How to Prevent Mold After a Flood

Water Damage

Flooding is one of the recurring natural disasters facing most regions. While there’s what you can do to prepare, the flooding intensity can vary. Flooding can have adverse effects on the environment. More so, flooding can have unfavorable effects on your home. Most of the items around the house are not meant to be drenched in water. After a flood, most of these items are drenched and susceptible to mold. If you’ve been affected, you may have wondered how to prevent mold after a flood.

Are you cleaning your basement after a flood? Worried that mold might begin to form? Besides your home and household items, molding can cause antagonistic health effects to anyone in contact.

How to Prevent Mold After a Flood

In the article, let’s look at how mold can affect your health, what you should keep and what to throw away, and how to ensure there’s no mold in your home after a flood.

Effects of Mold on Your Health

While mold freely occurs in nature, it’s important to note when it grows indoors; it can lead to massive accumulation of moisture that can turn problematic. If the mold is not cleared, it can lead to conditions such as throat irritation, skin irritation, nasal stuffiness, wheezing, coughing, eye irritation, and so on.

People who suffer from mold allergies can get more adverse reactions even from short term exposure. Additionally, anyone suffering from chronic lung disorders – like obstructive lung disease, may get serious infections when exposed to mold.

What to Keep and What to Get Rid Of

While you may not want to throw anything away, some items are more prone to dampness. Most damp places are an excellent breeding spot for mold.

Immediately after a flood, start by sorting what you’ll keep and what to get rid of. Here’s a simple guide to help you;

• Get rid of anything that was fully submerged in water and is primarily made from wood material, upholstered furniture, and any porous material. For insurance matters, you can keep these items out of the house, before discarding them.
• Get rid of damp carpets. Naturally drying them does not get rid of the mold spores. If you notice any rug has signs of mold growth, get rid of it.
• Non-porous materials such as metallic objects, plastic, and glass can be adequately cleaned before being reused.

Preventing Mold After a Flood

You’ve removed anything that can cause mold. You are, however, not done yet. The next step is thoroughly cleaning the rest of the house. Here are guiding tips for cleaning your home:

• Ensure you clean the house within 24 to 48 hours after the flood.
  
• Protect your skin, nose, eyes, and mouth with protective gear.
• While cleaning, open all the windows and doors to allow for fresh air circulation.
• Once safe, turn on electronics such as fans and humidifiers to aid with aeration.
• Using detergent and water, clean any areas you notice mold. After cleaning, dry these surfaces to ensure the mold doesn’t grow back.
• Steer away from mixing cleaning products to avoid creating toxic vapors.

Ultimately, a flood can be devastating and mold remediation needs to be done quickly. However, with the right preparation and counteractive measures –and the tips shared above, you’ll know how to prevent mold after a flood.

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