A mold that plagues some homes and should not be underestimated is Meruliporia incrassate. This is a fungus that causes a severe amount of rotting in the wooden parts of your home and this is extremely difficult to get rid of, since is has the ability to collect and retain water over a longer period of time than other molds. It typically extends itself through not only the wood, but other porous materials that make up your home and find the water that it needs in order to stay alive.
The news calls this a “house eating fungus” because it will eventually do just that if it is left untreated. The decay of the wood framing of your home is inevitable if this infestation is not removed as soon as possible. This usually shows up in the areas of your home that are the most moist, such as the bathroom, kitchen, and the basement. This mold appears as a somewhat yellowish dust on the areas that are affected. In order to keep this growth from returning, you will need to remove all of the materials affected by it and then some. Simply trying to clean this mold with disinfectants or bleach will not work under any circumstances. Cleaning any other kind of mold off of a porous surface with bleach or any other disinfectant is usually not possible, but this kind of mold cannot be gotten rid of in this way at all.
About two extra feet of infected material needs to be removed from the home before the infestation will be gone for good. This means if the visible infection spans about 4 feet of a wooden beam, then an extra two feet needs to be removed on each side of it to be sure that you get all of it. This mold likes to extend strands of itself out about this length in order to retain the water that it will use to keep itself alive. Getting rid of this extra material may seem like a waste, but it is really the only way to be certain that it does not come back.
As long as your previously affected area remains dry for a long time after the infected wood was removed, the infection should not return. Keeping the previously affected area as dry as possible may help keep the mold from coming back, even if some of the wood remained infected after you removed the majority of it.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.moldrestorationny.info
http://www.moldrestorationnj.info
Friday, September 28, 2007
Water Damage Tips For the Bathroom and Kitchen
Something most homeowners are aware of is the fact that preventing a kind of damage to the home often takes a lot less effort and money than repairing the damage after it has already been done. It might take some purchased materials and a little bit of diligence on our part to make sure that the rest of the household follows the rules, but in the end it will end up saving you hours of time and hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.
Water damage is one of the most preventable kinds of damage that can occur to a home, unless it is caused by some natural disaster like a hurricane or a flood. There are a number of different areas of your home that you will need to pay attention to in order to keep the cost of repairing this damage down. The areas of the home that are the most exposed to moisture are the ones that you have to go into usually at least twice a day: the kitchen and the bathroom.
A precaution that applies to both areas is simply to make sure that sinks and other water receptacles do not overflow. You may forget the water is running while you are on the phone or doing another household chore, but letting this happen over and over can cause some serious damage to your floor. Another way to prevent floor damage is to make sure that tiles on your bathroom or kitchen floor are not cracked or that the floor is completely water tight.
Installing an exhaust fan in both of these rooms in your home will help prevent damage to the ceiling and upper walls, since the steam will have somewhere to escape to instead of just clinging to the ceiling. If your ceiling becomes discolored from water stains, the only real option here is to paint over it. If a slab of drywall on the ceiling becomes cracked due to absorbing water over a long period of time, you can usually repair this with joint compound and some time repainting it, but if the crack is in the middle and is sizeable, the whole slab needs to be replaced.
Carpet should not be installed in either of these rooms, since there are so many water junctions in both of them. Carpet loves to soak up water and get moldy and when the carpet padding underneath becomes molded, it needs to be taken up and thrown out. Even if you clean the mold from the carpet, if you do not take up the padding underneath, the growth will return.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New Jersey Sewage Damage Cleanup and other states such as
New York mold remediation companies across the united states.
Water damage is one of the most preventable kinds of damage that can occur to a home, unless it is caused by some natural disaster like a hurricane or a flood. There are a number of different areas of your home that you will need to pay attention to in order to keep the cost of repairing this damage down. The areas of the home that are the most exposed to moisture are the ones that you have to go into usually at least twice a day: the kitchen and the bathroom.
A precaution that applies to both areas is simply to make sure that sinks and other water receptacles do not overflow. You may forget the water is running while you are on the phone or doing another household chore, but letting this happen over and over can cause some serious damage to your floor. Another way to prevent floor damage is to make sure that tiles on your bathroom or kitchen floor are not cracked or that the floor is completely water tight.
Installing an exhaust fan in both of these rooms in your home will help prevent damage to the ceiling and upper walls, since the steam will have somewhere to escape to instead of just clinging to the ceiling. If your ceiling becomes discolored from water stains, the only real option here is to paint over it. If a slab of drywall on the ceiling becomes cracked due to absorbing water over a long period of time, you can usually repair this with joint compound and some time repainting it, but if the crack is in the middle and is sizeable, the whole slab needs to be replaced.
Carpet should not be installed in either of these rooms, since there are so many water junctions in both of them. Carpet loves to soak up water and get moldy and when the carpet padding underneath becomes molded, it needs to be taken up and thrown out. Even if you clean the mold from the carpet, if you do not take up the padding underneath, the growth will return.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New Jersey Sewage Damage Cleanup and other states such as
New York mold remediation companies across the united states.
The Invisible Mold Threat
You might think that you know exactly how to look for mold and what it looks like physically, but you may not realize that you could be missing some serious mold infestations that are right in front of you, but cannot see them. Hidden mold that grows inside your walls is one thing, but there are also molds that grow on your walls that are difficult to see with the naked eye, at least, without some help. There are members of the Aspergillus sp. and Penicillium sp. that can be almost invisible on different surfaces of your home and you can very easily miss them when you are doing a normal inspection. There is a way to detect these growths, but you will need a flashlight and know just how to use it in order to accomplish this.
Detecting molds that are nearly invisible with a simple flashlight might seem like an odd idea, but the way it is done is shining the light along the surface instead of directly against it at a 90 degree angle like most people would. These molds are particularly hard to see on wood paneling and sometimes the appearance of the paneling itself can give away the presence of mold. Paneling that is warped or buckling may indicate that it has been water damaged and that mold may exist on its surface. Paneling is often used as a cheap replacement for drywall that has been flooded, since many people cannot afford to fully replace all the drywall in their homes after such an event.
Not all hidden molds grow behind your drywall or paneling, but they can actually be growing right in front of you and you do not realize it. These molds are very light colored and it is often that deliberately looking for them with a flashlight is the only option to find them.
While these molds can be harmful to your health and you can miss them very easily, there are cosmetic molds, such as Ceratocystis, that are very easily seen, but are almost completely harmless to humans and the homes that they live in. Looks can be deceiving and it is often the threats that we cannot see that are the most dangerous to us. Try not to judge a book by its cover and if you find mold in your home of any kind, consult a professional to determine just what it is and how dangerous it might be.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.floodingnc.info
http://www.floodnj.info
Detecting molds that are nearly invisible with a simple flashlight might seem like an odd idea, but the way it is done is shining the light along the surface instead of directly against it at a 90 degree angle like most people would. These molds are particularly hard to see on wood paneling and sometimes the appearance of the paneling itself can give away the presence of mold. Paneling that is warped or buckling may indicate that it has been water damaged and that mold may exist on its surface. Paneling is often used as a cheap replacement for drywall that has been flooded, since many people cannot afford to fully replace all the drywall in their homes after such an event.
Not all hidden molds grow behind your drywall or paneling, but they can actually be growing right in front of you and you do not realize it. These molds are very light colored and it is often that deliberately looking for them with a flashlight is the only option to find them.
While these molds can be harmful to your health and you can miss them very easily, there are cosmetic molds, such as Ceratocystis, that are very easily seen, but are almost completely harmless to humans and the homes that they live in. Looks can be deceiving and it is often the threats that we cannot see that are the most dangerous to us. Try not to judge a book by its cover and if you find mold in your home of any kind, consult a professional to determine just what it is and how dangerous it might be.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.floodingnc.info
http://www.floodnj.info
Sewage Cleanup After The Flood
Floods are often some of the most devastating natural events that can hit a home and the cleanup process that needs to begin afterward is one of the most hectic. Biological hazards such as sewage, chemicals, and even decaying bodies have been known to be found in flood waters, as the tragedy that was Hurricane Katrina showed us, and the likelihood of these things lurking in the flood water that has affected your home is fairly prevalent. Cleaning up your home after a flood can be one of the most trying experiences you can have, but if you stay calm and rational, you can get this done without a lot of help.
You need to obtain some protection equipment if you are going to be cleaning and disinfecting your home on your own. Latex gloves and rubber boots are just two of the things that you will need to protect yourself from the bio-hazards that now exist in your home. Make sure you have plenty of antibacterial soap on hand so that you can wash your hands frequently, especially before you eat anything.
Almost anything porous that has been contaminated by the water should be thrown out. Furniture like upholstered couches and chairs should be thrown out because the padding will absorb chemicals, soil, and sewage over the short time that it was in the flood waters and completely disinfecting these items without tearing out the old padding and re-upholstering them is almost impossible. They will still likely smell and eventually become molded. Any toys that your children had such as stuffed animals and even much of their bedding will need to be thrown away. Children should not be let back into the house until the cleaning process is finished.
Cleaning the sewage on the floors and walls will not be that easy. Obtain two buckets and put clean water for rinsing in one and water that has been treated with disinfectant in the other. Wash the floor with a mop, but do not put the dirty mop back into the clean water without rinsing it first. Follow this procedure and make sure you replace your rinse water often.
Depending on the condition of your drywall, you may either need to replace it or just repaint it. It depends on how long the house was under water, the amount of damage that was done and if the drywall appears to be trying to buckle. If discoloration is the only problem, repainting over it is feasible.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
North Carolina Water Damage Restoration and other states such as
New Jersey Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
You need to obtain some protection equipment if you are going to be cleaning and disinfecting your home on your own. Latex gloves and rubber boots are just two of the things that you will need to protect yourself from the bio-hazards that now exist in your home. Make sure you have plenty of antibacterial soap on hand so that you can wash your hands frequently, especially before you eat anything.
Almost anything porous that has been contaminated by the water should be thrown out. Furniture like upholstered couches and chairs should be thrown out because the padding will absorb chemicals, soil, and sewage over the short time that it was in the flood waters and completely disinfecting these items without tearing out the old padding and re-upholstering them is almost impossible. They will still likely smell and eventually become molded. Any toys that your children had such as stuffed animals and even much of their bedding will need to be thrown away. Children should not be let back into the house until the cleaning process is finished.
Cleaning the sewage on the floors and walls will not be that easy. Obtain two buckets and put clean water for rinsing in one and water that has been treated with disinfectant in the other. Wash the floor with a mop, but do not put the dirty mop back into the clean water without rinsing it first. Follow this procedure and make sure you replace your rinse water often.
Depending on the condition of your drywall, you may either need to replace it or just repaint it. It depends on how long the house was under water, the amount of damage that was done and if the drywall appears to be trying to buckle. If discoloration is the only problem, repainting over it is feasible.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
North Carolina Water Damage Restoration and other states such as
New Jersey Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Keeping a Clean Fridge
The refrigerator is an appliance that most people make use of at least once a day, whether it is for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just a snack. It is in the central room of the house, since the kitchen is the room that the family tends to gather in the most and we tend to realize that this is the room that needs to be kept clean the most. The food that is prepared here is meant to make and keep us healthy and a dirty refrigerator contaminated with mold and bacteria is definitely something that is unwanted.
Keeping an eye on the condition of your food in the refrigerator is important to make sure that your family stays healthy and while most of us lead fairly full and busy lives these days, it still needs to be done by someone. Take the time to clean out your refrigerator at least once every few months and take an inventory of what you need to replace often. Outdated items like jams and jellies, even if they have not started showing mold yet, should be thrown away if they have had the seal broken. Most items will be fine even if they are outdated as long as the seals on the jars have not been broken.
Fruits and vegetables that have become molded need to be thrown away before they can contaminate anything other fruits or vegetables nearby. Removing them from the plastic bags that you put them in then you purchased them at the store is also a good idea, since condensation from the bags can actually help mold start to grow.
Dense items that have little moisture in them are not good candidates for mold growth and if mold does grow on these items, like blocks of cheese or hard salami, you can cut around the molded areas and throw them away instead of throwing away the whole item. This cannot be done with slices of cheese, tubs of sour cream, jellies, jams, mayonnaise, and other heavily moist foods.
Cleaning out the inside of the refrigerator with the cleaning solution of your choosing is something you need to do regularly. Spills of liquid and food happen in it all the time and bacteria will feed on this. Take everything out and throw away everything outdated and those items that you no longer need. Clean off the bottoms of anything that you want to put back if they have anything on them, as well. You should also remove all the racks and shelves that you can and clean them in the sink before you put them back.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Keeping an eye on the condition of your food in the refrigerator is important to make sure that your family stays healthy and while most of us lead fairly full and busy lives these days, it still needs to be done by someone. Take the time to clean out your refrigerator at least once every few months and take an inventory of what you need to replace often. Outdated items like jams and jellies, even if they have not started showing mold yet, should be thrown away if they have had the seal broken. Most items will be fine even if they are outdated as long as the seals on the jars have not been broken.
Fruits and vegetables that have become molded need to be thrown away before they can contaminate anything other fruits or vegetables nearby. Removing them from the plastic bags that you put them in then you purchased them at the store is also a good idea, since condensation from the bags can actually help mold start to grow.
Dense items that have little moisture in them are not good candidates for mold growth and if mold does grow on these items, like blocks of cheese or hard salami, you can cut around the molded areas and throw them away instead of throwing away the whole item. This cannot be done with slices of cheese, tubs of sour cream, jellies, jams, mayonnaise, and other heavily moist foods.
Cleaning out the inside of the refrigerator with the cleaning solution of your choosing is something you need to do regularly. Spills of liquid and food happen in it all the time and bacteria will feed on this. Take everything out and throw away everything outdated and those items that you no longer need. Clean off the bottoms of anything that you want to put back if they have anything on them, as well. You should also remove all the racks and shelves that you can and clean them in the sink before you put them back.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Inspecting the House For Mold
Going through your house and looking for mold is something that every homeowner should do at least two or three times a year, especially since mold can start growing in as little as 48 hours after the spores land on something they like. Killing the mold is not the only problem you will have to deal with if you find it; removing the mold from the property is something else to be concerned with, since dead mold spores can still cause allergic reactions in some people. Depending on the severity of the allergy, these reactions can be a simple case of sneezing or as severe as requiring hospitalization. You can take antihistamines to help combat this, but no one should take medication if they do not have to.
There are a few places in your house that you need to inspect regularly for mold growth. These are areas of the house that naturally have a lot of moisture and these include the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and the basement.
The basement is somewhat humid because of its underground location, but there are things that you can do to add unnecessary humidity to it. Some people use the basement as a laundry room as well and this is fine, but you need to make sure that the dryer is properly vented to the outside of the house. Having an exhaust fan in the room will also help get rid of some of the excess moisture. One thing that you should really avoid doing at all costs is hanging up laundry to dry without proper ventilation.
The bathroom is one of the worst areas for mold in the house and this is generally due to flawed waterproofing. This could be cracked tiles on the floor, missing areas of grout or caulking, or mold growing on the ceiling because the humidity in the room is too high. This can be corrected by having an exhaust fan installed, just like in the basement. In fact, having these fans in all moist rooms of the home is recommended and the chances for mold growth will be greatly reduced.
Something to avoid having in the bathroom or another moist area of the home is carpet. Mold loves to grow in carpet and once the padding underneath it is contaminated, it has to be taken up and thrown away, because it cannot be cleaned.
The kitchen is another area where the floor and ceiling are the most at risk. Try to seal up and cracks in the flooring and make sure there is an exhaust system over the stove to get rid of steam before it hits the ceiling.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
There are a few places in your house that you need to inspect regularly for mold growth. These are areas of the house that naturally have a lot of moisture and these include the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and the basement.
The basement is somewhat humid because of its underground location, but there are things that you can do to add unnecessary humidity to it. Some people use the basement as a laundry room as well and this is fine, but you need to make sure that the dryer is properly vented to the outside of the house. Having an exhaust fan in the room will also help get rid of some of the excess moisture. One thing that you should really avoid doing at all costs is hanging up laundry to dry without proper ventilation.
The bathroom is one of the worst areas for mold in the house and this is generally due to flawed waterproofing. This could be cracked tiles on the floor, missing areas of grout or caulking, or mold growing on the ceiling because the humidity in the room is too high. This can be corrected by having an exhaust fan installed, just like in the basement. In fact, having these fans in all moist rooms of the home is recommended and the chances for mold growth will be greatly reduced.
Something to avoid having in the bathroom or another moist area of the home is carpet. Mold loves to grow in carpet and once the padding underneath it is contaminated, it has to be taken up and thrown away, because it cannot be cleaned.
The kitchen is another area where the floor and ceiling are the most at risk. Try to seal up and cracks in the flooring and make sure there is an exhaust system over the stove to get rid of steam before it hits the ceiling.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Hardwood Deck Waterproofing
Every homeowner who has the space to build one in would love to have a fresh hardwood porch or one in the back to barbecue on, but those of us who already have one want to do whatever we can to protect it from the elements. Over the years your deck will suffer from different forms of precipitation and natural damage and protecting it from these is a little more difficult than from the regular wear and tear of feet running across it. Rain will cause the deck to crack and warp over time, but sealing it water tight with a chemical that can be purchased at almost any hardware or home improvement store will protect it for years to come.
The easiest way to protect your deck is by waterproofing it with a deck sealant, but you can do this yourself or hire someone to do it for you. Doing it yourself is not very difficult and you should be able to manage fine, so this is great for anyone who is on a budget, but if money is not a concern to you and your time is, hiring someone else may be the way to go.
If your deck is newly constructed, then you will want to wait at least 30 days before doing anything like this to the surface of it, since new lumber needs time to adjust to your climate and get rid of any oils and moisture that may already be inside it. If you want to put a stain on the deck, this is probably a good time to do it, since the sealant will prevent the deck from soaking up most liquids.
Clean everything off of the deck and scrub it before you do anything else, whether it’s applying the stain or the sealant. It needs to be as free of furniture, dirt, and other debris as possible. You can purchase a deck cleaning solution from your local hardware, home improvement, or department store and apply it yourself with a pump sprayer. Scrub it with a stiff bristled brush to get it as clean as you can and rinse it off with your water hose when you get finished. It is starting to look better already!
Follow the instructions on the deck sealant and this should include using a sprayer or a roller to apply it to the surface of the wood. You need to let it dry for a few days before walking on it, so start from the end of the deck furthest from a good entrance and work your way back.
Hardwood Deck Waterproofing
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Dallas Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
The easiest way to protect your deck is by waterproofing it with a deck sealant, but you can do this yourself or hire someone to do it for you. Doing it yourself is not very difficult and you should be able to manage fine, so this is great for anyone who is on a budget, but if money is not a concern to you and your time is, hiring someone else may be the way to go.
If your deck is newly constructed, then you will want to wait at least 30 days before doing anything like this to the surface of it, since new lumber needs time to adjust to your climate and get rid of any oils and moisture that may already be inside it. If you want to put a stain on the deck, this is probably a good time to do it, since the sealant will prevent the deck from soaking up most liquids.
Clean everything off of the deck and scrub it before you do anything else, whether it’s applying the stain or the sealant. It needs to be as free of furniture, dirt, and other debris as possible. You can purchase a deck cleaning solution from your local hardware, home improvement, or department store and apply it yourself with a pump sprayer. Scrub it with a stiff bristled brush to get it as clean as you can and rinse it off with your water hose when you get finished. It is starting to look better already!
Follow the instructions on the deck sealant and this should include using a sprayer or a roller to apply it to the surface of the wood. You need to let it dry for a few days before walking on it, so start from the end of the deck furthest from a good entrance and work your way back.
Hardwood Deck Waterproofing
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Dallas Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Cleaning Up The Sewage From Your Home
Cleaning up the sewage in your home after it has been flooded is a pretty ugly experience, but unfortunately for some homeowners that live in parts of the United States where floods are common, it can be something that they have to go through at least once. While you can have a professional service clean up after the flood for you, you can save a substantial amount of money by doing a lot of it yourself. You can use this saved money to purchase new furniture, clothing, food, or anything else that you could need after the flood is over.
Flood waters can contain all kinds of things that can be hazardous to your health. This can include chemicals, sewage, soil, bacteria, viruses, and etcetera. These are things that you do not want to have in your home and doing your best to get them cleaned up, even if it means hiring a professional, is something you need to do. You need to purchase the protective equipment necessary to keep yourself from getting sick due to all the different things left behind by the water, but this will not be very much. You will need some latex gloves, a pair of plastic booties to cover your shoes, a roll of duct tape, and some disposable plastic coveralls. The duct tape will be used to cover the gaps between the gloves, the boots, and the suit so there is no way that the sewage can get to your skin.
There is not much that you can do to save all the furniture in your home after the flood is over. This is mainly upholstered furniture that has a lot of padding, though, so your wooden furniture should be fine. Padding in upholstered furniture will soak up the flood waters and everything that it contains, including soil, bacteria, and everything else. You can reupholster some items that have little padding and take this as an opportunity to replace fabrics that you do not care for any longer.
For the cleanup process, you will require at least two buckets, depending on whether you have someone help you clean up the rest of the house or not. Try to keep this at an even number, since you will need to work with the buckets in sets of two.
Take a mop and dip it into the bucket with the cleaning chemicals in it and begin scrubbing the floor. Scrub it thoroughly and dip the mop into the rinsing water. Do not put the mop back into the bucket with the cleaners until you rinse it first. You do not want to introduce sewage into the clean water.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Dallas Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Flood waters can contain all kinds of things that can be hazardous to your health. This can include chemicals, sewage, soil, bacteria, viruses, and etcetera. These are things that you do not want to have in your home and doing your best to get them cleaned up, even if it means hiring a professional, is something you need to do. You need to purchase the protective equipment necessary to keep yourself from getting sick due to all the different things left behind by the water, but this will not be very much. You will need some latex gloves, a pair of plastic booties to cover your shoes, a roll of duct tape, and some disposable plastic coveralls. The duct tape will be used to cover the gaps between the gloves, the boots, and the suit so there is no way that the sewage can get to your skin.
There is not much that you can do to save all the furniture in your home after the flood is over. This is mainly upholstered furniture that has a lot of padding, though, so your wooden furniture should be fine. Padding in upholstered furniture will soak up the flood waters and everything that it contains, including soil, bacteria, and everything else. You can reupholster some items that have little padding and take this as an opportunity to replace fabrics that you do not care for any longer.
For the cleanup process, you will require at least two buckets, depending on whether you have someone help you clean up the rest of the house or not. Try to keep this at an even number, since you will need to work with the buckets in sets of two.
Take a mop and dip it into the bucket with the cleaning chemicals in it and begin scrubbing the floor. Scrub it thoroughly and dip the mop into the rinsing water. Do not put the mop back into the bucket with the cleaners until you rinse it first. You do not want to introduce sewage into the clean water.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Dallas Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Areas At Risk For Mold
If you own a home, then you have probably gone through your home looking for mold on at least one occasion and if you have not, then you really should think about doing this sometime soon. We have all heard about toxic mold on the news in one form or another and how harmful it can be to our health, but this is not the only issue with mold. Even if you manage to kill it, it can still cause allergic reactions in some people because the spores are still airborne and our bodies still recognize them as something they need to defend themselves against. Taking some antihistamine medication can help, but no one wants to take allergy medicine all the time if you really do not have to.
There are a number of signs that will show you that you should look for mold in different areas of your house, but you may not exactly know what you are supposed to be looking for. Go around your house and any room that is inherently moist should be scrutinized closely. Unless you have done a remodeling job recently and you have completely waterproofed the bathroom, then you should consider it as a possible breeding ground for mold. Other rooms that are inherently moist are the kitchen, laundry room, and the basement.
You should look for signs of moisture in the laundry room since it is likely to stay humid due to the amount of wet clothing and evaporating of water that stays in there all the time. Your dryer needs to be properly vented to the outside if it is not already, unless it is a ventless model. Always wash wet clothes as soon as possible and do not put dry clothes on top of them. You will most likely forget about them and they will mold after about 48 hours.
Your kitchen is another area that you should be concerned with. Areas around the sink and floor that are not waterproofed and even the ceiling should be suspect. The steam that comes off the stove when you cook damages the ceiling and can discolor it over time, so you should have an exhaust fan installed over the stove to help prevent this. These fans should also be put in other moist rooms of the house, especially the bathroom. This will keep you from having to repaint the ceiling as often as you would normally have to and even keep you from having to replace drywall.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
There are a number of signs that will show you that you should look for mold in different areas of your house, but you may not exactly know what you are supposed to be looking for. Go around your house and any room that is inherently moist should be scrutinized closely. Unless you have done a remodeling job recently and you have completely waterproofed the bathroom, then you should consider it as a possible breeding ground for mold. Other rooms that are inherently moist are the kitchen, laundry room, and the basement.
You should look for signs of moisture in the laundry room since it is likely to stay humid due to the amount of wet clothing and evaporating of water that stays in there all the time. Your dryer needs to be properly vented to the outside if it is not already, unless it is a ventless model. Always wash wet clothes as soon as possible and do not put dry clothes on top of them. You will most likely forget about them and they will mold after about 48 hours.
Your kitchen is another area that you should be concerned with. Areas around the sink and floor that are not waterproofed and even the ceiling should be suspect. The steam that comes off the stove when you cook damages the ceiling and can discolor it over time, so you should have an exhaust fan installed over the stove to help prevent this. These fans should also be put in other moist rooms of the house, especially the bathroom. This will keep you from having to repaint the ceiling as often as you would normally have to and even keep you from having to replace drywall.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
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