You come home and you find your floor is full of water. You identify the source and stop the leak. Then you grab your wet/dry vacuum cleaner and suck up all the excess water. There are still a few damp area and it smells kind of musty so you open the window and will nature take its course. In your mind your Do-it-Yourself attitude just saved you a ton of money. Case closed.
The Do-it-Yourself attitude is admirable and the laudable hallmark of American culture but such attitude can prove to be, as in this case, misguided and have potential long term health and financial consequences.
Issue 1: Using a wet/dry vacuum cleaner to extract the water
Problem 1: This extraction usually does not extract all the moisture from the affected area
Why this matters to you1: The remaining water can promote structural decay and be a catalyst for mold.
Issue 2: Opening widow to dry naturally
Problem 2: In hot, humid regions, such as FL, the sweltering heat can actually prevent evaporation
Why this matters to you2: This prevents drying and is an IDEAL condition for accelerated mold growth.
Issue 3: Employing Do-it-Yourself to save money
Problem 3: In many cases, the honorable and honest Do-it-Yourself attempt ends up costing more money
Why this matters to you3: Losing money is bad no matter how you look at it. The potential savings can be offset by having to redo the work and the need for special equipment that is used one time.
Why should I care about Mold?
It is well established that exposure to certain types of mold are well known to have serious health effects in humans. It is certainly not in the interest of anyone to be exposed to mold.
OK, so I'll hire a carpet cleaning company to get rid of my water.
This is a logical step as the typical carpet cleaner will have access to better commercial vacuum equipment than the homeowner but this logic fails in two main areas, cost and ability. Trying to save money by hiring a carpet cleaner can have negative budgetary impact depending on the company used and time involved. While many carpet cleaners are exceptional at their trade and are, usually, worth every penny, carpet cleaners do not know how to remove water from walls, monitor and control ambient moisture, and other such concerns of a professional water damage remediation company.
So how can I get rid of this water and save money?
The best way of getting rid of water damage, preventing or eliminating exposure to mold, and saving money is by hiring a professional water damage restoration company. An independent, professional water damage restoration company is professionally trained and intra-industry certified to thoroughly and professionally handle all aspects of structural drying, odor control, mold handling and removal, and other relevant water damage restoration considerations. More importantly, in many cases, such services can be done at NO or little cost to the property owner using methods including direct insurance billing.
So why pay out of pocket and do the work yourself when the professionals can do the work for you at little to no cost? It's a no brainer.
This article is composed by and offered as a public service by Jimmy K.
Jimmy K is the Independent Owner and Operator of Emergency Response Restoration (http://www.emergencyresponserestoration.com/), 2665 N Atlantic Avenue, Daytona Beach, FL 32118.
Jimmy K is a true consumer advocate who is not afraid to battle the insurance company to ensure the proper restoration of the consumer's water damaged home office or asset.
This post is so useful for me at this very moment. Water damage a lot of the times causes mold issues. At the moment I have black mold starting to form in my basement because of water damage from a storm a little while ago. I have young children who are very active and I need to keep them safe. I will surely get my mold repairs started. I had a friend recommend Triton Renovation as a capable company as well.
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