Removing Mold After a Flood Mold is one of the biggest problems in a home following a flood. Here are several tips for getting rid of it. One of the biggest problems that homeowners deal with following a natural disaster in which their home flooded is mold. Mold thrives in wet, humid, warm environments that are often present in homes in a flood zone. Fungus is another term for it and it often eats away at paper, books, cloth, photographs, leather and other organic materials. It grows from spores that plant themselves in ideal environments. Unfortunately, spores can be found everywhere. In most areas, they are inactive because the right environment to thrive is not present.
The Right Conditions to Spread However, when they find themselves in the right environment, the spores will germinate and spread. In general, humidity must reach a point above 70 percent in order for this to occur. Warm temperatures about 65 degrees can also increase the likelihood that these spores will germinate and spread. If you home is still structurally stable following a flood, the mold will be one of the first things that you will need to take care of or it will continue to spread and be an irritation. This fungus is generally slimy or fuzzy due to the high amount of water. It can manifest itself in a variety of colors including green, black, orange, or purple. White mold is generally dead or at least inactive due to lack of water. It is often dry and powdery, but it will also need to be taken care of or it can irritate the allergies that some people have. In the beginning, this fungus can look like a thin web, but it will become puffy and bushy as it fills out and grows. The spores can spread through a variety of different ways, including through the air, on people, and on pets.
How to Stop Mold Growth There are many things you can do to prevent the fungus present in your home from spreading further. The number one thing you can do is work fast to remove it. Try to do everything you can to remove the factors that have made your home the ideal environment for it to grow in. If water is still on the floor, be sure to rent a pump to remove it as quickly as possible. Then, get several fans or driers if the weather is not very nice and get the air circulating so that the carpet and everything else will dry out faster. If the weather is nice, open the doors and windows so that the warm air will dry things quickly. You may want to open the windows anyway if the humidity outside is lower than that on the inside. Dehumidifiers can also help clear the humidity out of the air quickly, but you will need to empty them often. As you do this, you will want to identify anything that has been infected by mold. Many things you may simply have to throw away if it is too damaged. Put these things in trash bags, seal them up and put them outside as soon as possible so that the spores will not spread any further. Items that you want to save need to be dried out quickly or put in the freezer. The fungus also cannot grow in cold temperatures, such as in the freezer. You will have to clean off these items as best you can later.
Keep Fungus Out for Good The next thing you will want to do is keep the affect areas as clean as possible. Mold may be have invaded your walls, shelves, cupboards and other areas. Make sure you clean off the infection with a disinfectant and then open it up as much as possible. You will want to encourage air circulation as much as possible. Items that are moldy that you want to save, such as old dolls, need to be air dried away from other objects. Make sure that you spread out papers or open books that were affected so they can dry faster. It can also help to blot the excess water off with a clean towel. These objects should be placed in an area where air circulation is quite good.
Again, these objects can be frozen if you cannot dry them right away or if you have to spend your time taking care of other parts of your home. The one type of object that you should avoid freezing are photographs as these can be damaged. It is best to clean of the mold from walls and ceilings when it is dry and inactive as you can simply brush it away. However, you will want to make sure that you wear a mask so that you do not breathe in too many of the spores. If there is a lot of mold, the best option would be to get property restoration firm to perform a mold remediation on your home. But be quick about it, the mold in your home is growing as we speak!
Photo Credit: Anneh632, Nicolas 11mo