A Flooded Home/Business and Mold

If your house has been in a flood there's a good chance you will end up with a mold problem. However there are steps you can take to try to prevent mold growing in your home after it's been flooded.  After a flood the best thing you can do is contact a mold remediation company or water damage specialist who performs clean ups of flooded homes. Mold can start to grow after just a day or two so it's important to act as quickly as possible if your home has been flooded. Make sure you only enter your home once it's safe though. 

Mold can start to grow on the walls, or inside the wall cavities, of rooms that were flooded. If a room with drywall walls was flooded then you'll need to cut away the bottom section of drywall that's at least 30cm (12 inches) above where it got wet.

If you see mold growing on any drywall then you'll also have to cut away the drywall and remove it. Mold cannot be properly cleaned from porous materials like drywall. Once you've removed wet or moldy drywall from your home you should dispose of it.

More Mold Infestation Reports in Chicago

Residents of a Mundelein apartment building (Lake County), where potentially toxic mold was found growing, were temporarily relocated until mold and structural problems could be corrected.

In a high profile case, the Lamka family was forced to abandon their Rolling Meadows (Cook County) home after members experienced a number of health problems possibly linked to mold. Carpeting was ripped out and many walls and ceilings were gutted.

Kerry and Jodi Strain of Muirfield were not able to occupy their new $360,000 home due to unhealthy levels of mold contamination. Testing revealed levels of penicillium and aspergillus, mold contaminants that cause health problems. 

Recent Mold Infestation Reports in Chicago

In April 2001, St. Charles East High School gained notoriety after it was closed because of mold contamination. A student at the school has filed a class-action lawsuit against the district. Testing alone has already cost nearly $750,000 and remediation costs are estimated to be in the millions of dollars.

In August 2001, St. Theresa School in Palatine was shut down temporarily because of concerns about possible mold contamination. In May, mold was also found in two classrooms and some offices at Garfield Elementary School on Elgin.

Do You Need Professional Mold Removal?

DO contact a mold removal company if you have any of the following:

1. Mold that covers more than 10 square feet (about a 3 foot x 3 foot area).
2. Significant water damage (floods, second story bathtub overflow that damages the floor and/or ceiling, burst water pipes and the like).
3. Walls, floor, ceiling or other water-damaged areas have been wet for more than 48 hours.
4. Existing, on-going mold and moisture problems.
5. Your furniture, walls, wallpaper, floorboards, etc. have visible and extensive damage.
6. You suspect a hidden source of water – for example, when you see condensation build up in an area where no water should exist.
7. Someone in the house is experiencing significant health problems or being affected negatively by the moldy odors.
8. You have reason to believe that your home’s heating or air conditioning system may have a mold problem (mold near the intake, condensation build up on any of the system’s component parts, etc.).  In this case, DO NOT turn on the system or attempt to clean the mold yourself because the possibility of the mold becoming airborne is extremely high.
9. If you see or smell some obvious signs of mold but not the mold itself and you suspect it might mean something terrible is happening behind the walls.

Hidden Mold

In some cases, indoor mold growth may not be obvious. It is possible that mold may be growing on hidden surfaces, such as the backside of dry wall, wallpaper, or paneling, the top of ceiling tiles, the underside of carpets and pads, etc. Possible locations of hidden mold can include pipe chases and utility tunnels (with leaking or condensing pipes), walls behind furniture (where condensation forms), condensate drain pans inside air handling units, porous thermal or acoustic liners inside ductwork, or roof materials above ceiling tiles (due to roof leaks or insufficient insulation).

Some building materials, such as dry wall with vinyl wallpaper over it or wood paneling, may act as vapor barriers, trapping moisture underneath their surfaces and thereby providing a moist environment where mold can grow. You may suspect hidden mold if a building smells moldy, but you cannot see the source, or if you know there has been water damage and building occupants are reporting health problems. Investigating hidden mold problems may be difficult and will require caution when the investigation involves disturbing potential sites of mold growth make sure to use PPE. 

Why is mold growing in my home?

Molds are part of the natural environment.  Outdoors, molds play a part in nature by breaking down dead organic matter such as fallen leaves and dead trees, but indoors, mold growth should be avoided.  Molds reproduce by means of tiny spores; the spores are invisible to the naked eye and float through outdoor and indoor air.  Mold may begin growing indoors when mold spores land on surfaces that are wet.  There are many types of mold, and none of them will grow without water or moisture.

It is impossible to get rid of all mold and mold spores indoors; some mold spores will be found floating through the air and in house dust.  The mold spores will not grow if moisture is not present.  Indoor mold growth can and should be prevented or controlled by controlling moisture indoors.  If there is mold growth in your home, you must clean up the mold and fix the water problem.  If you clean up the mold, but don't fix the water problem, then, most likely, the mold problem will come back.

What should I do if I find or suspect moldy conditions in my home?

if you see a discoloration or growth on surfaces in your bathroom, water heater closet, on your window sills, under your kitchen sink, on your baseboards or under rugs and carpeting, it may be mold.

1. Fix any plumbing leaks and other water problems as soon as possible. Dry all items completely. Mold will not grow without moisture.
2. Scrub mold off hard surfaces with detergent and water and dry completely. Use of biocides such as chlorine bleach is not recommended as a routine practice. Please note: Dead mold (treated mold) can still cause allergic reactions in some individuals, such as those who suffer from asthma or other respiratory disorders. It is not enough to simply kill the mold, it must also be removed.
3. Avoid breathing in mold or mold spores. To limit your exposure to mold use an N-95 respirator, available at many hardware stores.
4. Wear gloves. Avoid touching mold or moldy items with your bare hands. We recommend wearing long gloves that extend to the middle of the forearms.
5. Wear goggles. Avoid getting mold or mold spores in your eyes. We recommend wearing goggles without ventilation holes.
6. Throw away moldy, porous materials like ceiling tiles and carpet.
7. To contract for extensive mold clean-up (i.e. greater than 10 square feet of moldy material), call Mold Remediation of Chicago at 708-396-0200.