If you are a homeowner and you are facing a problem of flooding or water damage, you must be considered about the growth of mold into your house. Avoiding it for a long period of time can help grow the mold, expand it, damaging the structure and furniture of the building and cause health-related issues. This microscopic fungus doesn’t need a huge amount of water to grow. Even the amount as small as a cup of water is enough to help it grow at the surface. Flooding or power outage due to a storm provides a perfect environment to these little organisms to grow.
It is highly important to make sure no excess water is left on the floor after any of such events. Fans, sweeping materials, and bleach will be the only tools you need to clean and prevent health problems. Follow these six steps provided and recommended by ServiceMaster QSR, a reputable emergency water and mold damage cleanup and restoration service in Chicago, to help your home stay mold-free.
Quick Removal of Excess Water: You can take several measures to clean the excess water on the floor. A vacuum cleaner is one of the best tools which can be used to clean the water on the floor effectively. You can also take a piece of cloth; the size may depend upon the amount of water, and absorb the water. This will help you save the cost of a vacuum cleaner and will ensure the removal of the excess water. However, it will require a lot more efforts.
Make A Use of Fans: Fans can also be used to dry the excess amount of water wetting the floor. Switch on the fan at full speed to clean it as soon as possible in order to avoid any unwanted situation. If the situation is with a carpet, it might take 6 hours for a fan to dry it. However, this is the best and the cheapest way to dry a carpet to avoid mold.
Dehumidify the Room: Dehumidifying is a technique of cleaning the moist in the room to provide cold and clean air to the person sitting in it. This step will help you in making sure that all the water has been removed and the surface of the material is purely dry. If will also prevent water from storing in any other area of the room which you failed to locate.
Steam-Cleaning: Steam cleaning is a technique to clean the thick material and make it germ-free. Steam cleaning can be used in a situation to clean all the germs, deodorize the carpet and cleans any moist left behind. The padding damaged by the water can easily be replaced. It is wise and cost-effective to change the padding instead of the whole carpet.
Sanitization: Sanitization must be done on wall, surface, and furniture in order to avoid any chance of growth of bacteria. Use a mixture of cleaning bleach and water to clean the surface of the materials which are at a higher risk of growing mold. Such a step will prevent you and your family from any health-related issue which might be caused by the germs left behind.
Check Underneath the Furniture: After taking all the measures, it is highly necessary to check underneath the furniture in case some amount of water might have swept under it. If you forget to do this step, there is a high chance you will face the mold problem as the dark and moist will provide a perfect environment for these bacteria to grow. You may notice it after a long period of time as the furniture are not moved frequently in a house. Therefore, remember to take this step after cleaning everything.
Such steps are mandatory to be taken in order to mitigate mold, especially if your area is always at high risk of flooding. Moreover, if you find it troubling to follow the above-mentioned steps, you can always take the services of ServiceMaster QRS to make the job easier for you. The professionals of the company will provide you ease while making your house mold-free at a highly affordable price.