When talking about mold, there are a few words and phrases everyone needs to know the meaning of and here are the most important ones.
“Mold”. Mold is a kind of fungus (belonging to the kingdom fungi) that grows both indoors and outdoors all around the world and there are many different species and colors. To some people the words fungi and mold are used interchangeably, but not all fungi are molds. Other fungi besides molds include something that most of us eat all the time: mushrooms. Certain kinds of mold are also used in the creation of specific kinds of cheese, so it is incorrect to think that all molds are bad for us.
Most of us don’t know what “mycotoxin” means, but it is what makes some kinds of molds dangerous. Mycotoxins are a compound that are produced by fungus that are dangerous to living things. The mold itself is not toxic, but the mycotoxins produced by the mold are and these are what cause health complications for some people.
When mold inspectors talk to you about “remediation”, you might not understand exactly what that means. The word “remediation” means to solve a problem and when it comes to mold, this means fixing the moisture and heating problem in the building where there is a mold infestation.
Stachybotrys is a genus of mold that has about 10 members and this grows mainly on dead plant materials. When it’s found indoors, it often grows on things like paper and canvas (this includes sheetrock that has a paper covering). This kind of mold is toxic and it is the mold that most people are thinking of when they say “black mold”, even though a few different kinds of mold are black. Not all black mold is stachybotrys.
Hidden mold is found in areas that you cannot see readily. They are colonies that can be found inside walls or in ventilation systems like inside air conditioners or inside the ducts themselves. Hidden mold in your ventilation system is important to get rid of because it’s distributing the mold throughout your home or business and spreading the infection to other areas where it will likely take root and grow.
The word “biocide” is a term that is meant to denote chemicals that kill organisms such as fungi or at the very least, slow their growth. The word “fungicide” is often used interchangeably with “biocide”.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.localrestoration.com and
http://www.moldrestorationusa.com
Thursday, October 11, 2007
How to Prevent Water Damage Outside Your Home
Any excess amount of water coming into contact with the foundation or the inside of your home can be structurally damaging and if you own the home you’re currently living in, one of the best things that you can do to prevent this damage is to learn how to direct runoff water away from your home.
If you live in a rainy climate or even a snowy one (even snow melts eventually in most places), you should take special care to protect the structural integrity of your home. This is best done by making sure that you have good surface drainage outside of your home and this involves your roof, gutters, and downspouts. Downspout extensions also need to be paid attention to and you need to make sure that they direct water as far as possible from your home’s foundation.
Making sure your roof is properly angled according to where you live. Roofs with higher pitches are the most common in areas where snow tends to be heavy because snow can easily slide off the roof instead of being allowed to sit there and not only stress your roof because of the weight, but when it starts to melt, it will cause the water damage you’re trying to avoid. Water shouldn’t be allowed to accumulate on your roof for any period of time and this is why your roof should be angled so the water will run into the gutters.
The gutters to your home should be large enough to handle heavy amounts of rainfall, especially if you live in an area where heavy rain is common. They should also be cleaned out on a regular basis and be free of clogs of any kind. It might not be a fun home improvement activity for you or anyone you hire to do it for you, but doing this as opposed to having to repair water damage to your home will save you money in the long run.
The downspouts that are connected to your gutters are what direct the water from the gutters and down to the ground where a downspout extension should be located to make sure the water from your roof doesn’t collect around your foundation. These are normally located around the corners of the home, but can be found in other areas. The easier it is for water to get away from your home, the more money you’ll end up saving in the future.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
mold remediation companies across the united states.
If you live in a rainy climate or even a snowy one (even snow melts eventually in most places), you should take special care to protect the structural integrity of your home. This is best done by making sure that you have good surface drainage outside of your home and this involves your roof, gutters, and downspouts. Downspout extensions also need to be paid attention to and you need to make sure that they direct water as far as possible from your home’s foundation.
Making sure your roof is properly angled according to where you live. Roofs with higher pitches are the most common in areas where snow tends to be heavy because snow can easily slide off the roof instead of being allowed to sit there and not only stress your roof because of the weight, but when it starts to melt, it will cause the water damage you’re trying to avoid. Water shouldn’t be allowed to accumulate on your roof for any period of time and this is why your roof should be angled so the water will run into the gutters.
The gutters to your home should be large enough to handle heavy amounts of rainfall, especially if you live in an area where heavy rain is common. They should also be cleaned out on a regular basis and be free of clogs of any kind. It might not be a fun home improvement activity for you or anyone you hire to do it for you, but doing this as opposed to having to repair water damage to your home will save you money in the long run.
The downspouts that are connected to your gutters are what direct the water from the gutters and down to the ground where a downspout extension should be located to make sure the water from your roof doesn’t collect around your foundation. These are normally located around the corners of the home, but can be found in other areas. The easier it is for water to get away from your home, the more money you’ll end up saving in the future.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
mold remediation companies across the united states.
How to Care For Water Damaged Electronics
Most of the time when electronic items become water damaged, they’re on and running and this is what causes the majority of the damage. The electricity and water flowing through the object at the same time is what fries the electronic components inside, not just the water itself.
What almost became a horror story for me was when I left my $40 CD player in the floorboard of the car along with a bag of ice that my brother was supposed to have retrieved after I got home. He didn’t and when I got in the car the next morning, it was completely submersed in water. The worst mistake I could have made at that point was to try and turn it on. Whatever you do, if you have a piece of water damaged equipment like this and it isn’t dry yet, do NOT try to turn it on! I let my CD player dry for about two weeks (after taking the batteries out) before I even considered trying to power it up. An article in the Washington Post claims that a Blackberry that had fallen into the toilet survived because it was put in a bowl of uncooked rice for a few days because rice absorbed all the moisture. If you’re going to go this route, make sure the rice is of a larger grain so it doesn’t work its way inside the device.
If you’re faced with a problem where a liquid spills into a device that is powered on and connected to the current in your wall or the current in your car, disconnect the device from its power source immediately. If it has batteries, too, remove them to make sure it has no power source at all, in case you accidentally press the “on” button. You don’t want to get shocked by touching it while it’s still plugged in, if it plugs into the wall in your house.
Other devices larger than cell phones and CD players get water damaged and those are computers, televisions, stereo equipment, video cameras, and etcetera. These items are best cared for by a professional and in fact, if you have any doubts as to your own ability to work on your smaller water damaged items, it’s really best to do this, anyway. If you’re going to call a professional, though, you should do it quickly: the liquid gradually corrodes some of the internal metal components.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration and
mold remediation companies across the united states.
What almost became a horror story for me was when I left my $40 CD player in the floorboard of the car along with a bag of ice that my brother was supposed to have retrieved after I got home. He didn’t and when I got in the car the next morning, it was completely submersed in water. The worst mistake I could have made at that point was to try and turn it on. Whatever you do, if you have a piece of water damaged equipment like this and it isn’t dry yet, do NOT try to turn it on! I let my CD player dry for about two weeks (after taking the batteries out) before I even considered trying to power it up. An article in the Washington Post claims that a Blackberry that had fallen into the toilet survived because it was put in a bowl of uncooked rice for a few days because rice absorbed all the moisture. If you’re going to go this route, make sure the rice is of a larger grain so it doesn’t work its way inside the device.
If you’re faced with a problem where a liquid spills into a device that is powered on and connected to the current in your wall or the current in your car, disconnect the device from its power source immediately. If it has batteries, too, remove them to make sure it has no power source at all, in case you accidentally press the “on” button. You don’t want to get shocked by touching it while it’s still plugged in, if it plugs into the wall in your house.
Other devices larger than cell phones and CD players get water damaged and those are computers, televisions, stereo equipment, video cameras, and etcetera. These items are best cared for by a professional and in fact, if you have any doubts as to your own ability to work on your smaller water damaged items, it’s really best to do this, anyway. If you’re going to call a professional, though, you should do it quickly: the liquid gradually corrodes some of the internal metal components.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration and
mold remediation companies across the united states.
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