Hurricane Florence has caused massive damage, mainly throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
At least 50 people have died.
The storm dumped upward of 35 inches of rain in places.
More than 10 trillion gallons of rain fell and led to more than two weeks of flooding.
One of the most severe aftereffects of flooding in the home is mold growth, which may not only cause further damage to your property, but can also have a serious impact on your health.
Why Is It Important to Kill Mold and Mildew Fast?
Mold will survive and grow so long as it has a food source and water. When water enters a building by a flood or leak, this creates the perfect atmosphere for mold. Molds also find their food source in the broken down and soaked materials in carpet fibers, drywall and wood. Over time, this mold can destroy a building by causing structural damage; not to mention all of the major health concerns it can create too.
What Impacts Can Mold Have on Your Health?
If left untreated, mold spores can become airborne, which means they can be ingested into our sinuses and lungs, potentially causing a number of health problems. These can range from respiratory disorders to flu–like symptoms and even depression and death. It's important to your health and your family's health to treat black mold quickly and to wear a face mask when you pass through any room where black mold is a problem.
One of the first stages in removing mold is to remove any moldy insulation or drywall. Then, to ensure effective mold removal is carried out, a mold-killing machine should be used. This will be placed in the property on its highest setting, where it will be left to shock each room for several days. By doing this, it will kill airborne mold and will also remove mold from the surface of materials such as framing lumber, plywood sheeting and 2 x 4 studs. What's more, the ozone machine can also remove any mold or mildew odors.
How Do Mold-Killing Machines Work?
In short, ozone is often referred to as activated oxygen and it is a sterilizer that is the second-most powerful known to man. Because of its sterilization properties, ozone can be used to kill molds, odors, bacteria and viruses, because the ozone reacts with them and oxidizes, or sterilizes them. Since the byproduct of the sterilization process isn't a harmful chemical, but rather is pure oxygen, sterilizing with ozone is both an effective and safe method of getting rid of mold and mildew. We are often asked, Are mold-killing machines safe? and the answer is Yes, if used correctly. See our Learn the truth about machine ratings page for information on what to look out for when evaluating different machine manufacturers and their claims.
Whatever purpose the mold-killing machine is being used for, from household to commercial mold removal, it is imperative that the correct procedures are employed and adhered to. When seeking a safe way to remove black mold from a building, it is important to follow careful instructions. Safe mold removal involves covering your mouth and nose with a mask to prevent the inhalation of mold spores during the restoration.
When using a mold-killing machine, you should phone us at 603-673-4830 and seek advice as to which size machine will suit your purpose. The machine should only be placed in closed off, unoccupied rooms while it carries out the shock treatment. For more information about the safe use of a mold-killing machine, take a look at our Safe Use of an Ozone Generator page.
Why Should You Choose a Mold-Killing Machine?
By using a mold-killing machine you could save yourself a lot of time and money. It allows you to carry out surface mold removal yourself without relying on remediation contractors who can often be fully booked following any flooding disasters. To use one of our mold-killing machines, place it in the building or room overnight while it is unoccupied. The following day, you can go into the property to carry out the cleanup operation and to remove belongings without being overcome by the mold. If the structure, carpet, and walls are saturated and full of mold, you will still need a mold remediation contractor's services.
When people live in a flood–prone area, they often live in fear of the next flood because it means hefty bills and lots of cleaning. However, investing in a Mold-Killing Machine provides you with the ultimate cleanup tool, a mold remover, which you can use right away without having to wait for a remediation specialist. In fact, many of these specialists use a Mold-Killing Machine in their work and they highly recommend them as an effective way of removing mold from around the home.
Will Mold Removal Be Covered by My Insurance Company?
Unfortunately, because of the extended problems caused by flooding and natural devastation, many insurance companies have ceased coverage for mold damage. In an article for the The Wall Street Journal, Terry Cullen wrote that an increasing amount of insurance providers removed mold damage from their policies because mold problems have increased. To cover themselves, many homeowners take additional "riders" on their home insurance policies for mold growth.
However, the costs could run into the thousands if you start adding riders to your insurance policy and continually have to hire remediation companies to carry out the work for you; especially, when it's easy to purchase an effective, long–term and affordable solution: a Mold-Killing Machine.
For more information about Mold-Killing Machine models and the benefits they offer, get in touch with expert our team at Jenesco, Inc., today.
These pictures are of water damage caused to a home by hurricane Katrina. This home suffered from flooding, but was in an area where the water subsided in a relatively short period of time.
Even so, these photos show how the mold had already attacked the dry wall and turned it black. You can see how high the water level reached in this once lovely home.
When mold and mildew gets this severe in a building, the only recourse is to have the mold-laden material removed and hauled away. Once the water receded, this homeowner busted up and removed the lower layer of dry wall, and the water soaked insulation, so the wall studs could dry properly.