08/22/2022
With the record amount of rain and water in buildings, let me share some tips for drying building materials as quickly as possible. This is critical for mold prevention. Mold can take hold as quickly as 4 hours in the right conditions.
1. Air movement is critical. Get fans going on wet materials quickly. Control temperature, the cooler the better to dry faster.
2. Pull back carpeting and pad to get your subfloor dry and dry each layer faster.
3. If you have laminate flooring with sound dampening insulation underneath, pull that floor up.
4. Get a razor blade and chisel and pop those baseboards and cabinet kick plates. It's important to get air in there. Get a large drill bit and drill holes in the sheetrock at the 1-foot level. You can look up IICRS guidelines on Google for spacing.
5. If water came from above, turn off the power to the lights and remove the light fixture covers.
6. Remove wet insulation in the attic and walls if needed.
7. Purchase a moisture meter at Home Depot and Lowes and take readings everywhere. Document them and check every 12 hours or so. If you don't see numbers going down within a day, get professional help to dry it.
If you see mold at any point, discontinue all efforts to dry the materials. Once mold starts to dry, it sends out millions of spores in the air to try to survive. It seems counterintuitive but uses common sense. Do not turn off your air conditioning. It will only make matters worse.
This is a partial list but should get you started. Water is the enemy of buildings and can destroy them quickly so you have to act fast.
Go here for more information:
This guide provides information and guidance for homeowners and renters on how to clean up residential mold problems and how to prevent mold growth.
