to prevent mold. Be sure to address every surface in your home including floors, walls, shelves and closets.
- If mold has already started manifesting in your home, consider hiring a mold remediation company or water damage specialist. This way you can be sure that all mold problems will be properly taken care of.
Big Bags USA®
The best way to prevent mold in your home is to prevent it from flooding in the first place. Big Bags USA® is here to help with all your flood prevention needs. Our flood barriers use half the amount of sand needed for a traditional sandbag wall of the same height. Plus the bags are reusable, to provide flood protection year after year without any added expenses. Big Bags USA® flood barrier systems are meeting flood mitigation and flood preparedness needs all across the United States! Contact us today at 800-337-0537 for more information.
If you have an immediate need for our systems, or have any questions for us, please Call us Toll Free at 1-800-337-0537 or visit www.BigBagsUSA.com.
If you have an immediate need for our systems, or have any questions for us, please Call us Toll Free at 1-800-337-0537 or visit www.BigBagsUSA.com.
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