Water damage can strike any home at any time and cause all sorts of structural problems and expensive issues. Rainstorms can cause flooding, but even something as minor as a leaky faucet can lead to plenty of residential stress and costly repairs. In fact, a leaky faucet can waste as much as 100 gallons of water a day.

Since household water issues can cause so much damage, it’s important that every homeowner is fully aware of how to prevent some of these issues and handle them once they have already occurred.

Here are some excellent tips for preventing and dealing with water damage inside your home:

• Maintain trees and vegetation — Though some shrubs can look great, unkempt shrubs and trees can decrease your home’s look and even ruin its value. Roots can wrap around pipes and break them, leading to all sorts of water issues.
• Disconnect hoses — If you notice any standing water inside your home or garage, you need to act quickly to minimize damage and save money. The first thing you should do is stop the water flow by disconnecting your hoses.
• Limit indoor dampness — Neglecting to control indoor moisture can lead to mold and mildew infestations. Take a look in damp areas like crawlspaces, attics, in walls, and inside the basement. The best way to prevent mold buildup is to ensure quality ventilation, stop all leaks, routing water away from your foundation, and keep crawlspaces dry. Contact mold removal and mold prevention professionals if the problem worsens.
• Get rid of any damaged item — If anything in your home has been damaged by water, it’s best to just get rid of them. Removing water-logged and damaged items can be difficult, but it will help you minimize overall damage and dry up your home.
• Improve your home’s air quality — When it comes to dealing with water damage, focusing on the air quality is a great place to start. Residential bacterial and microbial growth can start forming within 48 to 72 hours after water issues. Start the drying process with box fans and dehumidifiers to help control the air quality and remove the humidity from the air.

If you want to learn more about dealing with water damage and schedule a mold inspection and consultation, give Hydroforce Cleaning Systems a call right away.

According to Farmers Insurance, there has been a 1,100 increase in mold-related claims over the last 10 years. Residential water damage can lead to serious mold and mildew problems, which can subsequently result in extremely costly additional damage.

Though minor water-related issues around the home can be tended to easily, the majority of water problems should be handled by professionals. If you are attempting to cleanup any mold or mildew around your home, make sure you’re being extremely careful.

Here are some common mold, mildew, and water damage cleanup mistakes that people often make (beware of these at all costs):

• Waiting too long to address the issue — If your home has dealt with any flooding, sewage issues, or any water-related problem — you need to act right away. Waiting too long can result in far more significant and costly damage to various aspects of your home. The first 48 hours after the water-related damage has occurred are crucial if you want to save your walls, carpets, ceilings, structure, and bank account.
• Not utilizing the correct equipment — For serious mold issues and flood damage, you can’t just use a mop or paper towels to clean everything up. You need specialized equipment, which is why it’s imperative to hire water restoration and cleanup professionals early on.
• Neglecting electrical outlets — As soon as you identify any water-related problem inside your home, you need to unplug everything to avoid electrical issues. During a residential flood, make sure you’re unplugging and keeping all your electrical components well above the water level.
• Using bleach — Bleach is great for killing all kinds of bacteria and germs around your home, but you can’t just wipe down a moldy surface with bleach and expect the problem to solve itself. The mold will regrow in the same place no matter how much bleach you use.
• Not calling professionals — The biggest mistake you can possibly make following any kind of water-related damage is to not get professional help. You can do a little to minimize the damage, sure, but to complete ensure that your home is safe and mold-free, you need to consult with professionals.

If you want to have professionals handle your household water damage and mold cleanup, you can contact Hydroforce Cleaning Systems for thorough water cleanup, mold inspection and consultation, and even 24-hour emergency plumbing services.  

As a homeowner, you have so many important aspects that you need to constantly be focusing on and aware of. Some household issues are minor and can be handled the following week, but some are downright emergencies and need to be addressed right away — especially anything to do with your home’s plumbing.

Plumbing issues can cause horrible damage around your home and lead to some even more costly problems. Even something as small as a minor leak in a faucet can lead to serious plumbing emergencies. In fact, a single leaking faucet can waste up to 100 gallons of water a day, which can be extremely expensive.

Here are some of the most damaging and expensive plumbing problems — if you notice any of these issues in your home, be sure to contact professional 24-hour emergency plumbing services:

• Frozen or busted pipes — If your home has pipes that are above the ground or at surface level, the water in those pipes can freeze and burst. The best way to prevent these damaging piping issues from happening is to cover all above ground popes with towels when the temperature drops too severely.

• Overflowing toilet — An overflowing toilet is one of the most common and, unfortunately, terrible plumbing emergencies. Typically, clogged toilets can be fixed with a plunger, but as soon as the plunger approach doesn’t work, that’s when the damage can occur. Clogged toilets can quickly overflow after flushing and lead to unsanitary conditions across your bathroom and the rest of the home. In order to prevent these issues from happening, be sure to never flush any item down your toilet other than toilet paper. Contact 24-hour emergency plumbing services if any overflowing has occurred.

• Water heater leaks — Since your hot water supply is extremely important, you need to make sure that your water heater is functioning properly at all times. A small leak can end up costing you a fortune, but not just on water bills, on your energy expenses, as well. Be sure to monitor every HVAC system throughout your home and contact plumbing professionals immediately if you notice something is wrong.

If you’re in need of 24-hour emergency plumbing services for mold cleanup or other water-related issues, give Hydroforce Cleaning Systems a call right away.