house insurance and mold
Whether you have had a small leak in one of your pipes or a full out flood, water damage mold is nothing to be taken lightly. Mold can be very persistent and hard to get rid of and it can also be hazardous to your health. Not only that but if left unchecked, mold will ruin any surface it grows on.
What Is Mold?
Mold is a fungi whose job it is to decompose things. We often think of it as decomposing vegetables, bread and other foods that have been left around but when it gets into your home, mold can decompose your carpets, your drywall, your clothing, your books and any other organic surface in your home.
Mold loves more sure which is why water damage mold is so common in flooded areas. Since mold spores are always present outside, it doesn’t take too much for them to get inside you all in all they need is a moist area, some organic material and the temperature of between two and 40°C. Needless to say, you don’t have to experience a major flood to get mold in your home.
What To Do
If you have mold in your home whether it’s from a simple leak in a pipe or your basement flooding, you want to assess the extent of the damage. Get into the area and see how bad the mold is. If it is excessive, you probably want to check your insurance policy to see if mold damage is covered and then call the insurance company. In many cases a mold remediation company is necessary to remove the mold safely.
If you just have a minor leak at a pipe that has caused a little area of mold that you may be able to remove yourself. The first thing is to be sure of where the mold this. Remember, it can grow on wood, drywall, carpeting, fabrics and books so you want to check to make sure if any of these items around that they do not have mold on them.
When removing the moldy items, you want to be sure that you seal him in a bag so that the mold spores do not become airborne and find another place to grow in your house. If it is a big job, you want to section off the entire area and be sure to have ventilation to the outside. Also, wear protective clothing when cleaning or removing mold as water damage mold can be very hazardous to your health.
Don’t let water damage mold ruin your home! Visit http://www.householdmoldguide.com to find out more about getting rid of mold as well as it’s health hazards.
Tags: damage, fire, home, propertyinsurance, water.
Filed under Home Insurance by on Jan 14th, 2010.
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