Preventing Mold after Water Damage

2/10/2022 (Permalink)

If your northeast Florida home or business has experienced water damage, call SERVPRO of Jacksonville Beach/Ponte Vedra for a mold inspection.

Preventing Mold after Water Damage

If you’ve recently experienced flooding or another form of water damage at your home or business, there are a number of reasons to take action. You want to replace damaged materials, and make your property as attractive and functional as before, as quickly as you can. One important factor to remember is the potential of all that moisture to create a mold problem, which might not be immediately apparent. Here are a few instructions to help you avoid mold growth after water damage. 

Call a Water Cleanup and Restoration Company ASAP

Professional water remediation experts have a variety of special tools and equipment to dry your carpets, walls, furniture, and whatever else as quickly as humanly possible. They also have the experience and expertise to know exactly what to handle now vs later, what can be saved and what will need to be thrown out. All of these benefits can save you a lot of hassle, and doing it yourself might actually be more expensive in the long run, especially if you end up with a serious mold problem weeks or months down the road. 

If you must do the job yourself, or if you’re waiting for help to arrive, see the instructions below.

Shut off the Water

It’s good to know how to shut off the water to your home in case there’s a serious leak or a natural disaster. This helps a water damage event from getting worse.

Pick Up Rugs and Personal Items

Anything left in sitting water or on wet surfaces is getting more and more damaged as time goes on and can develop mold quickly, so pick up whatever you can. Hang up rugs. Bag up anything that can be taken somewhere to be cleaned.

Minimize Furniture Damage

Do what you can to help furniture in wet areas. Move items to dry areas, and/or put furniture legs on top of bricks, blocks, etc., to keep them above water. 

Dehumidify

Rent or buy a heavy duty dehumidifier to get as much of that moisture out of the air as quickly as you can. Mold is everywhere, but it thrives in excess water in the air and on surfaces. If necessary, get more than one dehumidifier. (Again, a professional water damage restoration company, like SERVPRO, will have this equipment on hand and know how and where to use it for maximum benefit.)

Prevent Future Damage

To prevent mold in the future, stay on top of any sources of excess moisture: leaky pipes, missing shingles, clogged gutters and downspouts, faulty sump pumps, old weather-stripping, etc. Be prepared for storms and flooding. Get a mold inspection if you see any sign of mold.

If your northeast Florida home or business has experienced water damage, call SERVPRO of Jacksonville Beach/Ponte Vedra for a mold inspection. Our highly-trained restoration technicians have the experience and equipment to restore your Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, or Ponte Vedra home and get everything back to like-new condition. A trusted leader in the industry, we’ve served our community for more than 40 years. Call (904) 246-6118.