After any kind of flooding or water damage incident, the affected areas may look nice and dry to the naked eye. Don’t be fooled.

Water soaks into floors, carpeting, drywall, wood, and other porous surfaces like a sponge. What may appear dry may be hiding a good amount of water that you can’t see.

Here’s how dehumidifiers help dry out the water you can’t see.

Undetected Water Damage

The damage from undetected water can spell disaster for a homeowner.

After drying up standing water, there is secondary water damage to deal with. Secondary water damage causes wood to warp or rot, mold to grow and leaves behind a very strong musty odor. In addition, it compromises structural integrity.

When a strong musty odor sets in, it’s very difficult to remove and is a telltale sign that mold is present.

Mold has been proven to cause health issues like runny eyes, sneezing, and other allergic reactions. For anyone suffering with a compromised immune systems or upper respiratory tract, mold presents a serious health risk.

The Drying Power of Dehumidifiers

A dehumidifier is one of the best tools to combat visible, undetected, and secondary water damage. It dries up residual moisture leaving your space thoroughly dry.

Dehumidifiers also go to work drying up hard-to-reach areas that are more difficult to access manually.

They are excellent for use in counteracting excessive humidity levels in your home left behind by a flooding event. High humidity levels create an environment that’s ideal for mold to set in, grow and spread.

Dehumidifiers vs. Fans

While water damage restoration technicians are likely to use both dehumidifiers and fans, there are distinct advantages to using a dehumidifier.

Fans

• While fans help with the drying process, they also circulate highly humid moist air throughout the water damaged space.
• The features of fans are limited. You can only adjust the height, tilt, turn the air on high or set to oscillate.

Dehumidifiers

• A dehumidifier purposely removes moisture from the air. Removal of moisture and humidity is key to speeding up the drying process.
• Dehumidifiers come in all sizes, which you can customize for either a small or large room.
• More customized settings to choose from to run continuously, select running time, program running option for type/size of room, take advantage of the auto re-start feature or display humidity levels.

Conclusion

A dehumidifier is one of the best investments you can make after a water damage event. If you are fortunate enough to never experience flooding, a dehumidifier is still useful to consistently keep humidity levels down and comfort levels up.

If you need help drying out and cleaning up after water damage, the experts at RCS are available 24/7. For professional restoration services, call today.