Tip to Prevent Post-Flooding Mold: Follow Your Nose

9/25/2017 (Permalink)

What you DON’T want to do is disturb mold and inadvertently spread it.

Here’s advice from SERVPRO Fernandina Beach/Yulee/North Jax for North Floridians whose homes and property were hit by Hurricane Irma: Protect your family’s health and your own by treating or discarding mold- and mildew-infected items. The best defense is to clean, dry or, as a last resort, discard moldy items.

Many materials are prone to developing mold if they are damp or wet for too long.

All flood-dampened surfaces should be cleaned, disinfected and dried as soon as possible. Follow these tips to ensure a safe and effective cleanup:

• If you see a mold problem, call SERVPRO to identify the extent of damage.
• Don’t touch or disturb the mold--and stay out of the area. Don’t blow air across any surfaces with visible or suspected mold growth. Don’t attempt to dry the area yourself.
• Sometimes moisture in ceilings or wall cavities cannot be seen. This provides perfect conditions for mold growth. SERVPRO can identify this moisture and remove it.
• Your nose knows. Musty and moldy odors may be an indicator of growing molds. Your sense of smell may alert you to problems you cannot see.
• Check out all odors. It’s possible for mold to hide in the walls or behind wall coverings. Let SERVPRO find all mold sources and clean them properly.
• Cleaned areas can take several days to dry thoroughly. SERVPRO will use high-speed fans and dehumidifiers to speed up the drying process.
• SERVPRO will remove and discard all materials that can’t be cleaned, such as wallboard, fiberglass and cellulose areas. Then we will clean the wall studs where wallboard has been removed, and allow the area to dry thoroughly.

Again, your nose knows. If you detect an odor, mold problems are likely developing somewhere you cannot see. Call SERVPRO Fernandina Beach/Yulee/North Jax at 904-729-2401 to help you identify and address mold issues. Our crews are highly trained restoration professionals that use specialized equipment and techniques to properly remediate your mold problem quickly and safely.