When water affects your property, it may seem like something you can handle on your own. But, before you attempt to tackle a water damage cleanup in Morgantown, you should be aware of the potential dangers and hazards that come with water damage. The cleanup process is more extensive than you may think.
Water Damage: Structural Damage
Even after surface water has been dried, water damage is likely still occurring. Water travels beneath walls, under carpets and floorboards, and to other places you cannot see. Attempting to dry an area without the right equipment will result in water remaining trapped in difficult places. Dehumidification is a very important step in water damage cleanup, and needs to be monitored with moisture detection equipment. Without the use of professional tools, experience, and monitoring, you may think the problem is fixed when its not. The integrity of walls, floors, and ceilings may become compromised the longer this hidden water remains present. These porous materials will continue to absorb the trapped water and moisture until they become saturated. Then, bowing, warping, bending, breaking, and deterioration will begin to occur under the weight of the excess moisture. These structural damages weaken the very integrity of the home, and leave it vulnerable to further extensive damage.
Water Damage: Mold
Many DIY cleanup techniques provide a quick fix for water damage cleanup, mainly addressing surface water. When dealing with mold, there is no such thing as a quick fix. Because mold can go unseen just like water, you may not even know that you are dealing with mold when cleaning up after water damage. Without the proper tools an equipment to detect and remediate mold, it can turn into a serious health problem. Mold can grow in as little as 24 hours after water damage has occurred, so any time you are dealing with water cleanup you should assume you are dealing with mold, and any time you are dealing with mold you should call in the professionals to avoid exposing yourself and your family to the harmful health risks associated with mold. Indoor mold can cause a number of respiratory symptoms, and worsens existing allergy or asthma symptoms. Some risks of mold exposure include: headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, congestion, eye irritation, sore throat, and other allergic reactions. As long as moisture goes unseen or unnoticed, mold growth will be able to grow unseen or unnoticed as well – until it becomes a large enough problem that it cannot hide any longer. To stop mold before it becomes a problem, you need professional intervention and cleanup techniques and tools.
Water Damage: Personal Harm
Even if the water damage does not look extensive, there can be many hidden dangers. One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make when trying to handle water damage on their own is failing to protect themselves when cleaning up the mess. From the type of water (clean, gray or black), to potential electrical shock, there are many factors when dealing with water damage that can cause extreme personal harm. It is important to get the mess cleaned up quickly, but going into it not knowing where the water source is from, without proper personal protective clothing and equipment, or without shutting off all power to the area can make you susceptible to harm. Without the training, experience, and expertise that professionals have, water damage cleanup can end in some serious injuries to you and everyone else involved.
Call The Water Damage Cleanup Pros In Morgantown
When it comes to water damage cleanup, do not go at it alone. Call the professionals at Crossroads Property Rescue to make sure that you and your family are safe, and that your home is in the best care possible during the cleanup process. For the best results, leave the cleanup to Crossroads.