4 Ways to Prevent Mold After Your Home Floods

9/18/2021 (Permalink)

Mold growth can start within 24 hours of flooding.

You should act immediately to prevent mold from starting to grow in your home after a flood in Hamilton, OH. Document the damage for insurance purposes and then take steps to dry out your home. Mold growth can start within 24 hours of flooding, but you can limit the likelihood that it will become a serious problem. Here are four ways to prevent mold after a flood.

1. Get Rid of Moisture

The most important mold prevention method is eliminating the presence of standing water and residual moisture. Depending on the severity of the flood, you may want to hire a professional water damage restoration service to pump water out of your house.

2. Clean the Affected Area

Water from a flood is considered Category Three or black water, meaning that it may contain chemical contaminants or sewage overflow. Areas of your home exposed to flood water should be cleaned before being dried and restored.

3. Thoroughly Dry the Affected Area

In addition to air movers or fans, you may also want to use dehumidifiers to dry out porous or semi-porous building materials and contents. You may need to get rid of carpet, which tends to trap moisture and contaminants that can lead to mold growth.

4. Clean or Replace Damaged Contents

Once the affected area is dry, you can determine which building materials must be torn out and replaced and deal with damaged contents. Most non-porous contents can be cleaned. Porous items of significant monetary or sentimental value may be worth restoring with specialized methods.

By following these tips, you may not experience mold growth after flooding, or the problem will be less severe than it would have been otherwise. If mold does form in your home in Hamilton, OH, you may be able to retain the services of the same residential damage restoration company to provide mold removal.