Why is it Important to Completely Remediate Water Damage in Chicago Homes?

10/29/2021 (Permalink)

SERVPRO IICRC certified technicians have the mold remediation knowledge and services needed for your home. We are here to help.

SERVPRO can Help Prevent Mold Damage by Mitigating Chicago Area Water Damage

After finding some minor patches of mold in the basement of your Chicago home, you might have cleaned it up with bleach as a way to get rid of the microbial colony growing in your house. The goal of most homeowners is not only to stop the colony from increasing in size but also to remove the mold's visible presence.

Is Mold Really that Big of an Issue?

We often get calls from owners who tried to clean the mold themselves only to discover additional mold damage in their Chicago home later. Others find their walls now covered in rippled stains. One of the reasons for this development is that mold feeds on damp materials. The bleach available commercially to the general public contains a lot more water than it does sodium hypochlorite, the active component of household bleach.

Further dilution of this in preparation for killing mold provides mold with copious amounts of water. Instead of killing mold, trying to kill it and remove it with this method often only slows it down temporarily, followed by a surge in growth once it reactivates.

Also, because water does nothing to change the color of mold's hyphae, the anchors used to hold mold particles to the surface of wherever it grows, these remain embedded in the drywall. They are very similar to roots. They act very similarly to when a plant is clipped at the surface of the soil. Any surviving mold now has a feast because only the water in a bleach solution can penetrate into the drywall. The sodium hypochlorite molecules are too large to penetrate beyond the drywall's surface and never touch the hyphae. Left intact, they quickly reappear to leave a stained area.

SERVPRO is always ready to perform mold damage remediation services approved by the IICRC for homeowners. We understand your concerns about mold and its possible damaging effects. Regardless of the color of mold in your home, it is necessary to correctly remove damaged and moldy materials and clean other areas of mold and spores. Our specialists can provide you with specific information on how mold became a problem in your residence so you can more easily prevent its recurrence.

SERVPRO of Evergreen Park / South Chicago City covers the areas around Morgan Park, South Holland, and Riverdale. Call us for mold damage remediation services that rid your home of excessive old populations and correct the indoor environment, so reinfestation becomes less likely. Our 24-hour service number is (773) 337-3900.