After inclement weather strikes the Charleston area, whether it is a hurricane, tropical storm, flood, or a summer thunderstorm, water abounds in the Lowcountry. Streets, homes, and businesses are routinely flooded and sewage and drainage systems frequently overload. This slowing down of the water extraction process helps create a lingering moist atmosphere that, when combined with South Carolina’s beloved humidity, is highly conducive to fungal mold growth. Water damage mold remediation is a technique that Disaster Plus’ certified technicians are trained extensively in, because when mold begins to grow your health is just as exposed to risk as your damaged property. Please take a moment to review the information on this page, which has been produced to help you recognize mold, prevent rapid mold growth, and protect yourself from allergies.
Recognizing Mold: The Basics
If you have a mold growth in your home or business, one of the easiest (and most obvious) ways to detect it is to look for visual clues. Mold can cause many different shades of discoloration to walls, ceilings, carpets, and flooring. When your property has experienced flood damage and requires water removal it is easy to accidentally dismiss discoloration as a byproduct of water staining. This is not always the case. After cleaning up and drying out closely inspect impacted areas that you have self-treated. Is the discoloration green or black? Contact us immediately. Even if the stain is brown or yellow don’t take any chances. Finally, another indicator of mold infestation is odor. Mold has a very distinct smell, but after a flood, that smell is often mistaken as being related to dirty water. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevent (CDC) describes the mold smell as “musty, earthy, and/or foul”.
