Water Damage and Mold

It is important to understand that Mold is the result of excessive moisture levels, usually from water damage, the presence of mold spores, and organic material for the spores to grow on. If you believe you have concerns about mold growth in your property, the first step is to investigate and identify the source or sources of the water that may lead to mold growth.

Mold is present every day in our outside environment. Every time we open a door or window to our property, commercial or residential, mold spores enter the property. Mold is a natural by-product of the decay of plants and organic matter. The key is to take steps to keep the level of mold in the property, lower than levels outside.

An important aspect of mold is that the mold spores and fragments trigger reactions in the body of many people, regardless if the spore is alive or dead. This means, going around and spraying something to “kill” mold does not make your property any safer! The ANSI/IICRC S520-2024 Standard for Professional Mold Remediation clearly states “No liquid product (antimicrobials, stain-removers, and cleaning solutions) should be used as an alternative to the physical removal of mold contamination. Many of the home remedies used, particularly bleach can be more dangerous than the mold itself.

The important focus should be on preventing water damage in your property and discovering it quickly should it happen. Mold can start to grow on a damp surface in 24 to 48 hours, but may take 18 days or longer for it to become visible.

Basements are a common place for mold to grow because many people do not actively use their basements. As a result, the airflow can become stagnant and the moisture levels can get high without being noticed.

We strongly urge all property owners to inspect their basements after every hard rain storm to look for water intrusion. A second strong recommendation is installing a water intrusion detection device which will alarm if water is detected on the floor. These devices act in many ways like a smoke detector, but alarm when water on the floor is detected. Advanced models even have Wi-Fi capabilities to send e-mail alerts when you are out of the office. The unit shown below is what I use in my home and office.

If you do detect excessive moisture levels in a property, please quickly call an established IICRC certified firm with staff trained and certified in water damage mitigation and mold mitigation, like PuroClean of Wentzville.