5 min read
Household mold and water damage prevention are part of every homeowner’s concern. Both can bring about cosmetic and structural issues to your home and possibly out-of-pocket expenses for repairs and remediation. More than the restoration cost, putting your household’s health and safety at risk is the main issue.
There are many ways to prevent water damage and mold growth in your home, and we’ll explore some examples below.
Let’s start with the things you should do when dealing with water damage in your Avondale premises.
What To Do When You Have Water Damage At Home
Water damage in houses is often due to gradual and prolonged exposure to clean water from leaky indoor plumbing.
As soon as you discover signs of water damage in your home, you’ll need to do three things immediately:
- Stop the leak by turning off the main water supply (turn off the electricity in the affected areas, too, for safety reasons).
- Remove furniture and other belongings that can get in the way, especially if they also got drenched.
- Call your insurance company.
Your insurer will send a claims adjuster to your place to assess the damage and determine the repairs covered in your policy. Once you’ve gone through the claims process, you can proceed with repairs and restoration.
But the work doesn’t end there; if you want to avoid all this hassle and expense, it’s best to remain proactive and consistent with your water damage prevention practices.
Here’s what you need to do to avoid recurring water damage in your home:
- Regularly check your indoor plumbing for leaks and signs of deterioration. Ensuring that your plumbing is in excellent condition is the best way to avoid water damage.
- Check your windows and the corners of heated rooms for condensation and seal off spaces where moisture is present and pooling.
- Install exhaust fans in your kitchen and bathrooms.
- Keep your bathroom floors dry as much as possible.
- Immediately wipe spills on your wooden structures and flooring.
- Clean your gutters and remove obstructions.
- Consult plumbing professionals if you suspect slab leaks and blockages in your sewer lines.
- Keep an eye out for mold and mildew.
Types of Damage to Watch Out For
Water damage is a broad term that can refer to any of the following:
- Discoloration and staining of walls, floors, ceilings – surfaces and materials that are exposed to water or become saturated for hours, days, or longer.
- Rotting wood, often on the walls, floors, staircases, doorways, etc.
- Deteriorating insulation on the walls, floors, and ceilings.
- Rusting of metal construction components like door hinges, steel pillars, roofing materials, gutters, etc.
- Damage to electrical components embedded in the house’s infrastructure.
- Warping tiles and drywall.
- Mold and microbial growth.
All of these issues are troublesome to deal with, especially when you have two or more plaguing your home at the same time. But among these types of water damage in Avondale, the one you need to be most aware of is mold and microbial growth.
Household Mold: Common Causes and Effects
Mold spores are present everywhere, both indoors and outdoors; it’s nearly impossible to eliminate them. However, mold can only thrive and become a pesky infestation when the physical environment becomes conducive to microbial growth.
Household mold flourishes in areas that are constantly moist and warm. The chances of microbial growth being present in your property increases tremendously when there’s also organic matter present, such as stale food or uncleaned spills and crumbs.
Mold can negatively affect health, especially for vulnerable individuals with mold allergies and weak immune systems. As a result, they are more prone to developing symptoms like red and itchy eyes, coughing, runny nose, skin rash, sore throat, and headaches. Some don’t have adverse reactions to mold spores at all. However, getting rid of mold as quickly as they appear is the safest bet.
Preventing Mold at Home
What’s better than getting professionals to remove mold in your home? Preventing mold from taking root in the first place. The good news is that the best practices for water damage prevention we’ve listed above also help prevent mold and mildew from growing. They are inextricably linked, given that mold needs humidity or moisture to grow.
Here are additional tips on how to prevent mold in your home:
- Make sure your home is well-ventilated.
- Use air conditioners and dehumidifiers to keep indoor humidity levels low during warm, humid days.
- Use dehumidifiers in windowless basements.
- Wipe kitchen surfaces regularly with a clean towel moistened with an anti-bacterial cleaning solution.
- Use bleach or mold-killing cleaning products when cleaning the bathroom and kitchen counter.
- Don’t put highly absorbent rugs in bathrooms.
- Don’t leave wet rugs and carpets on the floor. If you can’t wash a carpet when food or drink spills, you should at least air and dry them out.
- Make sure your sheets and laundry are completely dry before folding and putting them in drawers and closets.
- Air out cabinets, drawers, and closets every couple of months. You can also place silica gel packets inside to prevent moisture from forming whenever the indoor temperature changes.
- Clean your refrigerator with baking soda solution regularly.
- Clean your pets’ drinking and eating bowls regularly.
- Throw out spoiled and expired wet food.
It all comes down to keeping your home clean and properly ventilated. If you keep these in mind, mold and water damage prevention will become second nature.
Water Damage Restoration and Mold Remediation Experts
When dealing with either or both mold and water damage in Avondale, there’s only one company you need to call. Restoration 1 is the go-to home restoration company specializing in water damage repairs and mold remediation. We are well-equipped for water removal, so if the damage to your home is caused by standing water, we’re the best people to call. Our experience in mold remediation is also unparalleled.
Call us at (623) 624-8156 or reach out through our contact form.
