If your drain malfunctions, it can cause significant damage. When you’re living on a careful budget, a flood in your home is one of the biggest of possible disasters. This primarily because of the water damage and the interruption to your life. But perhaps more seriously, because you’re now facing a severe mold issue. Even if you live in a dry climate mold should be taken seriously. Any kind of flooding or damp caused by showers, cooking, or plumbing malfunctions can create a welcome home for mold to take root. Drain malfunctions can increase the chances that mold will form and spread. Stagnant water will create mold in hard-to-see places, since mold thrives in a dark environment.
Drain Malfunctions Do Not Have To Mean A Total Loss
The good news is that you don’t have to toss everything that got wet in the flood, or that developed mold afterward. With the right sorting and cleaning procedure, you can seriously reduce the costs of recovering from this disaster. You can likewise save yourself the hassle of ditching and buying new furniture and personal items. There is always a chance that the mold can be eradicated. In many cases “a point of no return” can be avoided. There will however still be cases where you’re better off tossing and replacing the contaminated item. Today, we’re here to help you make this important decision. Unfortunately this is something that any first-time homeowner might find themselves facing.
Clean or Toss?
With every item and surface you find that is growing mold, you will need to make an important decision. To clean or to toss? That is the question. Whether it’s better to scrub out the mold and sanitize the item or simply throw it away should be determined by two factors.
- The first is how much mold has grown on the item as this indicates how well it can even be recovered.
- The second factor is how much you want to save it. If you’re looking at old cardboard boxes of magazines you’re never really going to read again, just throw it away. It’s not worth the effort. However, if you’re looking at keepsakes or, worse, the infrastructure of your house, it’s probably worth your while to do a thorough assessment and rescue attempt.
Mold Eats What It Grows On
The most important thing to understand about saving moldy items is the mold’s role in the eco-system. It is not a fuzzy surface growth concocted by nature just to frustrate you. Mold is supposed to be part of nature’s clean-up crew just like other forms of fungus, insects, and carrion-eating creatures. Mold is supposed to eat dead plant material that is already disintegrating from the damp. Examples are rotting tree trunks, and overcrowded plant life. But that also means that it is, in fact, eating your walls, curtains, books, or whatever else it is growing on.
Mold prefers porous materials like fabric, paper, and drywall. Over time it will continue to break down the material until it is nothing but a moist, crumbly mass waiting to fall apart the moment external force is put on it just like a rotting tree trunk. This means that no matter how important a moldy thing might be, there is usually a point of no return.
Items Can Be Saved and Restored
The best news we can give you is that most of your items really can be rescued and restored without breaking the bank on new furniture or personal items. With a combination of vinegar, essential oils (if you already have them) and mold remediation solution, you can kill mold where it grows and reclaims your items for the household instead of for the fungi plant life. A weak bleach solution is also an excellent item for halting the growth of mold
There are all sorts of tips and tricks for getting rid of mold, but the most practical is to soak it in vinegar. Vinegar kills the biological elements of mold and stops it from spreading inside your home. It’s best to kill as many colonies as possible. After you take action, get a professional reading on how much mold is left in the house. Licensed remediation companies have specialized tools and equipment. They can give you a final and trustworthy determination regarding the presence of wold. When you find plumbing and drain malfunctions, call Balkan Drain Cleaning. Routine drain maintenance, and prompt attention to drain issues, can be your best defense against mold.
