Everyone who wants to purchase a home should have an inspection of the property done before any final papers are signed. This inspection is not considered an appraisal and no grading system exists, so a house cannot “fail” one of these inspections. They exist simply to show the buyer what is wrong with the house and give advice on what can be done about any problems that do exist.
Most contracts to buy a home in the United States will include a clause that the contract will not be considered valid until the property has been looked at by a home inspector. Some states require that home inspectors are to be licensed, but those who are professional engineers do not have to have this license, since their engineering license covers these inspections.
Inspections will usually include checking the basement, water heater, central heat and air conditioning, structural integrity, electrical system, plumbing, and the roof. Other aspects of the building will also be looked at, including areas of the home that are not considered up to code and need extensive repair, general maintenance issues, and etcetera.
Mold is something, however, that is not generally covered under a general home inspection. Having a home inspected for mold growth is typically considered to be a separate act and so a contract to purchase a home should be amended to include a mold inspection before the contract is considered valid. One clue as to whether you will really need a mold inspection or not will be whether the home inspection finds that the home has had a water damage to any area of it. Mold will typically grow where water damage has occurred, but it can also grow in homes that show no signs of this, so purchasing a mold inspection is advised whether your home inspector finds water damaged areas of your home or not.
If damage to the home or mold is found, then you need to decide whether or not to go ahead and purchase the home after having this information in your hand. Some sellers may give you a credit on the price of the home if you choose to buy it and repair the damage yourself and some may repair the damage done for you. Others may insist that the sale is “as-is” and will not give any leniency one way or another on the issue. Judge the scale of the problem and what it will cost to have it repaired and make the decision that is right for you.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Orlando water Damage companies.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Having Home and Mold Inspections Done Saves You Money
Purchasing a new home is not an easy task by any means for most people, since there are all kinds of considerations that you have to think of. You have to take into account what style of home you want, how many bedrooms it has, whether it has a yard, where it is located, and many other things, but what most people do not think to have done before they finally purchase that perfect home is a home inspection. Most sellers will insist that there is nothing wrong with the home, but taking their word for it has been the worst mistake that some new homeowners have ever made. Not all sellers are honest, especially if the home has any hidden problems that need to be looked for.
The home inspection will need to cover several different areas of the home and is not to be considered an appraisal by any means. It is intended to give you an accurate depiction of the home’s physical condition and enable you to make an informed decision on whether or not to ultimately purchase the home. Going without these inspections has been the regret of a large number of homeowners who thought that they were getting a great deal, but in reality, they would have to pay thousands of dollars in extensive repairs.
On the list of things that need to be inspected in your possible new home are the basement, roof, the electrical system, the plumbing, checking for infestations underneath the house and in the attic, the floors, the air conditioning, and the home’s foundation. Having repairs done on any of these areas in your home can be very expensive and it is left up to you after receiving the information whether to buy the home or not.
One thing not generally included in the normal home inspection is the search for mold. Mold growth is a separate problem altogether, even though homes that have been water damaged in the past are hotbeds for mold. The rooms in the house that are the most at risk for this problem tend to be areas that are moist like the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and basement. If these rooms pass a casual visual inspection, then you may not have much to worry about, even though you should still have a mold inspection done simply to find out if there is any hidden mold growing under the floor, in the walls, or in the ceiling.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Orlando water Damage companies.
The home inspection will need to cover several different areas of the home and is not to be considered an appraisal by any means. It is intended to give you an accurate depiction of the home’s physical condition and enable you to make an informed decision on whether or not to ultimately purchase the home. Going without these inspections has been the regret of a large number of homeowners who thought that they were getting a great deal, but in reality, they would have to pay thousands of dollars in extensive repairs.
On the list of things that need to be inspected in your possible new home are the basement, roof, the electrical system, the plumbing, checking for infestations underneath the house and in the attic, the floors, the air conditioning, and the home’s foundation. Having repairs done on any of these areas in your home can be very expensive and it is left up to you after receiving the information whether to buy the home or not.
One thing not generally included in the normal home inspection is the search for mold. Mold growth is a separate problem altogether, even though homes that have been water damaged in the past are hotbeds for mold. The rooms in the house that are the most at risk for this problem tend to be areas that are moist like the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and basement. If these rooms pass a casual visual inspection, then you may not have much to worry about, even though you should still have a mold inspection done simply to find out if there is any hidden mold growing under the floor, in the walls, or in the ceiling.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Orlando water Damage companies.
Have Clean Water During Hurricanes
Most of us know just how dangerous hurricanes can be, especially since the disasters of Hurricane Rita and Katrina a few years ago. If you live further inland, you are probably not as concerned about these events, but if you are planning on moving to the coast, there are a few things that you need to know, since you will probably have to deal with a hurricane at your new home at some point or another. It is not as easy as you may think and sometimes the best thing that you can do is leave the area.
Probably the most important resource that you can save up ahead of time is clean water to drink. Flood waters from the sea, burst pipes, rivers running over their banks, and even sewage from the city can get into the local water supply, so you should never trust the water that comes out of your faucet after the storm has already begun. Always assume that it is contaminated with something and do not drink it until the storm is over and you are sure it is safe.
You can save up clean water by filling up milk jugs that you have rinsed out and saved over time. You should have at least one gallon for every person in your house to use for each day, preferably for a week’s time. This will give you the peace of mind that you will probably not run out of clean water during the storm and have to make more.
How can you make clean water? You can boil the water that comes out of your faucet, although if your local water supply has been contaminated by sewage due to hurricanes or flooding in the past, this may not be a good idea. No one wants to drink sewer water, even if it has been boiled.
Water purification tablets can also be bought at some camping and department stores. People who go hiking or camping often use these if they are going into the wilderness where a clean water supply is not guaranteed.
To help protect your home from the storm damage that could occur to it, one thing that almost everyone does is put plywood over their windows and doors. This keeps the glass from blowing in, but if you plan on staying in your home, you will have to leave at least one door uncovered.
Lastly, if there is a chance that your home will flood during the storm, you should evacuate. The horror stories of victims of Hurricane Katrina who stayed in their homes and were flooded are extremely well known and should not be ignored.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York flood water damage restoration and other states and cities such as
South Carolina mold remediation companies across the united states.
Probably the most important resource that you can save up ahead of time is clean water to drink. Flood waters from the sea, burst pipes, rivers running over their banks, and even sewage from the city can get into the local water supply, so you should never trust the water that comes out of your faucet after the storm has already begun. Always assume that it is contaminated with something and do not drink it until the storm is over and you are sure it is safe.
You can save up clean water by filling up milk jugs that you have rinsed out and saved over time. You should have at least one gallon for every person in your house to use for each day, preferably for a week’s time. This will give you the peace of mind that you will probably not run out of clean water during the storm and have to make more.
How can you make clean water? You can boil the water that comes out of your faucet, although if your local water supply has been contaminated by sewage due to hurricanes or flooding in the past, this may not be a good idea. No one wants to drink sewer water, even if it has been boiled.
Water purification tablets can also be bought at some camping and department stores. People who go hiking or camping often use these if they are going into the wilderness where a clean water supply is not guaranteed.
To help protect your home from the storm damage that could occur to it, one thing that almost everyone does is put plywood over their windows and doors. This keeps the glass from blowing in, but if you plan on staying in your home, you will have to leave at least one door uncovered.
Lastly, if there is a chance that your home will flood during the storm, you should evacuate. The horror stories of victims of Hurricane Katrina who stayed in their homes and were flooded are extremely well known and should not be ignored.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York flood water damage restoration and other states and cities such as
South Carolina mold remediation companies across the united states.
Getting Rid of Mold On Your Own
The last thing that anyone wants to discover in their home is mold, but unless you do at least a casual inspection of your property on a regular basis, you might end up finding it in larger quantities than you are capable of dealing with. Mold is a health hazard for anyone that comes into even just indirect contact with it, since the spores float in the air that we breathe every single day. Larger quantities are noted indoors than outdoors only in environments where there is an excess growth of mold somewhere in the property that needs to be taken care of as soon as possible. If you discover a growth that is large and appears to be more than you can handle, do not be afraid to hire a professional to get rid of it for you.
However, if you cannot afford a professional mold remediation, then there are a number of things that you can do to get rid of the mold in your home. If you discover it on a non-porous surface, then you can get rid of it using normal chemicals that are advertised as killing mold, such as Tilex.
Most of the time, though, you will find it growing on items like drywall or on organic materials like floor joists or papers and cardboard boxes that have gotten wet. Standing water in your home will be one of the worst areas for mold to grow in, since species such as the deadly Stachybotrys atra enjoy this level of moisture and thrive heavily on it. Remove standing water from your home wherever it may occur, even if it is just a slow drip underneath the kitchen or bathroom sink. It is these slow leaks that cause the majority of the problems, not the huge bathtub or toilet overflows.
If you have experience in interior remodeling, you can perform the removal of materials contaminated by mold yourself. Hiring a professional to do this for you can be expensive, but as long as you take the proper safety measures, doing it yourself is much less so.
Purchase some protective, disposable clothing made of plastic and a respirator from a local hardware or department store. Purchase them online if you need to, but do not continue the remediation without them. Breathing in or coming into contact with mold and its spores can be hazardous and bring about long term health problems.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New Jersey mold damage restoration and other states and cities such as
Connecticut mold remediation companies across the united states.
However, if you cannot afford a professional mold remediation, then there are a number of things that you can do to get rid of the mold in your home. If you discover it on a non-porous surface, then you can get rid of it using normal chemicals that are advertised as killing mold, such as Tilex.
Most of the time, though, you will find it growing on items like drywall or on organic materials like floor joists or papers and cardboard boxes that have gotten wet. Standing water in your home will be one of the worst areas for mold to grow in, since species such as the deadly Stachybotrys atra enjoy this level of moisture and thrive heavily on it. Remove standing water from your home wherever it may occur, even if it is just a slow drip underneath the kitchen or bathroom sink. It is these slow leaks that cause the majority of the problems, not the huge bathtub or toilet overflows.
If you have experience in interior remodeling, you can perform the removal of materials contaminated by mold yourself. Hiring a professional to do this for you can be expensive, but as long as you take the proper safety measures, doing it yourself is much less so.
Purchase some protective, disposable clothing made of plastic and a respirator from a local hardware or department store. Purchase them online if you need to, but do not continue the remediation without them. Breathing in or coming into contact with mold and its spores can be hazardous and bring about long term health problems.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New Jersey mold damage restoration and other states and cities such as
Connecticut mold remediation companies across the united states.
Clean Water and Supplies During a Hurricane
Hurricanes are devastating events that occur on a yearly basis around the world and in the United States and any homeowner that has gone through this event knows that it is often a much better idea to evacuate than it is to stay behind and ride out the storm. People still insist, however, upon staying behind in their homes instead of leaving along with most of the people in the area, but if you are going to do this, you need to know exactly what you will require during the storm.
The most important thing that you need during a hurricane is a good sized supply of drinking water. The human body cannot survive very long without water, so you should make sure that you and anyone else staying with you at the time has at least one gallon of water to use for every day you plan to be there. The last thing that you want is to run out of water and then resort to drinking water from the faucet. You should never drink water out of your tap while the storm is raging outside, due to the fact that it may be contaminated with more than just rain and sea water. Sewage and the bacteria that comes with it has been known to get into water supplies during these storms, so drinking water out of your faucet is never advisable. You can boil it if you need to, but it is much safer to make sure that you have a clean supply ahead of time.
Having an electricity generator to run things with is a good idea, since you may end up needing to boil water to finish riding out the storm. If the electricity goes off (and it very well may), you can survive without it as long as you have clean water to drink, but if you run low, you may end up in trouble.
A decent supply of non-perishable food is a good thing to have, since water is not the only thing your body needs to survive. Try to have some foods that are ready to eat and do not have to be cooked or refrigerated, like granola bars, cereal, and canned food.
To keep in contact with the outside world, you should also purchase a radio that has a hand crank on it to produce electricity for the radio to work on. This will make sure that you hear what is on the radio and if anything important is happening.
You should also have a sturdy flashlight and extra batteries.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood water damage restoration chicago and other states such as
South Carolina mold remediation companies across the united states.
The most important thing that you need during a hurricane is a good sized supply of drinking water. The human body cannot survive very long without water, so you should make sure that you and anyone else staying with you at the time has at least one gallon of water to use for every day you plan to be there. The last thing that you want is to run out of water and then resort to drinking water from the faucet. You should never drink water out of your tap while the storm is raging outside, due to the fact that it may be contaminated with more than just rain and sea water. Sewage and the bacteria that comes with it has been known to get into water supplies during these storms, so drinking water out of your faucet is never advisable. You can boil it if you need to, but it is much safer to make sure that you have a clean supply ahead of time.
Having an electricity generator to run things with is a good idea, since you may end up needing to boil water to finish riding out the storm. If the electricity goes off (and it very well may), you can survive without it as long as you have clean water to drink, but if you run low, you may end up in trouble.
A decent supply of non-perishable food is a good thing to have, since water is not the only thing your body needs to survive. Try to have some foods that are ready to eat and do not have to be cooked or refrigerated, like granola bars, cereal, and canned food.
To keep in contact with the outside world, you should also purchase a radio that has a hand crank on it to produce electricity for the radio to work on. This will make sure that you hear what is on the radio and if anything important is happening.
You should also have a sturdy flashlight and extra batteries.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood water damage restoration chicago and other states such as
South Carolina mold remediation companies across the united states.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Draining Water From Your Yard
Standing water in the yard is a very unattractive feature of a person’s property not only due to its aesthetically displeasing characteristic, but also because of the potential water damage that it can cause to the property if there is enough of it in the right area. The owner’s first instinct to fix this problem is to try and plant things in the area where the water tends to build up, but this will not typically work. Any plants that are put in an area that floods from time to time will drown and die. Getting rid of the standing water on your property is not too difficult most of the time, since the problem usually lies simply with the elevation of the part of the yard that is affected the most.
If it is a problem with the elevation of the flooded area, then all you really need to do is add soil to that area and make it level with the rest of your yard. This will keep the flooding at bay as long as the water builds up as a result of heavy rain. Plant some grass over it both to hide the soil and to keep it in place.
Installing a drainage system is also an option, but you need to contact your local building commission and be certain that you will be allowed to build a drainage system. Building permits can be tricky and you need to make sure that your building project is on the up and up before you start working on anything.
Digging a French drain is not very difficult to do. Dig a little ditch in your yard and lay a piece of PVC pipe down inside it. Cover it up with gravel and this will direct the water anywhere you want it to, like a city sewer or ditch. When you dig it, you need to be sure that the highest point of the pipe is in the area that you want to drain and that the lowest point is where you want the water to drain to. You need to make the pipe slant downhill 6 inches for every 100 feet. To keep soil from getting in the pipe, you should install a strainer over the end. A simple sink strainer capped over the end could work for this or a piece of wire mesh. A strainer at the lower end is not needed.
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If it is a problem with the elevation of the flooded area, then all you really need to do is add soil to that area and make it level with the rest of your yard. This will keep the flooding at bay as long as the water builds up as a result of heavy rain. Plant some grass over it both to hide the soil and to keep it in place.
Installing a drainage system is also an option, but you need to contact your local building commission and be certain that you will be allowed to build a drainage system. Building permits can be tricky and you need to make sure that your building project is on the up and up before you start working on anything.
Digging a French drain is not very difficult to do. Dig a little ditch in your yard and lay a piece of PVC pipe down inside it. Cover it up with gravel and this will direct the water anywhere you want it to, like a city sewer or ditch. When you dig it, you need to be sure that the highest point of the pipe is in the area that you want to drain and that the lowest point is where you want the water to drain to. You need to make the pipe slant downhill 6 inches for every 100 feet. To keep soil from getting in the pipe, you should install a strainer over the end. A simple sink strainer capped over the end could work for this or a piece of wire mesh. A strainer at the lower end is not needed.
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How to Sanitize Your Water
“Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink” is a saying that most of us are familiar with and unfortunately for those of us who live in hurricane and tropical storm prone areas, there may be some real truth to it. The amount of water that is clean and sanitary to drink during these storms is very limited if you do not have enough water saved up in advance.
You need to keep plenty of clean bottled water on hand during hurricane season and doing this is not very difficult. Save milk jugs and store tap water in them. Try to keep them in an area of your home that is high up, so you are sure that flood waters will not contaminate them. Keep around at least one gallon of water for each person staying with you during the storm for every day you expect the storm to last and then some. Running out of clean water is not something you want to do.
Boiling tap water is an option if you have electricity. If not, a small gas powered generator can do the trick if you are without power for a significant period and can really be a life saver. Filter the water first through a cloth to get any sediment that may have gotten into the local water supply out before you let it set for a while. Put the clear water into a pot and boil for about ten minutes or so. This should give you clean water to drink or bathe in. You should never drink water from your faucet during a hurricane or flood, because of the risk of the local water supply being contaminated with sea water or sewage. Flood water or sea water also cannot be boiled to the point of being safe to drink, since it may be contaminated with more biohazards and chemicals than boiling can get rid of.
A couple of drops of bleach in a gallon of water can also sanitize it, but you should not use scented bleach for this. Allow the water to set for about 30 minutes or longer before drinking it. Do not be alarmed about this idea, since bleach has been used in water supplies for years to sanitize the water that we drink.
Water purification tablets are also available for purchase at most outdoor or camping supply stores. These can be used in the place of heat or bleach in sanitizing water.
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flood and water damage cleanup
You need to keep plenty of clean bottled water on hand during hurricane season and doing this is not very difficult. Save milk jugs and store tap water in them. Try to keep them in an area of your home that is high up, so you are sure that flood waters will not contaminate them. Keep around at least one gallon of water for each person staying with you during the storm for every day you expect the storm to last and then some. Running out of clean water is not something you want to do.
Boiling tap water is an option if you have electricity. If not, a small gas powered generator can do the trick if you are without power for a significant period and can really be a life saver. Filter the water first through a cloth to get any sediment that may have gotten into the local water supply out before you let it set for a while. Put the clear water into a pot and boil for about ten minutes or so. This should give you clean water to drink or bathe in. You should never drink water from your faucet during a hurricane or flood, because of the risk of the local water supply being contaminated with sea water or sewage. Flood water or sea water also cannot be boiled to the point of being safe to drink, since it may be contaminated with more biohazards and chemicals than boiling can get rid of.
A couple of drops of bleach in a gallon of water can also sanitize it, but you should not use scented bleach for this. Allow the water to set for about 30 minutes or longer before drinking it. Do not be alarmed about this idea, since bleach has been used in water supplies for years to sanitize the water that we drink.
Water purification tablets are also available for purchase at most outdoor or camping supply stores. These can be used in the place of heat or bleach in sanitizing water.
Cincinnati Water Damage restoration
Connecticut Mold Remediation services and
flood and water damage cleanup
Mold Allergy Issues
Allergies plague millions of people the world over, whether the kind of allergy is related to food, pet dander, grasses, mold, or certain chemicals. The symptoms are usually the most prevalent during the spring, summer, and early fall and are caused by seasonal molds and plants. Molds simply lie dormant during the winter time and are unable to continue growing if they are exposed to freezing temperatures. Once spring comes back, mold spore levels in the outdoors skyrocket, wreaking havoc on those of us who happen to be allergic to certain varieties.
The allergy symptoms associated with mold are typically about the same as the allergy symptoms that are caused by almost anything else. Depending upon the severity of the allergy of the person affected, the symptoms can range from a simple runny nose all the way to a serious reaction requiring hospitalization. Children, the elderly, and anyone with a weakened immune system needs to be careful when it comes to just how much of their allergen that they come into contact with. Allergy symptoms related to mold can also seemingly be made worse by eating foods that have been processed containing mold. This can include cheeses made with mold like gorgonzola or blue cheese or just simple funguses like mushrooms. Beer and bread have also been known to worsen these reactions, since they are made with yeast, which is a fungus.
While the majority of molds in the world do not cause allergic reactions, there are a few genii that do. Most allergic reactions are caused by molds in Penicillium, Cladosporium, and Alternaria. Even though Penicillin is named after the genus Penicillium, there are molds in this genus that can cause allergic reactions just like the others.
Try to keep an eye on the mold spore reports that occur on your local news stations regularly, usually every morning, noon, and every evening. If you have children or elderly members of your family that are allergic to mold spores or have any other kind of allergy, you need to be careful about taking them out of the home during times of high spore or pollen counts. A mistake can be deadly if they are exposed to their allergen for a long period of time. If you have any doubts as to whether you should take them outside during these times, the best bet is to have them stay home.
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The allergy symptoms associated with mold are typically about the same as the allergy symptoms that are caused by almost anything else. Depending upon the severity of the allergy of the person affected, the symptoms can range from a simple runny nose all the way to a serious reaction requiring hospitalization. Children, the elderly, and anyone with a weakened immune system needs to be careful when it comes to just how much of their allergen that they come into contact with. Allergy symptoms related to mold can also seemingly be made worse by eating foods that have been processed containing mold. This can include cheeses made with mold like gorgonzola or blue cheese or just simple funguses like mushrooms. Beer and bread have also been known to worsen these reactions, since they are made with yeast, which is a fungus.
While the majority of molds in the world do not cause allergic reactions, there are a few genii that do. Most allergic reactions are caused by molds in Penicillium, Cladosporium, and Alternaria. Even though Penicillin is named after the genus Penicillium, there are molds in this genus that can cause allergic reactions just like the others.
Try to keep an eye on the mold spore reports that occur on your local news stations regularly, usually every morning, noon, and every evening. If you have children or elderly members of your family that are allergic to mold spores or have any other kind of allergy, you need to be careful about taking them out of the home during times of high spore or pollen counts. A mistake can be deadly if they are exposed to their allergen for a long period of time. If you have any doubts as to whether you should take them outside during these times, the best bet is to have them stay home.
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Cleveland Water Damage Restoration
Which Flooded Items Can I Save?
You may not be very sure what you can save after a flood wreaks havoc on the interior and exterior of your home, but there are some definite things that you can save and things that you will have to throw away.
Certain items that have been soaked in dirty flood water for many hours will probably not be salvageable. Wooden shutters, aluminum, wooden blinds, things made of vinyl, and etcetera can usually not be saved. Metal items will corrode and wooden items tend to warp over time, since it is porous and soaks up water easily.
Any pillows that were in the flood water need to be thrown out, since it will be hard to get rid of all the dirt from the material. It will also be difficult to completely disinfect them.
When you purchase a disinfectant, you should make sure that it is approved by the EPA and that it has a registration number somewhere on the label. This will assure you that the cleaner meets the EPA’s requirements. Having the correct disinfectant for the task at hand is also important. Some disinfectants are only effective on hard surfaces.
Before you begin washing your clothing and other fabrics, you should make sure that the water is safe to use and it not contaminated. If the tap water is safe to drink, it is safe to wash your clothes in. You also might want to make an effort to sanitize your washing machine before you use it. You can do this by running some detergent and bleach through the washer using the most water it can handle.
You can use a water hose to get rid of mud and dirt that is still on the floors of your home and on the furniture. Dried mud and dirt can be scraped and shaken off of most textiles.
When you are dealing with water damaged furniture, you have only a few options. If flood water reached the fabric, it may be stained and if they were in the water for more than a few hours, the silt and dirt that was in the water probably got through both the fabric and the padding. Unfortunately, padding will retain water and allow mold to grow. The majority of the time, your best bet will be to simply discard the upholstered furniture altogether. Restoring this furniture will mean stripping everything down to the frame.
If water gets through the finish on some wood items, it will mildew and the joints in the wooden frame of the item may also become loose.
Mattresses or box springs can be saved if they have come into contact with only a minimum of clean flood water (such as broken water pipes), but mattresses that have been come into contact with dirty flood waters cannot be due to the biological and chemical hazards that exist in them. You should not use a mattress that has a musty odor after it dries, since this means that mold is present. Have this item sanitized by a professional.
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Certain items that have been soaked in dirty flood water for many hours will probably not be salvageable. Wooden shutters, aluminum, wooden blinds, things made of vinyl, and etcetera can usually not be saved. Metal items will corrode and wooden items tend to warp over time, since it is porous and soaks up water easily.
Any pillows that were in the flood water need to be thrown out, since it will be hard to get rid of all the dirt from the material. It will also be difficult to completely disinfect them.
When you purchase a disinfectant, you should make sure that it is approved by the EPA and that it has a registration number somewhere on the label. This will assure you that the cleaner meets the EPA’s requirements. Having the correct disinfectant for the task at hand is also important. Some disinfectants are only effective on hard surfaces.
Before you begin washing your clothing and other fabrics, you should make sure that the water is safe to use and it not contaminated. If the tap water is safe to drink, it is safe to wash your clothes in. You also might want to make an effort to sanitize your washing machine before you use it. You can do this by running some detergent and bleach through the washer using the most water it can handle.
You can use a water hose to get rid of mud and dirt that is still on the floors of your home and on the furniture. Dried mud and dirt can be scraped and shaken off of most textiles.
When you are dealing with water damaged furniture, you have only a few options. If flood water reached the fabric, it may be stained and if they were in the water for more than a few hours, the silt and dirt that was in the water probably got through both the fabric and the padding. Unfortunately, padding will retain water and allow mold to grow. The majority of the time, your best bet will be to simply discard the upholstered furniture altogether. Restoring this furniture will mean stripping everything down to the frame.
If water gets through the finish on some wood items, it will mildew and the joints in the wooden frame of the item may also become loose.
Mattresses or box springs can be saved if they have come into contact with only a minimum of clean flood water (such as broken water pipes), but mattresses that have been come into contact with dirty flood waters cannot be due to the biological and chemical hazards that exist in them. You should not use a mattress that has a musty odor after it dries, since this means that mold is present. Have this item sanitized by a professional.
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flood water damage restoration
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