Water Damage Restoration & Prevention is Vital to Prevent Mold and Further Damage
Ignoring the signs of water damage can cause worse than just physical and visible damage to your SoCal home. If mismanaged or not dealt with immediately, water damage can cause health hazards that could endanger you or your family.
How can you be exposed to molds?
Molds are everywhere and exposure to some mold on an everyday basis might not impose health hazards right away but the long exposure to it.
Molds grow best in warm, damp and humid conditions and can survive even in dry conditions. It’s common to find mold spores indoors which are likely from the outdoors and large amounts of it when inhaled by people, can cause the following health hazards most especially if there’s an active mold growth where they live or work.
- Respiratory problems and infections. The WHO guideline Dampness and Mould concluded that occupants who live in damp or moldy buildings are at high risk of developing type I allergy.
- Allergy and hypersensitivity. Prolonged exposure to fungi can trigger allergic reactions in humans. A major US Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation of Fungi in Indoor Environments cited that the common symptoms include sneezing, post-nasal drip with sore throat, eye irritation, coughing, wheezing and other symptoms associated with the worsening of asthma. Allergic rhinitis and rare reactions such as Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) and allergic fungal sinusitis (AFS) may also result from an allergic reaction to fungi.
Who is at greater risk of issues from Mold?
Molds can be hazardous to anyone exposed to it but there are people who are at higher risks.
- Those who have an existing respiratory condition like asthma, allergies, and the likes.
- Those with weak immune system such as people with HIV, cancer, and so forth.
- Children and elderly
Can cleaning up mold harm my health?
The Indoor Air Quality Info Sheet from the California Department of Health Services entitled Mold in My Home: What Do I Do, specified that YES it can be hazardous to your health. Exposure to molds is one thing. You are also prone to the hazards of the cleaning materials itself.
While it’s best for you to trust it to the professionals, they have enlisted some tips to help you minimize the hazards while cleaning up for molds:
- Use respirator to avoid inhaling moldy materials.
- Use protection like gloves and protective clothing.
- Don’t try to clean the whole area yourself. Consider paying a licensed contractor to carry out the work.
- Ask family and bystanders to leave the area.
- Work for short time periods and breath fresh air in breaks.
- Ventilate the area before and after the cleaning.
They are strongly against the use of gasoline engine indoors, like water pump, pressure washer or generator, as it can expose your family to hazardous carbon monoxide.
How can I prevent water damage?
The best way to prevent further water damage is to act as fast as possible. The longer water (and damage from the water) is left, the more damage it will cause. This includes mold, rotting and further physical damage to your home.
It’s important to act fast by contacting a professional contractor experienced in water damage restoration and prevention.
Prevention is better than cure. Apart from avoiding the perils, you’re likely to save a lot if you prevent water damage from happening in the first place. Here are some tips from the recommended by the County of Los Angeles Public Health
- Prevent water seepage and waterproof your home. This includes re-sealing your basement and installing a backwater valve. You can seek help from professional contractors like us to waterproof your SoCal home.
- Inspect your indoor plumbing system and consider installing a water leak monitoring and shut-off system to alert any leakage issue.
- Inspect your roof, downspouts, sprinklers and irrigation systems to check for any missing or deteriorating parts and replace them right away.
- Install gutter guards to keep the water flowing away from your house.
- Make it a habit to inspect and make necessary repairs to your home’s exterior.
At RWT Design & Construction, our experience of over 30 years working in Burbank, Los Angeles ( and surrounding SoCal areas) means that we are are experts in water damage repair. We carry out work to ensure that there are no future leaks.
We are able to correct the damage of water intrusion through poorly built decks, incorrectly installed windows and doors. Most of all we repair the cause of the water intrusion so that it does not continue to occur and your home is safe from water leaks that can lead to mold, wood rot and an unstable home.
Professionals, with years of experience under their belt, can help you avoid the health hazards of water damage and its underlying cause.
Contact RWT Design & Construction on 818-841-8600 to find out how we can help you with water damage restoration in Los Angeles and surrounding areas.
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