Recent Mold Remediation Posts

Mold Remediation

11/17/2016 (Permalink)

A couple months ago, Erika had a small leak in her basement powder room sink. She cleaned up the water, had a plumber out to fix the plumbing, and figured that was that. However, one day while doing laundry, she decided to use that room. Something seemed a little off. The room didn’t smell like the apple cinnamon air freshener that she had put in there. In fact, it smelled damp - as though the water had never been cleaned up. She called her local SERVPRO, who was able to take moisture readings in the walls.

It turns out that not only did the water from the leak a couple months ago soak into the walls, but it had seeped halfway up the wall! Combined with the fairly moist environment already present in the basement, Erika was looking at a lot more damage than she had originally feared. The technician pulled back the baseboard, and found colonies of black mold growing! In the end, half of the wall had to be demolition, and Erika ended up having to pay not only for the SERVPRO services, but also the services of a general contractor put her bathroom back together.

Mold is such a tricky microscopic beast, because the spores themselves are in the air around us at all times. They float through the air unnoticed by all (except those who are allergic) until they are exposed to water. Here in the Pacific Northwest, mold is especially prevalent because of the amount of rain we receive annually. The constant damp air combined with a water loss in a house is a perfect breeding ground for mold.

There are a few ways to help reduce or prevent mold from growing in your home, however:

  • Make sure that all windows are air-tight.
    • A faulty seal in a window, especially in the winter, can allow moisture in and give mold room to grow.
  • If there is water damage, have someone out immediately to start drying.
    •  It takes only 72 hours for mold to start presenting itself.
  • Ensure that laundry rooms are properly vented.
    • The moist heat from the dryer is a wonderful place for mold.
  • Ensure that crawl spaces, garages, and attics are properly insulated.

Even though mold may not be 100% preventable, it is 100% removable. If you think you may have mold present in your house, call SERVPRO of South & West Seattle at 425-225-2227 for a cost-free estimate today.