Eliminating mold is a concern for staying healthy, especially for those with chronic respiratory issues such as asthma or severe allergies.
Finding eco-friendly ways to prevent and eliminate mold is an even healthier choice.
Here are some eco-friendly ways you can stay healthier while getting rid of mold.
Mold Prevention
Mold prevention takes away the need to use any cleaning products for mold removal, which is the best option. Preventing mold is easier than cleaning it up once it begins to grow.
Here are some things you can do to prevent mold from growing in your home.
Look for and repair any leaky faucets, pipes, or hoses as soon as you find them.
Repair leaky windows, doors, and the roof to avoid excess water from getting inside your home.
Keep your house as dry as possible by sopping up any water right away and using a dehumidifier or fan to dry out wet areas.
Use the exhaust fan during stovetop cooking in the kitchen.
During and after showering, turn on the exhaust fan or slightly open a window to keep air flow moving.
Permanently remove carpeting from bathrooms or kitchens where water spills are frequent, and carpet stays wet.
Remove and dry out any wet carpeted bath mats from the bathroom as soon as possible.
Choose mold-resistant paint especially in kitchens and bathrooms.
Re-grade the soil against the home foundation sloping away from the foundation.
Clean out gutters and downspouts to keep them clear from any debris that blocks water flow.
Keep humidity levels in your home under 50% by using a dehumidifier.
Test your home for mold if you notice a strong musty odor that won’t go away.
If excessive moisture, humidity or mold continue to be a problem, call a professional mold remediation company to find and eliminate the source of the problem.
Eco-friendly Mold Removal Products
Since toxic chemicals can trigger respiratory distress, using eco-friendly products makes even more sense for a healthier alternative to clean away mold.
Here are some options you can use to remove mold, many of which you may already have in your home.
Vinegar
Vinegar is truly an eco-friendly miracle for many uses around the home, including mold clean up. Because of its anti-bacterial qualities, vinegar is capable of killing off most types of mold.
Use vinegar by pouring into a spray bottle without diluting with water. Spray the full-strength vinegar enough to saturate the affected area. Let sit for about an hour, then rinse off with water and dry.
The worst part about vinegar is the smell, which thankfully dissipates within a few hours.
Hydrogen Peroxide
For the best results, use hydrogen peroxide with a concentration of 3 percent or more.
Pour into a spray bottle to reduce contact with your skin since higher concentrations can irritate skin.
Spray directly onto mold, let sit for about 10 minutes and wipe down with a clean, wet cloth.
Baking Soda
Completely dissolve a ¼ tablespoon of baking soda into a spray bottle full of water.
Spray the moldy area and let sit for about 10 minutes. When ready, lightly brush or scrub the area and wipe dry with a clean cloth.
Ingredients to Avoid
When looking for eco-friendly options, make sure the products you choose do not contain ingredients such as:
Alcohol
Ammonia
Chlorine
Read product labels for descriptions such as “phosphate free,” “petroleum free,” “biodegradable,” or “botanical.”
Professional Mold Remediation
If you need help finding ways to prevent, locate or eliminate mold in your home, don’t hesitate to call a mold remediation professional for advice.
Take advantage of a free consultation and any recommendations their years of experience can offer you.
At RCS, we offer expert advice and services to eliminate your mold issues with the latest in healthy, eco-friendly products and techniques.
Water damage is one of the worst things you can experience as a homeowner.
One means of protection from the damage water can do to both the interior and exterior of your home are gutters and rainspouts.
Here’s what they can do for you.
Prevent Flooding and Water Damage
Gutters and downspouts catch and re-direct water away from your home, which is especially important during periods of heavy rainfall.
If you have a basement in a house without gutters and downspouts, the odds of you experiencing flooding or water damage increase.
If you see water seeping into the basement or notice wet floors after a storm, it’s time to figure out what is causing water to seep into your basement.
Seeping water is a problem because it’s very likely that there are areas you can’t see where the floors remain wet and never dry out. These areas include dark corners or areas hidden behind stored items.
If you are unfortunate enough to have more than wet floors and there’s standing water, it’s time to call in a professional to dry up, sanitize, find and fix the source of the water.
Erosion Control
Excessive amounts of water erodes the soil around the foundation of your home, meant to slope water away from the home.
Once the soil erodes away, there’s nothing to stop water from pooling around your foundation, increasing the odds of damage or flooding.
Gutters and downspouts keep erosion control measures around your home safe.
Prevent Foundation Damage
Without gutters and downspouts directing water away from the foundation of your home, water settles into the ground right next to it.
Over time, this excessive water will crack the foundation and even more water will get inside, increasing the odds of flooding, standing water, mold and other home damaging issues.
Eventually, this damage comprises the foundation of your home.
In Sonoma County where winter means extra rainy conditions, make it a priority to install gutters and downspouts on your home.
Mold
When water seeps into your home in places you can’t find, the potential for mold runs high.
Keep in mind that water can get into your home through cracks in the foundation or even basement windows, especially if you don’t have gutters and downspouts to keep the water away from your home.
It won’t take long for wet areas or stored items in the basement to grow mold. The mildew smell is a giveaway that there are wet areas covered in mold.
If you can’t find the mold, call in a professional mold remediation company to resolve the problem.
Insect Infestations
Without gutters and downspouts at work, water collects and sits all around the foundation of your home.
Standing water located near the foundation has little chance to dry out or be redirected to an area where the sun dries it up or where it can be absorbed into dry ground.
Not only does standing water negatively affect the foundation, but it also creates an environment which attracts and breeding grounds for mosquitos and other insects.
No matter if you treat the area with insecticide, the standing water will keep attracting these insects and you’ll find yourself with a potential infestation.
These insects find ways to enter your home through cracks in the windows or foundation walls.
Exterior Damage
Gutters and downspouts prevent water from damaging the exterior of your home depending on what type of siding or exterior finish you have.
Water stains cause siding stains, paint damage or wood on the exterior to rot.
In addition to the aesthetic unappeal, it’s going to cost more money to re-paint the house, replace siding or wood around windows or other places on your home.
Conclusion
While installing gutters and downspouts requires an investment, they prevent damage to your home and save you money in the long run.
It’s important to repair or replace existing gutters and downspouts because if they are installed improperly or are failing, they can pull away from the home and cause damage in other areas.
If it’s too late to avoid a water damage issue, call the experts at RCS in Santa Rosa, CA. We are here to help with your water damage, flooding or mold remediation needs.
Good air quality in the home provides the environment all of us need to live comfortably and stay healthy.
Why is good air quality important? If you suffer from respiratory conditions such as asthma or allergies, you know how important it is to reduce the odds of a flare-up or full-blown respiratory attack.
Here are some things to know about improving the air quality in your home.
Poor Air Quality Triggers
In addition to the after-effects of sewer or water damage, there are many every day biological contaminants that reduce indoor air quality and can trigger an asthma or other respiratory attacks.
Mold and mildew due to excessive moisture in and around the home
Bacteria and contaminants from water damage or sewer backups
Dried rodent droppings (which become airborne)
Contaminated insulation, carpeting
Three Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality
Eliminate Sources of Poor Air Quality
Getting rid of the source of indoor pollutants can help improve indoor air quality.
Indoor pollutant sources include, but are not limited to:
Building materials (flooring, carpeting, furniture, remodeling materials)
Black mold and other types of fungus
High humidity levels (above desired humidity level of between 30-50 percent)
Inadequate ventilation
Improve Ventilation
A simple solution to improving indoor air quality is to let more outdoor air inside.
Even the most energy efficient HVAC system can’t bring fresh air indoors. Here are ways to bring fresh air inside:
Open doors and windows.
Running fans or an open vent window air conditioning unit.
Exhaust fans to not only eliminate contaminants from a bathroom or kitchen but increase the outdoor ventilation rate if vented to the exterior.
There are three different ways to ventilate your home:
Natural
From outside air entering the home through doors and windows
Infiltration
Outside air gets into your home through leaks, cracks, broken seals
Mechanical
Forced air controlled by your HVAC system
Keep in mind that venting is especially important when working directly with contaminants. It’s important to increase ventilation while using oven cleaners, bleach or strong cleaners, paint stripper, paint, or while sanding, staining wood, using gas appliances or the fireplace.
Clean the Air
Air cleaners are available for purchase in a wide range of models and price ranges.
To be effective, look for an air cleaner that both traps indoor air pollutants (efficiency rate percentage) and for how much air is processed through the filter (measured in cubic feet per minute).
Both an efficient level of trapping pollutants and amount of air processed through cleaning filter must be in place to make a difference in air quality.
Conclusion
One of the most common reasons for reduced air quality in the home is due to sources of moisture and dampness found in crawl spaces, basements, kitchens and bathrooms. This is because among other things, excessive moisture breeds bacteria and causes mold to grow, which decreases the air quality in your home.
If you need an expert to complete an inspection and offer valuable recommendations to eliminate risk factors for moisture and mold in your home, contact the mold remediation professionals at RCS in Sonoma County.
If you have experienced sewer or water damage to your home, you may think that once the cleanup is complete, you’re done.
However, in some cases that’s only about half of the process. The final step is to restore your home to its pristine condition prior to the damage.
Here is what to expect.
Assessing the Damage
Your part in the process is to act quickly. The longer you wait, the more time there is for further damage, potential structural damage and the longer the cleanup and restoration process will take.
Aside from the structural impact on your home, prolonging sewer or water damage cleanup leaves conditions right for mold, mildew and bacteria to form, leading to airborne pathogens that result in potential illness and respiratory distress.
Depending upon the amount of water left behind, standing water (especially due to sewer backups) should be turned over to a professional to properly remove, dry and sanitize every inch of the damaged space.
Water doesn’t just pool on the floor, it seeps into drywall, wood, insulation, carpeting, flooring, stored personal items and porous surfaces. It’s this that causes more extensive damage.
The level of water damage determines the cleanup and restoration plan.
At the assessment stage, water damage is rated from Category 1 to 3. Category 1 is minor damage, while Category 3 is severe and earmarked by saturated flooring, carpet and drywall, and evidence of contaminated water filled with dangerous bacteria and pathogens.
After inspection, most likely done on an emergency basis due to the urgency of water removal, damage is assessed, and a cleanup and restoration plan is discussed and put into action as soon as possible.
After the water is removed, the space is dried completely, cleaning and sanitizing have been completed, the final step, or restoration work begins.
The Restoration Process
When the restoration work begins, you know you are in the final stretch and typically within a few days, you’ll be able to enjoy your space once again.
Depending on the extent of damage, restoration can range from relatively minor repairs to a more extensive, involved project.
If the damage was rated a Category 3, the restoration process involves replacing any and all materials that were damaged from the water.
This includes replacement of drywall, flooring, sub-flooring and restoration of any other damaged structures such as built-in cabinets, a kitchen, bar, and any other structural damage.
Conclusion
While a small amount of water is something you can probably manage yourself, it’s the burst pipes, broken water heaters, floods or sewer back-ups that call for the professionals.
At RCS, we’re here for you in an emergency or to answer any of your questions. Let our highly skilled professionals in Santa Rosa, CA handle the entire sewer/water damage restoration process for you.
