Dealing With A Basement Flood? 2 Important Steps To Prevent Mold Growth
Mold remediation is one of the toughest parts of cleaning up the basement after a flood. Even after the water damage has been cleaned up and your basement has been restored, mold can creep in and wreak havoc. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to reduce the problems associated with mold. Here's what you need to know about preventing mold growth from becoming a problem after a flood.
Wash All the Concrete Surfaces
Flood waters can seep into walls and floors. Whether you're dealing with wood, drywall or concrete, once they're wet, mold spores can begin to grow unless the surfaces are properly cleaned and sanitized. You might think that because of the porous material, concrete shouldn't be affected by moisture and mold. Unfortunately, that's not correct. Mold can grow quite easily on concrete. You can prevent mold growth by washing the surfaces that were soaked in the flood using a solution of bleach and water.
Walls
Open the windows in your home to allow for proper ventilation. Fill a bucket with hot water and add 2 cups of bleach. Put gloves on and use a soft brush to scrub all the sections of the walls that came in contact with the contaminated flood waters. Allow the walls to air dry.
Floors
For this project, you'll use the same bleach and water solution that you used on your walls. However, you'll put the solution into a garden sprayer instead of a bucket. Spray the walls and floors with your bleach solution and allow it to air dry. Leave the windows open to provide adequate ventilation during the drying process.
Seal Concrete Walls and Floors
Once you've sanitized the basement using bleach and water, you'll need to waterproof the concrete walls and floors. This is an important step because it will kill any leftover mold spores and it will seal the concrete to prevent future moisture problems.
Supplies You'll Need
- Paint pan
- Paint rollers
- Waterproof sealant
Directions
- Fill your paint pan with waterproof sealant.
- Apply sealant to all the concrete walls in the room.
- Beginning at the corner farthest away from the door, begin applying sealant to the concrete floor.
- Move across and down towards the door in horizontal rows.
- Once you've applied sealant to all the concrete surfaces, allow it to dry overnight.
If your basement has flooded, you're going to need to clean up the water damage. Preventing mold growth is an important part of the water damage restoration process. The steps outlined above will help prevent future mold growth caused by the flood waters. For more tips about waterproofing and restoration, contact a company like Servpro Of Washington County.
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