Whether you’re a long-time homeowner or recently bought a new house, you’d know that water damage can devastate your property. Besides ruining your prized possessions and expensive appliances, it can also lead to dangerous mold growth, which can cause severe health issues to anyone at home.
For these reasons, finding water damage restoration solutions is crucial. While it may be understandable to freak out about a flooded or wet area, you must find the source and call a professional water remediation specialist. That way, you can prevent costly mistakes and severe structural damage.
This article will help you understand how fast water damage can spread and how you can solve it.
What Causes Water Damage?
Your home can suffer from water damage because of inclement weather and flooding. Costly mistakes such as backed-up sewage, clogged gutters, and not replacing faulty appliances can also wreak slippery and unsanitary havoc in your home.
How Bad Can Water Damage Be?
Water damage is any homeowner’s worst nightmare. Besides damaging your priced items, it can also cause mold growth and potential health hazards. Electronics and furniture are particularly vulnerable to water, and moisture can hide in hard-to-reach areas. Moreover, the water can also have many harmful bacteria and germs if it’s not clean.
How Much Damage Can Water Cause?
While water is vital to life, even the smallest drop can wreak havoc on your home’s materials. For instance, hardwood floors are susceptible, and even the tiniest amount of water left sitting for one or two days can lead to buckling planks and many repair issues. On the other hand, you can still save your drywall if it only has less than one percent of moisture. Other than that, you need to replace it immediately.
Mold and mildew can also sprout within 24 hours of any moisture in the air, even with the tiniest water damage.
How Quickly Does Water Damage Progress?
A seemingly minor water leak can quickly escalate into a costly problem. As the water seeps into your carpets, walls, and furniture, it can cause collateral damage. If you don’t call professional water damage restoration immediately, your home insurance policy may not cover the repair costs.
What Happens in the First 24 Hours?
During the first 24 hours, a leak or flood can cause various damages to your home, such as warping personal belongings, soaking soft furnishings and upholstery, swelling of drywall and furniture, peeling paint and wallpaper, and damaged electrical systems and insulation. It can also cause mold growth.
What about within the First Week?
The effects of water damage can become progressively worse after the first day. Mold can quickly spread, causing a hazardous environment, especially for those prone to illnesses. Wood surfaces and walls can also deteriorate, and metal can start to rust.
What Happens After More than One Week?
If you don’t call water damage restoration within a week, the remediation costs and efforts can escalate and hurt your insurance policies or bank accounts. The mold colonies will rapidly multiply, and there’s an increased risk of permanent structural damage.
What Should You Do to Address It?
Once you spot a flood or leak, call water damage restoration services immediately, evacuate everyone and pets from the house, and gather accessible valuables. Switch off the breaker box if it’s in a dry part but call the utility company if it’s wet. Let your insurance company know about your situation, and never touch gray or black water because it’s a biohazard.
Drying for a Safer Home
Water can wreak havoc on your home if you don’t address the problem immediately. Fortunately, you can prevent these expensive mistakes by working with a professional water damage restoration specialist. If your home needs professional water damage restoration in Fort Worth, work with Restoration Solutions! Our business has over 20 years of experience in the restoration industry. Call us now to book an appointment!
