Receding Floodwaters Cause Growing Concern for Mold

After historic flooding hit the Midwest, many people are dealing with clean up before mold problems occur. Greg Marsden of Frontier Restoration says this time of year has been busy for his business. He says it takes at least 72 hours for mold to even begin to develop, but using household items like Lysol and bleach won't kill it and could actually make the problem worse. After a flooding event, the first thing you should do is get the water out, he says. The sooner you can dry the area out, the better. "You have to be thorough, including, sometimes depending on how long the area has been wet, even cutting material out: carpet, pad, dry wall, insulation," Marsden says. Then it's time to call in the experts, including an air quality specialist that can test for mold and other bacteria. "A lot times again people think that they have something dry, but we have meters and we have equipment that can detect moisture in areas that you can't see with the naked eye," he explains. Marsden advises that property owners look out for odors and any symptoms they could be suffering from and have the area checked out.

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