For both businesses and homeowners, mold is a terrible nightmare. It reduces the value of your property and puts your family or employees at greater risk for illness. Whenever there is flooding or an abundance of moisture on your property, mold typically grows. Given its broad range of surface growth, it’s one of the most destructive types of water damage. Mold can cause ugly stains, spread musty odors throughout your property, and lower the quality of the air indoors if it is not handled quickly. All of this is to say you cannot overlook a mold issue. Your greatest chance of stopping mold growth before it spreads to other locations is to act quickly.
You have a tiny window to stop mold from forming once water damage strikes your property. Mold, as mentioned by the EPA and the CDC, can start growing on surfaces within 24 to 48 hours after contact with excessive moisture. However, at this time, the mold spores are not visible to the naked eye. The mold spores generally take 18 to 21 days to germinate and develop into visible form. It can start growing in as little as a few hours if the conditions are right. For this reason, whenever there is a flood or a water leak, you have to move swiftly to avoid further damage. Moreover, when mold grows, it releases mold spores into the air for them to settle on more regions that have interacted with moisture.
Before you know it, a tiny growth in the ceiling corner could quickly extend to a sizable area. This underscores how important it is to act swiftly to mitigate water damage. Mold growth may be avoided initially by quickly cleaning the area, drying it off, and extracting any remaining water.
