Drywall Water Damage and Mold Growth

11/30/2020 (Permalink)

Floods can cause some lasting damage to your walls as well as ruining your carpets, furniture, and personal belongings. Drywall, which can easily collect and trap moisture inside, if you act quickly enough, you can avoid having to deal with black mold. 

Conditions for Mold Growth

Though it may not look that way, mold is alive and it needs food, water, and oxygen to survive. Usually, homes can provide two of these things — oxygen and food. Mold typically feeds on organic matter, such as paper and wood, commonly used for the structural elements of a house. Drywall acts like a sponge so that even 1” of flooding could cause the drywall to become wet up to 4’ from the floor. Also, the paper backing of drywall is a perfect food source full of nutrients for mold.

But of course, when your home is dry, there’s no need to worry. No matter how much organic matter you have in the house, mold won’t start growing without water. But remember — even the smallest excess moisture could spell trouble. That’s why it’s crucial to keep your home dry at all times!

What to Do in Case of Drywall Water Damage

Try as you might to keep your home dry, sometimes things can go wrong. For example, you could experience a flood, or a pipe could suddenly burst in your bathroom, or you could experience a slow leak from your water heater.  Either way, you might find yourself having to deal with serious drywall water damage and potential mold growth.

To prevent black mold growth, the first thing you need to do is dry out the area as quickly as possible. If you have any paintings, furniture, or other décor hanging or leaning on the wall, remove them. The damaged area needs to be exposed to air in order to dry faster.

Unfortunately, you need to take down your wallpaper too. That can be time-consuming, but it’s necessary because moisture could accumulate behind it. For that same reason, you should remove all baseboards and molding — they provide perfect hiding places for mold.

Now that your drywall is completely bare, you may begin the drying process. Open the windows to allow air to circulate or get some fans and dehumidifiers to help. Don’t stop until you are 100% certain that the drywall is fully dry. If you’re not sure how to tell, call SERVPRO of Winchester today and we can check for you and give you advice.

Once your walls are dry, you can hang your paintings back and re-apply wallpaper. Of course, make sure that no items you put up are wet. 

In Conclusion

Black mold on drywall can cause serious damage to your home’s structure, but more importantly your health. If you’ve discovered mold growth despite your best efforts to avoid it, give us a call. Sometimes the problem can be too difficult for you to handle alone but easy enough for a professional mold cleaning company. So don’t hesitate — put your health and the health of your family first and call us today!

What is Black Mold

11/19/2019 (Permalink)

Black mold on sheetrock.

Black mold, or stachybotrys chartarum, is a type of living organism that can cause health problems to you and your family. In this article we’re going to take a quick look at how black mold works and what you can do to prevent it from growing in your home.

How Does Black Mold Work?

Black mold grows in an environment that is high in moisture and low in nitrogen, which makes up 78% of the air we breathe. Therefore, we can deduce that if there is not much air movement, but enough water content in a particular environment, mold can grow there. There are plenty of materials in your home that black mold can feed off, drywall, and carpet being among the most common.

How Can We Prevent Mold Growth?

Mold actually grows in abundance in our world, so we cannot get rid of it entirely. However, that doesn’t mean we should accept black mold in our homes. If you have had water damage in your home or business, you should be on the lookout for mold. Preventative measures include making sure that you dry the area thoroughly. Remember to have your carpet properly dried because if the water has been trapped underneath your floor or carpet you will likely have mold growth.

SERVPRO® of Winchester is a leader in mold remediation. If you have mold and need help call us today, we’re always here to help!  (540) 665-0575

Mold Damage in Winchester

5/1/2017 (Permalink)

Mold remediation in Winchester, VA

Mold is a real problem for many families in Winchester, Virginia. It can cause irritation and allergic reactions to people in the household, which can be very serious. Mold thrives in humid environment, and as we all know, the summer months are very humid in Winchester, and the rest of Northern Virginia.

What is mold?

Mold is a microscopic particle that exist almost everywhere, outdoors and indoors. This makes it impossible to completely remove all mold from a home or business. However, it doesn’t necessarily need to be removed, nor does it become a problem until the humidity – or moisture level – increases. That’s when the mold begins to thrive in number, and starts to form colonies.

That's also when these colonies begin to cause problems for people, especially in children and people with compromised immune systems. Even if you don't feel the effects of mole, there's the strong odor it produces. If you’ve ever smelled it before you don't want that experience again. If that smell is in your home, where you and your family expect to be comfortable, and to be able to relax you'l want to take care of it right away.

What can be done about it?

For this reason it is important to monitor the humidity level in your home, especially in Northern Virginia, where the humidity is present year-round, and the summer months can produce conditions in the environment that are favorable for mold growth. 

Generally, you want to keep the humidity level below 49%. When it is above this level that’s when these mold particles start to thrive and form colonies, producing the odor and causing allergic reactions in many people.

Mold Inspection and Remediation

SERVPRO of Winchester properly inspects your home for mold, identifies the cause of the odor, and completely removes it without a trace. Give us a call for more information on our mold removal process today!