Dealing With Summer Storm Damage Summer Storm Damage Storm damage can happen in any season, but summer storm damage can feel especially brutal. Not only is summer the hottest time of the year, but it’s a time when people are planning trips, dreaming up adventures, and generally not thinking about having to repair their homes. While Washington D.C. doesn’t often have tropical storms, the area is still affected by adverse weather. If you’ve been struck with summer storm damage, here are some tips for dealing with the aftereffects efficiently and effectively. Assess the Damage When water or storm damage occurs, the first and most important step is to assess the damage. While some of the damage can be monitored and assessed by regular individuals and homeowners, it’s always advisable to call a professional. They can help you fully determine the scope of the damage and create a plan for how to handle it. Document Everything Always make sure that everything is documented thoroughly in the wake of storm damage. Recording and verifying all damage is pivotal to the successful completion of repairs. This step, along with assessing the damage, is important for insurance purposes. A professional can help make sure you are gathering all the information you need for an insurance claim. Water Removal Summer storm damage can mean a number of things, including flooding and water damage in your home. If you have standing water in your home, it’s advisable to call a professional and experienced removal crew as soon as possible. Floodwater can carry contaminants and cause other dangers. In addition, water damage can put the structural integrity of your home at risk. Mold Remediation If you’ve experienced water damage, your home is at risk of mold and mildew growth. It’s important to remove water as soon as possible as well as dispose of any items that are waterlogged beyond repair. To decrease the risk of mold growth, you should also dry out the affected area as soon as possible. Summer storms can bring a lot of damage with them, and it’s not always safe to handle the clean-up alone. The experts at DC Water Restoration are here to help if you find yourself facing storm damage and are unsure of where to begin the clean-up process. If you’ve experienced summer storm damage in the DC area, give us a call at 1-202-792-7425, or contact us on our website.
Everything You Need To Know About Mold And Your Home As mold remediation experts, we often hear the same questions from many of the families we help… “What should I do if I find mold?”, “Is mold deadly or can it hurt my family?”, “Will we need to do heavy renovations to remove mold?” And we understand that it can be a bit confusing if you find patches of mold growing in your home so we put together a helpful collections of our FAQs to answer some of you questions. Mold FAQs “I Found Mold In My Home, Is It Safe To Stay Here?“ One of the most frequently asked question we encounter always concerns the potential hazards mold can create when found en masse. While mold certainly can quickly become a serious health hazard, small amounts can upset sensitive respiratory systems and in higher concentrations, mold can prove quite dangerous, often the largest risk home owner’s face is slight respiratory complications more akin to a case of irritated allergies than a poisoning. Though this shouldn’t undercut the importance of properly dealing with mold, as if left untreated, extreme and prolonged exposure can cause serious health implications. To protect your family, simply call a mold remediation expert and avoid prolonged time spent anywhere mold is found in your home. How Much Does Mold Remediation Cost? It is a bit difficult to accurately determine the true cost of remediation without a thorough inspection as each case is unique. Though generally, most home owners can expect to spend anywhere from as little as several hundred dollars to upwards of several thousand depending on the extent of the infestation. As some cases require more extensive steps in order to fully eradicate the problem, it is not completely unheard of to spend as much as ten thousand dollars, though this leads us perfectly into our next FAQ… Will My Home Owner‘s Insurance Cover The Cost Of Mold Remediation? Your home owner’s insurance may cover a portion or even the complete cost depending upon your individual policy as well as the cause behind the mold growth. So if you’re mold problem was caused by a leaky pipe or other unforeseeable event, your policy will often cover the expenses. But it is also important to note that if your mold infestation was caused by a natural flood, your insurance policy will not cover the expenses as many carriers often have separate policies regarding natural events. It is recommended that you consult with you individual provider to find which circumstances would make your remediation invalid for coverage. Can I Remove The Mold Myself? If you have found a small patch of mold growing in your home, you can take care it yourself relatively safely with the proper equipment, though as mold is often not only located in one single location it is essential you schedule an inspection with a professional to ensure the mold will not return. For anything larger than a couple feet, an expert should be called to properly address the situation, as the possibility for a large infestation is rather high.
Mold remediation process Mold spores exist in nature almost everywhere since the beginning of time. It is found both indoors and outdoors. Some molds are beneficial, some are necessary, and some can be dangerous. It would be impossible to eradicate all mold form ANY area inside o out. Any business that claims to “remove all molds from a home or business” should be questioned. “Mold removal” is a fallacy. A truly qualified and properly trained service will offer comprehensive mold remediation instead. Mold remediation concentrates on corralling mold levels back to normal, safe levels. Each mold problem is unique and an individual plan must be made for each job, but getting the mold under control is important for the health and safety of your home and family. Not only can mol cause illnesses, it can cause substantial damages to your property. Understanding Mold Molds can originate in virtually every environment, both indoors and outdoors, year round. Mold growth is sparked by warm humid Outdoors you find them growing in shady, damp with leaves or other vegetation decomposing. Mold “blooms” into microscopic spores. These float along the air, and can enter your home through any opening- windows, doors, or AC/heating systems or come in on your shoes, clothes, or pets. Mold spores love moisture. Mold spores will quickly blossom into colonies when exposed to water and organic matter. Mold remediation can only be achieved when and if any sources of water or moisture are alleviated. Mold can often be found by following a strong, musty odor. It is a dirty earthy smell that is hard to miss. What is the Mold Remediation Process As we mentioned earlier, each case is unique and requires a custom approach, but the basic steps are the same. These steps illustrate the “typical” remediation. Step 1: Emergency assessment Contact a service and receive a preliminary phone assessment. If needed, a technician will be dispatched promptly to see the problem firsthand. Step 2: Inspection Damage Assessment The onsite technician will use training and various industry technologies to detect mold, ascertain damage threats, and identify hidden water sources that are feeding your problem. Step 3: Mold Control Time tested containment procedures like dehumidifiers, negative air pressure, and specialized filtration can be used to stifle the spread of spores while massive cleanup takes place to eliminate breeding colonies. Step 4: Elimination of Mold colonies, and Infested Materials The mold remediation is a strict method of controlling the amount of mold growth in your home as well as the types of surfaces on which the mold takes hold. Through the use antifungal and antimicrobial treatments, as well as elimination of items that are mold infested, you can help prevent new colonies from forming. Disposing of all mold-infested materials, like cloth items, drywall, upholstered items, and carpeting, is important in remediation of heavy mold growth. Step 5: Cleaning Contents and Belongings Often many of your furnishings, curtains, and belongings can be saved with deep cleaning and sanitizing to eliminate mold growth. Step 6: Building Restoration Depending on the degree of mold infestation, drywall, floors, ceilings and other materials may be removed from your building. Restoration repairs could be minor, such as drywall patching, painting, or installing new carpet; you may need to enlist the aid of a constrictor for major repairs such as wall, ceiling, or floor replacement, cabinets, or hanging doors and fixtures. No matter your level of damage, it is always better to be safe than sorry. It never hurts to have your home assessed by a professional company to be sure you are safe from the hidden dangers of mold.