Here’s what you need to know about protecting your home from water damage

Why Is Prompt Flood Cleanup Important?

Preventing or mitigating the risk of mold growth is one of the most crucial reasons never to delay flood cleanup. Unless you remove excess moisture from your home within the first one to two days following a flood, you'll likely end up dealing with unwanted indoor mold.

Another reason to prioritize immediate flood cleanup is that this allows you to protect your home's structural integrity from water and mold damage. Water can cause organic materials like wood and paper to rot, swell, decay, or break down. Mold, meanwhile, eats away at these materials, causing them to disintegrate.

How Long Does It Take for Mold to Grow?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that allowing things to remain wet for over 24 to 48 hours can make them go moldy. Moldy air, unfortunately, is unhealthy to breathe. The agency also notes that floodwaters can bring biological and chemical contaminants into your home, which, like moldy air, can also affect your health.

What Are Some Flood Cleanup and Water Damage Protection Tips?

Regardless of the source of flooding you're dealing with, your top priority should always be your safety, so wear PPE, like gloves, rubber boots, and respiratory masks. Then, before entering any area of your home that requires flood cleanup, turn off your utilities.

Turning off utilities can help prevent the risk of electrical injuries, gas explosions, or another burst pipe flooding your home. However, you should first wear PPE, as it can help protect you from injuries or illnesses that debris mixed in the water can cause.

Once you've done these pre-cleanup safety steps, you can then proceed with the following.

Know When DIY Cleanup Is Okay vs. When to Call the Pros

Determine who should perform the bulk of the work by considering its scope and the severity of the problem. It's often safer and better to rely on professional emergency cleanup provided by water damage restoration specialists if:

• The affected area is big (e.g., over 10 square feet)
• There's a lot of water involved (e.g., more than one inch and affects several rooms)
• You're dealing with potentially contaminated water (e.g., basement leaks caused by water backing up from sewers or intruding floodwater from heavy rains or severe storms)
• You're pregnant or have a health condition that can make it dangerous to deal with excess moisture or mold exposure (such as asthma or a weak immune system)

If the affected area is small (e.g., under 10 square feet) and the source of the water is "clean" (like a burst water supply pipe), it may be all right for you to perform the cleanup yourself.

Remove as Much Water as Possible

If there's not a lot of floodwater, you can sweep it out of your home, mop it, or both. If you hire residential water removal and flood remediation professionals, they'll do it using heavy-duty pumps and wet/dry vacuums.

Clean and Disinfect Wet Items and Surfaces

Any material that doesn't absorb water is usually salvageable, as long as you can clean and dry it. Examples include furnishings and objects primarily made of:

• Metal
• Glassware
• Hard plastics
• Solid wood

Thoroughly clean surfaces, too, and disinfect them (if they're disinfectant-safe). Throw away anything that has soaked up too much water and is difficult or impossible to clean and dry, like carpets, paper-based products, and cushions.

Dry Everything as Soon as Possible

After cleaning and disinfecting comes complete drying and home moisture control to prevent mold from growing and colonizing indoors.

If you're doing things the DIY way, you can use ventilation techniques, like turning on all exhaust fans, and dehumidifiers to absorb excess moisture. If you hire professionals, they'll use industrial equipment like high-capacity dehumidifiers and air movers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Does Mold Grow Soon After a Flood?

One of the primary reasons mold can grow so quickly soon after water intrusion or indoor flooding is that it's ubiquitous, meaning it's everywhere in the environment, even though its spores are too tiny for the naked eye to see. You can think of mold spores as seeds; they're in water, float in the air, and sit in or on the soil.

Another factor that helps molds grow fast is that they have very few "survival" requirements. They only need a few things, including oxygen, moisture, a source of nutrients (carbon-based organics like paper, wood, fabrics, even dust), and a suitable temperature.

At Which Temperature Do Molds Grow Quickest?

Molds can grow in various temperatures; some prefer cool locations, while others like warmer areas. The International Association of Certified Indoor Air Consultants says that, in general, they do well in environments with temperatures ranging from 40º to 100º F.

Is There a Way to Minimize Indoor Flooding?

Not all floods are completely preventable, but you can mitigate your home's risk of becoming inundated and suffering significant water and flood damage.

One is to keep all your outdoor drainage systems clean and clear at all times. From your gutters to downspouts, French drains, and other exterior channels, make sure you regularly check them and remove anything that may block their openings (like leaves, twigs, branches, or trash).

Never Delay Necessary Flood Cleanup

Considering the dangers and damage associated with indoor flooding, you should address it immediately with proper flood cleanup and remediation. The sooner you get your home clean and dry, the less likely you'll have to worry about costly and dangerous mold problems.

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