If you or someone you know has experienced significant water damage to the interior of your home here are some recommendations for ensuring your home is adequately restored to a safe and habitable condition.
If you or someone you know has experienced significant water damage to the interior of your home here are some recommendations for ensuring your home is adequately restored to a safe and habitable condition.
Any significant water damage event in the home such as a burst water pipe or water intrusion from the roof increases the possibility of mold growth. The likely mold growth and hazardous conditions increases with the amount of water damage and the amount of time the wet conditions persist. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends drying water damaged areas within 24-48 hours of the event (EPA) to reduce the potential for mold growth. It is vital to identify and eliminate the source of the moisture.
When water damage results in visible mold growth the affected materials must be removed or cleaned and dried. The EPA recommends that for areas visibly affected by mold over an area of 10 square feet (roughly 3 feet x 3 feet) one should consider hiring an experienced mold remediation contractor. Once all moldy materials have been removed and the structure adequately dried out, it may be helpful to conduct surface and air mold sampling to determine whether or not adequate clean-up has taken place.
For more information you can visit the EPA’s website at: www.epa.gov/mold. You may also contact Ben Pierson in Code Enforcement by phone at 952.953.2571; or by email at bpierson@ci.apple-valley.mn.us with any questions or concerns.