Everyone has let the bath tub or the kitchen sink overflow because we just forgot that the water was running, but if it happens often, you might want to think about the consequences of letting it. Water damage is quite a serious thing and can cost a decent bit of money to have repaired, so letting the tub, sink, or toilet overflow on a regular basis could end up costing you in the long run. While there is not much advise to help with that problem other than to just be less forgetful, there are other things that you can do to help prevent water damage from happening to your home.
Whether you take a shower or a bath, they both give off steam in the bathroom, but there is not always anywhere for the steam to go if you do not have a vent installed for just this purpose. Your ceiling and walls will absorb the steam over time and become damaged. Over time, mold will also start to grow on the walls and you will have a brand new problem to deal with.
Any plumbing that goes to your dishwasher or the washing machine in your laundry room needs to be checked for damage on a semi-regular basis. Any appliance in your home that uses water that comes directly from the plumbing system needs to be checked for cracks or weak spots. Check also under the kitchen and bathroom sinks for these kind of problems. Leaks can pop up anywhere in the home and at any time, but sometimes they are due to simply not keeping a check on the plumbing.
A roof that has a leak in it is also a serious cause of water damage. It not only wets the insulation in the attic (causing it to be useless and heavy on your ceiling), but it also leaks through that insulation and soaks the drywall on your ceiling, discoloring it and allowing mold to grow.
If you do have a spill, especially anywhere that you have carpet, soak up as much of the water as you can and if it is a large amount of water, it might be a good idea to pull the carpet up and get under it, too. Unless you have a carpet shampooer and can pull up the water in the carpet immediately, the padding underneath the carpet will also get soaked. Carpet is notorious for allowing mold to grow for a long time without you noticing that there is a problem.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood and water damage cleanup and
water damage restoration> companies across the united states.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Testing the Home for Mold
Using mold testing kits in your home and sending the culture dishes to a mold laboratory to be analyzed has been around for years, but not many people are sure about how to do it. Most test kits come with instructions, but sometimes they might not be as clear as you would like them to be or they might not explain enough.
If there is mold growing visibly on your ceilings, walls, floor, or your ventilation system, one trick that some use to take samples of the mold is to take a piece of scotch tape and put it over a small spot of the mold and lift it from the surface. You could use a knife to scrape off some of the mold particles off of the surface you are trying to take a sample from, but this is not generally advised because this will stir up the mold spores. If you do choose to do it this way, do not do it barehanded and wear a respirator. After the mold has been collected, you should go and wash your hands with some antimicrobial soap. Even if you are going to test another area of the home immediately after, wash your hands, anyway, because you do not want the mold from one site being transferred to another.
Whatever form of test kit you use, you should clearly label it with your name, the landlord’s name, and address of the property, where you conducted this test in the home, the sampling method used, and the date. How long it took to conduct the test should also be listed in hours and minutes and the name of whoever performed the test and their phone number or address.
Samples from ventilation system ducts should also be taken after the system has been run on its fan setting for around ten minutes. This will stir up the mold spores in the system if they exist and after this is done, the test kit should be taped to the grill of the air duct so that the air being blown through the duct hits the test at a 90 degree angle.
Every room of the house should be tested for mold after a house fan is run for around 15 minutes. Rooms such as attics, basements, kitchens, and bathrooms are particularly at risk for mold and you should be certain to test these first if you only have so many test kits.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood and water damage cleanup and
water damage restoration> companies across the united states.
If there is mold growing visibly on your ceilings, walls, floor, or your ventilation system, one trick that some use to take samples of the mold is to take a piece of scotch tape and put it over a small spot of the mold and lift it from the surface. You could use a knife to scrape off some of the mold particles off of the surface you are trying to take a sample from, but this is not generally advised because this will stir up the mold spores. If you do choose to do it this way, do not do it barehanded and wear a respirator. After the mold has been collected, you should go and wash your hands with some antimicrobial soap. Even if you are going to test another area of the home immediately after, wash your hands, anyway, because you do not want the mold from one site being transferred to another.
Whatever form of test kit you use, you should clearly label it with your name, the landlord’s name, and address of the property, where you conducted this test in the home, the sampling method used, and the date. How long it took to conduct the test should also be listed in hours and minutes and the name of whoever performed the test and their phone number or address.
Samples from ventilation system ducts should also be taken after the system has been run on its fan setting for around ten minutes. This will stir up the mold spores in the system if they exist and after this is done, the test kit should be taped to the grill of the air duct so that the air being blown through the duct hits the test at a 90 degree angle.
Every room of the house should be tested for mold after a house fan is run for around 15 minutes. Rooms such as attics, basements, kitchens, and bathrooms are particularly at risk for mold and you should be certain to test these first if you only have so many test kits.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood and water damage cleanup and
water damage restoration> companies across the united states.
Mold in the House
Mold is something that we are all taught early on that we are supposed to hate and get rid of, but just what is mold and what role does it play in the world? Why are we supposed to get rid of it from our homes? Is it just unsightly? Or is there another and more serious reason?
Mold is classified as a fungus that lives both in the indoor environment and the outdoor environment and whether you have asthma, emphysema, or are perfectly healthy, there is not really much that you can do to completely get rid of it. You can try all you want, but mold really is here to stay. It grows in all the colors that you can think of and even a few that you might not think of when the idea of mold enters your head. Living in a home that is infected with mold is definitely a long term risk to your health the longer that you continue to live in it.
Mold will affect you whether you are a healthy adult, small child, or senior citizen and if you have a good immune system, it will not take long for mold to wear it down. Pregnant women and anyone who has a compromised immune system, such as those with HIV or AIDS, is at a higher risk of health complications due to the presence of mold in their living area. Pregnant women should be aware that mold can cause birth defects.
Not only does mold do damage to the inside of your body, but it also does damage to the inside of your home. Ceilings and walls become discolored and rooms will start to smell. Mold begins to decompose the materials that your home is made out of, like the drywall, carpet, and wood. It particularly likes to feed on the paper on both sides of your drywall, but a good solution to this if you are building a new home is to invest in paperless sheetrock.
If you think that there might be mold in your home, you need to order some mold testing kits. Testing your home yourself for mold is not very difficult as long as you follow the directions that come with the kit exactly. After testing, they will be sent to a laboratory that specializes in mold detection and identification; the results of the test should be returned to you in a few weeks. If the test is positive, call a local mold remediation professional.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Orlando water Damage companies.
Mold is classified as a fungus that lives both in the indoor environment and the outdoor environment and whether you have asthma, emphysema, or are perfectly healthy, there is not really much that you can do to completely get rid of it. You can try all you want, but mold really is here to stay. It grows in all the colors that you can think of and even a few that you might not think of when the idea of mold enters your head. Living in a home that is infected with mold is definitely a long term risk to your health the longer that you continue to live in it.
Mold will affect you whether you are a healthy adult, small child, or senior citizen and if you have a good immune system, it will not take long for mold to wear it down. Pregnant women and anyone who has a compromised immune system, such as those with HIV or AIDS, is at a higher risk of health complications due to the presence of mold in their living area. Pregnant women should be aware that mold can cause birth defects.
Not only does mold do damage to the inside of your body, but it also does damage to the inside of your home. Ceilings and walls become discolored and rooms will start to smell. Mold begins to decompose the materials that your home is made out of, like the drywall, carpet, and wood. It particularly likes to feed on the paper on both sides of your drywall, but a good solution to this if you are building a new home is to invest in paperless sheetrock.
If you think that there might be mold in your home, you need to order some mold testing kits. Testing your home yourself for mold is not very difficult as long as you follow the directions that come with the kit exactly. After testing, they will be sent to a laboratory that specializes in mold detection and identification; the results of the test should be returned to you in a few weeks. If the test is positive, call a local mold remediation professional.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Orlando water Damage companies.
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