Our lives are often contained in our legal papers and other documents that are important to us, so taking good care of them and keeping track of where they are at all times is pretty important for most people. If it is not important to you, it should be, since losing these items can cause you problems later on. These documents can include anything from a birth certificate to a death certificate and from divorce papers to marriage papers and everything in between. Insurance documents, contracts, bank statements, tax records, and anything else that you can think of that you might need in the legal arena is something that you need to take care of and while this may seem like a daunting task for most people, it really is necessary in order to retain a somewhat organized life.
But, what do you do when a flood strikes your home? The documents that you have done so much to take care of are often flooded along with the rest of your home and depending on the amount of time they stayed in the water, they may not be salvageable. One thing that you can do to protect your most important documents is to purchase a waterproof safe. These can protect your papers in some of the most dilapidated watery conditions in a way that other plastic containers and drawers cannot.
When sewage, chemicals, bacteria, and other things contaminate your home and everything in it, you will want to know that the copy of your homeowner’s insurance policy is safe. Floods are not covered by most insurance policies, but if you have purchased it, you will want to find your copy of the policy as soon as possible after the event occurs. If it is lost in the sea of contaminated items in your home and damaged beyond repair, you may be in trouble. Water damaged papers are difficult to salvage sometimes, but you will not have to worry about this if you have a waterproof safe in your home to hold your most valuable possessions and documents.
Purchasing a safe that is both waterproof and fireproof can be an even better investment. Unlike water damaged documents, fire damaged documents are usually not salvageable, since there is often only a scrap or two of it left after the fire is over.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
When Remodeling Your Home Kitchen
Even though the kitchen is one of the only rooms in the house that gets cleaned every day or even two or three times a day, depending on how many meals you fix, it is also one of the rooms that is the most neglected as far as long term care. This is one of the two most important rooms in your house and will often be a selling factor of the home. You need to take care of this room’s structure and appearance, especially if you plan on selling your home any time soon. Do what you can to take care of the water damaged parts of your kitchen and learn how to prevent water damage from occurring in the future.
One thing to be sure of is that the flooring in your kitchen is waterproof and completely sealed. You can have a hardwood floor in your kitchen or even in your bathroom, but reviews on the subject by most people are mixed. Some say that they have had a hardwood floor in these areas for a long time and they have been no worse for the wear, but others have had problems. It is really up to you, but you should consider going with a laminate that looks similar to real wood, since this will resist absorbing water much better and it will look almost the same.
If the dishwasher in the house is old and malfunctions often, you should really consider replacing it, whether you have hardwood, laminate, linoleum, tile, or vinyl floors. It really does not matter. Too much water spilled on the floor will eventually damage it and the cabinets that it comes into contact with. If the dishwasher is malfunctioning, wash the dishes by hand until the problem is solved.
Your plumbing under the sink should also be checked on a regular basis. If you find that it is leaking, even only a few drips, you should put a bucket or a large bowl underneath it until you get a chance to fix it. It is important not to let this leak into your cabinets for very long, because it can cause the bottom to rot out.
If the power goes out and all the food in your freezer melts, you’ll have a fair sized water leak on the floor. Get this cleaned up as soon as possible, even if your floor is waterproofed.
Lastly, make sure you have a mop in your kitchen that really absorbs water well. Some cheaper mops simply will not do the job if you spill a large amount of water onto the floor. If you can afford one, you might even want to purchase a wet vacuum.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
One thing to be sure of is that the flooring in your kitchen is waterproof and completely sealed. You can have a hardwood floor in your kitchen or even in your bathroom, but reviews on the subject by most people are mixed. Some say that they have had a hardwood floor in these areas for a long time and they have been no worse for the wear, but others have had problems. It is really up to you, but you should consider going with a laminate that looks similar to real wood, since this will resist absorbing water much better and it will look almost the same.
If the dishwasher in the house is old and malfunctions often, you should really consider replacing it, whether you have hardwood, laminate, linoleum, tile, or vinyl floors. It really does not matter. Too much water spilled on the floor will eventually damage it and the cabinets that it comes into contact with. If the dishwasher is malfunctioning, wash the dishes by hand until the problem is solved.
Your plumbing under the sink should also be checked on a regular basis. If you find that it is leaking, even only a few drips, you should put a bucket or a large bowl underneath it until you get a chance to fix it. It is important not to let this leak into your cabinets for very long, because it can cause the bottom to rot out.
If the power goes out and all the food in your freezer melts, you’ll have a fair sized water leak on the floor. Get this cleaned up as soon as possible, even if your floor is waterproofed.
Lastly, make sure you have a mop in your kitchen that really absorbs water well. Some cheaper mops simply will not do the job if you spill a large amount of water onto the floor. If you can afford one, you might even want to purchase a wet vacuum.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Water Damage Considerations in the Bathroom
The bath has almost always been an important part of daily life for us all, even back into the ancient Romans who were known for their lavish and expensive bathing areas. The importance of the bath has not declined over time but has actually become much more important than it used to be, since most people are expected to bathe at least once a day. The bathroom takes a pretty heavy amount of abuse, though, and most people do not realize just how important it is not to neglect this area of the house. Neglecting the bathroom can knock thousands of dollars off the value of the home, especially if it appears to be structurally damaged by water.
Structural damage is significantly more important to take care of than cosmetic damage when you are trying to sell a home and a lot of the time, this damage is due to rotting support beams in the house. This is pretty common in the wet rooms of the property, such as the kitchen and the bathroom. One of the last things that any homeowner wants to deal with is the floor of a room collapsing, especially in the rooms that can add or subtract the most value from the house.
Make sure that the floor of your bathroom is extremely water tight. If water can get under the tile, it will soak the floor underneath and even though it does not seem like a lot to worry about, it will really add up over time. Having hardwood floors installed in either the kitchen or bathroom is not a good idea. Try installing laminate that is made to look like hardwood instead for a similar, yet more practical effect.
The ceiling and upper walls are often forgotten about completely when we think about the structural integrity of our homes, since we do not often look up long enough to realize that they need care, too. They take abuse in a different way, though; the steam that comes from taking a bath or a shower can damage these more than you think and this is why having an exhaust fan (as you see in most hotel bathrooms) is almost imperative if you want to avoid having to repaint or replace drywall in the future.
Something else important to think about is how often you allow your bathtub or toilet to overflow. If the bathroom is on the second floor or higher, this can wreak a huge amount of damage not only on the floor, but the ceiling underneath it. Do your best to not begin running a bath while you are on the phone or leave the room if you have to answer it. Keep an eye on it from the time you begin it until the time it ends and do not get occupied with other chores in the house.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Structural damage is significantly more important to take care of than cosmetic damage when you are trying to sell a home and a lot of the time, this damage is due to rotting support beams in the house. This is pretty common in the wet rooms of the property, such as the kitchen and the bathroom. One of the last things that any homeowner wants to deal with is the floor of a room collapsing, especially in the rooms that can add or subtract the most value from the house.
Make sure that the floor of your bathroom is extremely water tight. If water can get under the tile, it will soak the floor underneath and even though it does not seem like a lot to worry about, it will really add up over time. Having hardwood floors installed in either the kitchen or bathroom is not a good idea. Try installing laminate that is made to look like hardwood instead for a similar, yet more practical effect.
The ceiling and upper walls are often forgotten about completely when we think about the structural integrity of our homes, since we do not often look up long enough to realize that they need care, too. They take abuse in a different way, though; the steam that comes from taking a bath or a shower can damage these more than you think and this is why having an exhaust fan (as you see in most hotel bathrooms) is almost imperative if you want to avoid having to repaint or replace drywall in the future.
Something else important to think about is how often you allow your bathtub or toilet to overflow. If the bathroom is on the second floor or higher, this can wreak a huge amount of damage not only on the floor, but the ceiling underneath it. Do your best to not begin running a bath while you are on the phone or leave the room if you have to answer it. Keep an eye on it from the time you begin it until the time it ends and do not get occupied with other chores in the house.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Water Damage Concerns in the Kitchen
The heart of the house is the kitchen for most people, but they may not realize just how important taking care of this room is. Its structural integrity is often overlooked and everything in it is bound to take a lot of abuse, since it is one of the only rooms in your home that everyone goes into at least once or twice a day. The only other room that competes with this frequency is the bathroom in most circumstances, but it can suffer from about the same amount and kind of neglect. That neglect is water damage and these are the areas most at risk for it for obvious reasons.
Water damage not only does physical damage to the home, but it can also do a lot of damage to the value of the home, as well. Most people understate the drop in value that this can cause and thus, are not as careful in their kitchens as they need to be.
The most important structure in the kitchen is not really the most obvious one: the floor. The floor of your kitchen really needs to be water tight, since there are bound to be all kinds of spills, not just of water, but also of grease. For this reason, hardwood floors should not be put in the kitchen. Installing laminate floors that appear almost like natural wood is a great alternative, since they will handle spills much better.
Your dishwasher is also a concern. Malfunctions and leaks can end up doing a lot of damage to the floor over time and if you have one that does this often, consider saving up the money necessary to purchase a new one to replace it.
Another thing to consider is the ceilings and upper walls. You might not realize this, either, but the ceiling of your kitchen takes just as much of a beating as the floor does over the years. Steam from cooking on the stove year after year is absorbed by it and will eventually cause it to discolor or even to sag. Consider installing an exhaust vent in your kitchen if one does not already exist. This should do a great job of ridding the room of the excess humidity that can cause damage to the ceiling and also mold growth over time.
Try to keep any spills of water on the floor or counters cleaned up, since water and grease can do damage to anything if they are allowed to stay on the surface long enough.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York Basement Water extraction and other states and cities such as
new york city mold remediation companies across the united states.
Water damage not only does physical damage to the home, but it can also do a lot of damage to the value of the home, as well. Most people understate the drop in value that this can cause and thus, are not as careful in their kitchens as they need to be.
The most important structure in the kitchen is not really the most obvious one: the floor. The floor of your kitchen really needs to be water tight, since there are bound to be all kinds of spills, not just of water, but also of grease. For this reason, hardwood floors should not be put in the kitchen. Installing laminate floors that appear almost like natural wood is a great alternative, since they will handle spills much better.
Your dishwasher is also a concern. Malfunctions and leaks can end up doing a lot of damage to the floor over time and if you have one that does this often, consider saving up the money necessary to purchase a new one to replace it.
Another thing to consider is the ceilings and upper walls. You might not realize this, either, but the ceiling of your kitchen takes just as much of a beating as the floor does over the years. Steam from cooking on the stove year after year is absorbed by it and will eventually cause it to discolor or even to sag. Consider installing an exhaust vent in your kitchen if one does not already exist. This should do a great job of ridding the room of the excess humidity that can cause damage to the ceiling and also mold growth over time.
Try to keep any spills of water on the floor or counters cleaned up, since water and grease can do damage to anything if they are allowed to stay on the surface long enough.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York Basement Water extraction and other states and cities such as
new york city mold remediation companies across the united states.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Remove Mold, Do Not Just Kill It
Unfortunately, when most people think about mold and mildew in their homes, they immediately want to know how they can kill it. While killing the mold can solve part of the problem and stop it from continuing to spread throughout the rest of the house, it will not stop it from affecting your health. About 29% of the population is allergic to mold or mildew (which are the same thing, in general) and even though the mold has been killed by whatever cleaner you decided to use for the job, the body still recognizes mold and its spores as something foreign that it should defend itself against.
So, if killing the mold is not the problem, then what is? Removing it completely from the property is often the only solution to be found. This can mean simply scrubbing it off a surface or removing everything in the home found to be contaminated with it. Mold that has embedded itself into a slab of drywall is extremely difficult to remove and you are often much better off simply replacing that portion of the drywall instead of trying to get rid of the mold. The mold is likely still alive in the center of the piece, so the contamination will only return to the surface, anyway.
Moldy clothes can sometimes be saved if they are not stained too badly, but items like leather that become molded are often unsalvageable due to their organic nature. The role of mold in the outdoor environment is to decompose dead organic matter and without it, dead tree stumps and carcasses from many, many years ago would still litter the forest floor, so it is a necessary part of the natural world. This does not mean that we have to allow it to thrive in our homes, though.
Where there is water damage, mold usually follows. Molds require moisture of some sort to survive and grow and any water that is spilled in your home needs to be cleaned up as soon as possible. Mold will start to grow on moist items within about 48 hours, so getting it cleaned within this timeframe is recommended. Try to prevent plumbing leaks and wet floors and walls as much as you can and keep the humidity in your home down to help prevent mold growth.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Connecticut Mold Remediation services and
flood and water damage cleanup companies across the united states.
So, if killing the mold is not the problem, then what is? Removing it completely from the property is often the only solution to be found. This can mean simply scrubbing it off a surface or removing everything in the home found to be contaminated with it. Mold that has embedded itself into a slab of drywall is extremely difficult to remove and you are often much better off simply replacing that portion of the drywall instead of trying to get rid of the mold. The mold is likely still alive in the center of the piece, so the contamination will only return to the surface, anyway.
Moldy clothes can sometimes be saved if they are not stained too badly, but items like leather that become molded are often unsalvageable due to their organic nature. The role of mold in the outdoor environment is to decompose dead organic matter and without it, dead tree stumps and carcasses from many, many years ago would still litter the forest floor, so it is a necessary part of the natural world. This does not mean that we have to allow it to thrive in our homes, though.
Where there is water damage, mold usually follows. Molds require moisture of some sort to survive and grow and any water that is spilled in your home needs to be cleaned up as soon as possible. Mold will start to grow on moist items within about 48 hours, so getting it cleaned within this timeframe is recommended. Try to prevent plumbing leaks and wet floors and walls as much as you can and keep the humidity in your home down to help prevent mold growth.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Connecticut Mold Remediation services and
flood and water damage cleanup companies across the united states.
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