Mold Remediation: First steps to recovery before it even happens

I may not be a disaster recovery specialist, but I do know a few things when it comes to water damage. The mainstay statement that I will never forget is that water takes the path of least resistance. Yes, it can be an absolute nightmare. I remember my very first attempt on a job site that had suffered severe water damage during a flood. I took one look at the disaster and though “Where do you begin?”

If you have experienced a basement flood or maybe even a cracked foundation that suddenly creates a new faucet in your home that you can’t turn off, run! The flood gates have officially opened! Guess what? The worst part is that the towels and a mop are only the beginning to the multiple steps in taking care of the problem.

I learned my lesson the hard way when my husband and I had the pleasure of dealing with this animal (also known as water) in our basement. I had gone downstairs to take clothes out of the dryer before going to work that rainy morning. I suddenly felt cold, wet feet and immediately got chills up my spine.

I HIGHLY recommend that everyone who is reading this take a trip to the hardware store this weekend and purchase a sub pump. This model is a little bit more expensive than the one we bought but it will save your life when you least expect it! The final race to the store during a downpour where sub pumps and shop-vacs are flying off the shelves is not the ideal time to get one.

Sub pump to the rescue! We sectioned off the area in our backyard where the water was sitting and attached a hose to the sub pump to take the water away from the house. Running an extension cord to it for power, we made sure that the sub pump was submerged in at least 3” of water at all times and played WAR with the Rain Gods for the rest of the day! By hooking the pump up outside (BE VERY CAREFUL MIXING ELECTRICITY AND WATER IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS), we managed to keep the water from entering into our home.

Do NOT let this happen to your home!

The storm eventually stopped and we were able to begin clean up. Remember when I mentioned my very first experience with flood damage at a client’s home? Well, I have never been more grateful for the lessons I learned there! Here is a list of things that I recommend preparing for:

1. Those old beach towels that you never thought you would use suddenly come in extremely handy.

2. Get out that old dehumidifier and pray that it still works.

3. Oh yeah, don’t forget the shop-vac! More often than not, this water isn’t pretty so suction is extremely important!

4. Simultaneously call a professional Disaster Recovery Specialist to come out and assess the damages as well as your home owner’s insurance agent. Depending on the severity of your damage, you may consider filing a claim. Both professionals that I listed will have different numbers on their paper when it comes time to pay so be sure to compare their notes!

5. Don’t forget to tell the Disaster Recovery Specialist that you may need a series of air blowers and an air scrubber. These are key ingredients to ensure proper dry out and may need to run for days, even weeks, depending on the nature of your damage. Your insurance agent may come with a moisture detector. Make sure that someone has one on-site within 24 hours. These devices will measure the moisture content in the air as well as the affected areas on the walls, floor, furniture, etc. Be sure that you take a reading in an unaffected area in your home to compare the percentages of moisture. Take dated notes and keep record. This will help you with your claim in the end.

6. Air blowers and air scrubbers are key ingredients in salvaging your home from any mold growth. An air scrubber takes out all of the impure and excess moisture in the air, wall surface and potential mold spores that will begin to grow. Air blowers are like giant hair dryers that sit on the floor and are just as noisy (imagine having a dozen going at once).

Bottom Line is…

Every case is unique in its own way and there is no way of determining how bad it will be until it happens. But by following my steps above, hopefully you will be on a better path to recovery long before the word “MOLD” has to come into the picture.