What Every Portland Resident Needs to Know About Mold, Moisture and Water Damage

Owning a house in Portland is a great investment but maintaining it can be quite a challenge. It can be especially difficult in the Pacific Northwest, where there is a higher chance of water damage affecting your home. Water can be quite damaging to your property – it can weaken the entire structure of your home and easily ruin the carpets and flooring – but besides damage, mold from water damage can seriously affect your health. Read on to know how mold is formed in your house.

Portland is a beautiful place to live and raise your family, but like every place it has its share of problems. One problem is the heavy rain that occurs for long periods of time throughout the year. These events often lead to flash flooding or scattered floods. Houses are flooded with excess water, causing still water and water seepage in your home. Heavy rain also causes water to seep in to the walls of your house. Houses become moisture laden and damp – the perfect place for mold to start growing. Read more on the basics of mold:

What is mold?

Mold is fungi that grows on dead organic matter, and is everywhere in nature. Mold is always present because it consists of microbes, but mold presence is only visible to people when colonies grow. The dark green formation that you see on your walls is mold; it can also be black in color. Mold can grow really fast, up to 10 square centimeters in 24 hours. Mold needs moisture to spread and grow on. Damp walls are the perfect breeding ground for mold.

How does it affect your health?

Mold produces allergens that can cause allergic reactions, and is considered an irritant. This means that you or your family can have reactions from the mold itself. Symptoms of a mold allergy include watery, itchy eyes, chronic cough, headache or migraine. Other more alarming symptoms include difficulty in breathing, rashes, tiredness, sinus problems, nasal blockage and frequent sneezing. Touching or inhaling mold or mold spores can instantly cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Mold is very harmful to asthma patients, as it aggravates the asthmatic condition with its allergens.

Some molds are toxic in nature and produce mycotoxins that lead to severe health risks to humans and animals. Prolonged exposure to these mycotoxins can lead to complicated neurological problems.

How can you get rid of it?

If you have suffered water damage from rain, leakages or flooding, then your home may have mold growth. Apart from the growth you can see, spot mold growth can occur in damp, dark or steam filled areas in your house. The bathroom or kitchen, storage areas, basements, attics are common places to see mold growth. Once you realize that you have mold, you need to stop the growth immediately. The best way to get rid of it is to call in the experts. If you can clean up the mold, be sure to wipe it off the wall with a normal detergent solution and a bit of scrubbing. After you wash, be sure to dry the area thoroughly. Before you start cleaning, make sure to protect yourself well with a mask and plastic gloves, and wear clothes you can throw away.

Even if you clean away the mold, moisture and dampness could remain in your walls, causing mold to return quickly. The best way to get rid of mold is to prevent water damage – get those leaks repaired, and in case of flood damage, get expert help as soon as possible.

These professional cleaners and restoration experts are very quick in dealing with water damage Portland Oregon homes will be much safer from mold and allergens once they have been restored by the experts.

The writer is a water damage consultant with ServiceMaster Of Portland, a company that consists of experts in mold remediation, odor removal, fire damage restoration and carpet cleaning Beaverton and Portland are their areas of operation.