How Water Damage Can Impact Your Health

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

As a homeowner, you can dread the idea of water damage inside your home. However, if something like that ever does happen to you, it is necessary for you to make the decision on how best to handle the problem. For more serious problems like flooding, you will obviously call up your insurance agent along with your restoration company.

The problem starts when the water damage is small. Here, procrastination can get the best of us, and many homeowners may be tempted to leave the problem as it is. You might be thinking, this problem isn’t serious and it can wait till next week, next month, or even postpone to the next year. The truth is, delaying will only make your problem worst. Water damage can actually get worse the longer it is left alone, and in additionally, it can become a serious health risk for your family. One such example of a health risk is mold.

How mold can grow inside your home:

In about 2 days, the tiny little water leak you decided to ignore can become a mold growth. This could even happen if the water was absolutely clean. Basically, mold spores from the air, too tiny to be seen by the naked eye, can come and land near the water. This provides them with the moisture they need to grow. And so, they start to grow in large quantities.

After a while, the mold growth will become visible to the naked eye. This is when you may notice discoloration or patches of mold on your floors or walls. However, one big problem that arises is that now the patch of mold is producing spores of its own, which can pose a huge health risk to all the occupants inside the home.

The symptoms of mold spore inhalation:

Mold can be involved in the triggering of several allergy-like symptoms. In serious cases, it can even cause an asthma attack. Furthermore, other symptoms associated with exposure to mold is that it can make the person cough, sneeze, and have watery eyes and itchy skin. Internally, problems like lung infections and discomfort can also take place as a result of the inhalation of mold spores. The people most at risk are the people who already have respiratory issues, along with children and old people.

Removing the mold on your own:

If you ever encounter water damages inside your home, your immediate thought should be having your home checked for mold growth. When it comes to the mold removal and remediation, you can use some kind of disinfectant to reduce the growth. You can also use compounds like vinegar to help reduce the mold, though you may face problems because of its smell. However, this is only applicable for small problems. When it comes to serious issues, call up a restoration company at once to handle the mold removal effectively.