Water and Mold in the Home

Seeing as how the kitchen and the bathroom are the two rooms that can add or subtract the most value from your home when you go to sell it, it would make quite a bit of sense to keep these two rooms in the best condition possible. These two rooms, however, are also subject to some of the most serious problems a homeowner can face: water damage and mold contamination, which tend to go hand in hand.

Keeping the shower and bath tub cleaned regularly of mildew (another word for mold) is a good idea to keep it in good condition.

Water damage occurs when water comes into contact with your floor or anything else in your home and is not cleaned up properly. It can cause floors to buckle and cause what is called “cupping” if you try to dry it out too fast, so cleaning up water spilled on hardwood floors (or in a home that has flooded) can be pretty tricky. Since mold likes to live wherever water damaged items are and wherever there is moisture, where there is water damage, mold usually follows on some level or another.

Water damage can also result from simply not having a vent installed in the bathroom or kitchen to allow the steam from bathing or cooking to escape the room. If not directed to the outside of the house through one of these vents, the steam will float up to the ceiling and soak it. Mold eventually starts to grow in these places and you will have to replace the drywall. Even if mold does not start to grow, you will probably have to replace the drywall eventually, anyway, because the paper on the front of the drywall will start to separate and sag. This is not dangerous, but it is unsightly.

Water damage also occurs when you allow a toilet or bath tub to overflow and you do not clean up the water sufficiently. If you have a vinyl or tile floor in the bathroom, this is a good thing. This creates a barrier between the water and the flood underneath, since the tile or laminate should not absorb much, if any, water. If you have carpet in your bathroom, this is a bad thing. Water will be absorbed by the carpet, the padding underneath, and depending on the amount of water on the floor, the base of the floor underneath will also be soaked. Mold will eventually start to grow if you do not make sure and get as much of the water up as possible.

In the kitchen, water damage and mold growth can be prevented by keeping a check on the plumbing going to your dishwasher and your sink. Having a vinyl and not a hardwood floor in your kitchen is the best thing, but spills need to be cleaned up as quickly as possible.

Mold and Water damage in your home

Drywall mold that has high mold contamination are a major source of allergens and possibly mycotoxins in the home. Drywall mold or black spots are generally due to water damage, high humidity, or a leak behind drywall. Allowed to go undetected or ignored can cause severe health problems and damage to a home or office.

Physical mold growth on drywall needs to be removed carefully, bagged and disposed of. Standard practice is to cut the moldy material away up to three feet from where the visible growth is. There’s no safe and truly effective way to both kill and clean up mold on surfaces like drywall. Effectively killing mold in drywall is virtually impossible. The difficulty isn’t necessarily that the surface mold can’t be killed, but that drywall is too porous to effectively kill the mold that has grown into and through the drywall substrate, thereby presenting a hazard. The safest measure will always be to remove the infected drywall, sometimes even up to three feet in all directions from the actual visible growth.

Once the removal of the effected drywall is done, you may find mold spores growing behind the wall. The worst thing you can do is to rebuild over the mold without properly killing the mold and preventing it from growing back. A sollution is applyed to the area that will kill and encapsulate the mold spores to prevent regrowth. (contact us if you have not done this before)

 

2)Water damage:

This is a very common problem in residencial homes. This problem will cause visual brown or yellowish stains on your ceiling or walls and may cause the existing drywall or plaster to bow or buckle.

Most problems are caused by plumbing leaks and ice daming on your roof. If these problems should arise, you should start by getting to the root of the problem and call a professional to fix the leak before calling a drywall professional.  If you have a visual bow or buckle in your ceiling this could mean that you have water trapped in the drywall or plaster. You should puncture the area with a sharp object and place a bucket under the damaged area to allow water to drain. This will take the stress off your ceiling and prevent further damage.

After the water has drained you should then call us or another professional who can handle the installation of the new drywall or plaster.

Is black Mold On My Walls Bad?

bad but all molds should be treated as potential health hazards. The only way to tell whether the mold is bad or not is to have it tested by a qualified mycologist (i.e., a person who is qualified to correctly identify yeasts and molds). But regardless of whether the mold is of health concern or not it should be removed for a number of good reasons. First, mold damages any organic material it grows on. Secondly, mold is unsightly and we don’t want to see it growing on the walls of our houses.

Does black mold need moisture to grow?

Black mold must have both food and moisture to survive. It grows when there is unresolved water damage due to something like leaky pipes or chronic persistent humidity in certain areas in the building such as in the shower room, kitchen or basement. Some homeowners attempt to avoid excessive moisture by installing a humidity sensor to detect dangerous levels that might trigger the formation of black mold. If there has been any recent flooding and the water was not properly dried, then it would be wise to check those areas for possible mold growth.

Can black mold grow on concrete?

Black mold cannot grow on concrete. It grows on almost all organic materials particularly those containing cellulose such wood, wallpaper, drywall, carpet, adhesives, fabric, and cotton insulation. Any faint discolorations, regardless of color, may suggest a serious mold problem.

How to remove black mold

Black mold can be easily removed from non-porous surfaces, such as marble tiles, counter tops, and other hardened surfaces through simple scrubbing with household detergent. You may scrub the area with a hard brush to remove the mold, being sure to remove any remaining residue with clean water. Porous materials cannot be cleaned and should be replaced with new uncontaminated material.

How does black mold spread?

Black mold produces and spreads by releasing spores into the air. The spores are so small they are invisible to the naked eye. Once in the air, these spores can travel throughout your house, from one room to the next, and settle on carpets, walls or other surfaces. If the conditions are favorable, the spores will start to grow and more mold will appear. One small patch of mold growth left untouched or poorly dealt with can spread and ultimately infest an entire home, often in places you are unable to see.

Black mold in the home is a common problem and a major annoyance to eliminate.  Black mold is basically the same thing as mildew. Sometimes black mold is referred to as  toxic mold , but this is incorrect.  No mold is toxic or poisonous in and of itself, though some kinds of mold are toxigenic, meaning that they produce toxic compounds called mycotoxins (myco=fungal).  Even so, any mold, whether black or some other color, may have aggravating side effects on  air quality  and the health of residents. Several indoor molds appear black and hence use of the term “Black Mold” when referring to the mold scientifically called Stachybotrys is incorrect as well.

It is important to remember that mold growth is an indication of moisture problem. Therefore, the key to controlling mold growth indoors is to eliminate moisture.

The Dangers Of Drywall Water Damage And Mold

Water damage on drywall can be much more than a cosmetic issue.

There are few things more damaging to a home then a prolonged leak that causes water damage. When water gets in to places it shouldn't there are numerous hazards, ranging from structural to health concerns. Understanding the potential dangers of drywall water damage can help you identify what course to take when it comes to repair.

Staining and Bubbling

The most obvious danger involving drywall water damage is staining. When drywall is exposed to water, it can be irreparably stained with minerals contained in the water. If the drywall is painted, water can become trapped between the paper of the drywall and the layer of paint, causing bubbling and pitting.

Structural Weakening

When drywall is exposed to water, it becomes mushy and easily crumbles. In a bathroom, tile installed over drywall will be too heavy to be held by the material and will fall away. Items hung on wet drywall, such as frames and shelves, may tear out of the wall and fall. If it becomes sufficiently waterlogged, the drywall itself may fall away from its beams or studs.

Mold Growth

The most health-hazardous outcome of wet drywall can be mold growth. Wet drywall makes an excellent breeding ground for mold and mildew and can harbor potentially hazardous strains. If you see any black mold on your water-damaged drywall, avoid contact with the material and call an expert immediately to assist you in removing the contaminated drywall.

Wire Exposure

If the piece of drywall that has been exposed to water contains electrical wires, you may have a larger problem on your hands. Once exposed to water, electrical wiring and junction boxes can be unpredictable and present a fire hazard. If you suspect the area of drywall that has been water damaged contains electrical wiring, shut off your main circuit breaker before probing behind the wall. If you confirm that there is, in fact, wiring behind the drywall, contact an electrician to assist you.