>> Where flooding occurs, moisture wicks up
drywall, and wood, and any porous material.
In about two or three days of wetness,
you are likely to have mold.
Mold is a hazard in high exposure for just
about anybody.
But it's especially hazardous to
people with asthma, allergies, other respiratory
conditions, or a suppressed immune system.
So these folks should not go
anywhere near a moldy home.
I'm going to outline ten steps to a safe and
effective do-it-yourself mold cleanup: One
is
wear protective clothing, including an N95
or better respirator; two, isolate the moldy
area from clean areas and
ventilate to the outdoors with a fan in the
window; three, remove porous moldy materials
because you cannot properly
clean them; four, clean and disinfect if needed
for rising contaminated flood water; five,
consider applying a borate
treatment to exposed wood -- that will help
deter decay and as well as mold as well; six,
flush the air to get all
these mold spores out of the house as much
as possible; seven, speed the drying process
with humidifiers, heating
and cooling systems -- get the air dry to
hasten the drying of all the materials; eight,
remain on mold alert -- be alert
to the scent and do visual inspections frequently
to find any new growth of mold and deal with
it promptly; nine, do not
restore the walls and the floors or anything
that's been wet until it is really dry or
you could have hidden problems later;
and ten, consider restoring your home with
flood-resistant or flood-hardy materials instead
of the same kinds of materials
that you had to discard to begin with.
There are eight principles to keep in mind
and to try to achieve to have a truly
healthy home now and in the future: Keep it
dry; clean; pest-free; safe; contaminant-free;
well-ventilated; well-maintained;
and thermally-controlled.
Do more than just restore -- make your home
better.
It's also a great opportunity to improve the
energy efficiency of your home.
Make your home more resistant or more resilient
to natural hazards.
Keep your family safe.
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