Important Mitigation Steps To Avoid Mold After a Flood

9/4/2018 (Permalink)

Home flood in Yardley, PA

Storm waters may put your commercial building in Yardley, PA, at a higher risk of developing mold growth. This type of flooding usually comes from overrunning rivers, sewage backups and other unclean sources. This means the water could contain bacteria, spores and other contaminants that increase the chances of fungus growth. Your commercial storm remediation team can help you mitigate the damage done to your building to stop mold from setting up a colony on your property.

1. Remove Standing Water

Quickly draining any standing water from your space can help reduce the chances of mold spores finding a home. Water left for 24 to 48 hours will likely introduce mold spores to your property even if the flood started from a clean source. The sooner you start to drain the flood the better.

2. Start Drying Out the Space

Once the flood has been drained, you need to start sucking out excess moisture too. Getting a handle on high humidity levels can make the restoration process easier. You won't want to start making repairs until the building is completely dry. If you aren't able to properly dry out your rooms, you may end up with mold growth sometime in the future. Mold doesn't need floods to grow. It simply requires excess moisture in the air.

3. Add Protection

If your standing water was caused by a hole in the roof or a flooded basement, you need to try to stop this flood from happening again. Cover up any holes in your building to stop the weather elements from negatively affecting your building. You can use tarps and boards on the roof and walls to help you achieve this goal. Install a sump pump to keep water from building up in the lower levels of your property.

Starting the cleanup process soon after a flood can help you avoid the hassle of mold growth. Mitigation is a quick form of cleaning that addresses major problems, though restoration may be needed to help get your building back to its pre-flood status.