Mold Remediation May Be Necessary When Your Home Floods And It's Not Dried Out Right Away

If your home has a flood while you're away, you may come home to a big mess and mold everywhere. If there's a lot of mold, you shouldn't even enter your home unless you have a respirator and protective clothing on. Instead, call a mold remediation professional to handle the situation safely. Here are some important mold remediation details to know.

The Water Has To Be Removed

If water is still rushing in from a burst pipe, turn the water off at the main. Whether the water is clean or from a flood, it has to be removed before your house can be dried out and work begins on removing mold.

Water can be pumped out or sucked up with a wet vac. It's important to remember the water is contaminated if it comes from an outdoor source, and it may even be contaminated by a burst pipe if the standing water is old.

Electrical Equipment Can Be Run By A Generator

The mold remediation professional can hook up a generator if it isn't safe to use the electricity in your house. However, the generator has to be several feet from your home and away from windows due to the carbon monoxide risk.

When the water is gone, they might set up fans, but if mold is everywhere, they may need to wait on using fans so mold spores don't spread. If the mold is confined to a single room, they may set up a negative pressure system so mold spores won't float all around your house when removal starts.

Moldy Disposables Need To Be Removed

Anything that contaminated water touched or fabrics that are covered in mold have to be thrown out. The remediation company may put moldy and contaminated trash in plastic bags and then throw them in a truck to be hauled away. Getting rid of as much mold as possible reduces the amount of mold left to be cleaned up.

Surfaces Must Be Disinfected

Mold has to be killed, so painting over it with basic paint isn't a good idea since the mold isn't killed by paint. Instead, the mold remediation company uses mold-killing cleaning products and scrubbing brushes if necessary to get rid of all traces of the mold. This can be a tedious process, and that's why it's often easier and better to get rid of carpets, drywall, and other porous building materials and furnishings.

Surfaces also need to be disinfected due to contact with contaminated water, so mold remediation is often slow and careful work while wearing protective gear.

Once your house is completely dry and all signs of mold are gone, your home will probably need extensive repairs to replace walls and flooring. Your HVAC and ducts may need to be cleaned and sanitized as well.

Mold remediation is a big job that goes along with cleaning water damage and contamination, so it may take a long time to complete. Drying out your house is the important first step or mold might just keep growing back due to all the moisture in your house.