The worst thing that you can find in your newly built home is mold, but it is something that is built into homes these days by careless contractors bent on getting the job done with as little effort as possible on their part. As the employer of the contractor, it is your responsibility and in your best interests to be at the job site on a regular basis to ensure that the building materials that your contractor purchased to build your home with are both up to your standards and that they are handled correctly.
Your contractor should have purchased only the materials that you outlined in your contract with him or her to purchase. They should have purchased nothing more and nothing less. None of these materials, especially drywall, should be stored directly upon the ground where it comes into contact with the soil. They should be stored on tarps or raised up off the ground in some way. This will help ensure that mold does not start to grow on them before they are used in the construction of the house.
The building site should also be covered with tarps before it rains until the roof and walls are put up to protect the interior of the structure.
Before you hired your contractor, you should have obtained references from him or her to determine the quality of their craftsmanship. This is something that you should do when hiring anyone to do almost anything for you concerning an investment such as this. You should ask the references whether they have had any problems with mold or water damage since their home was built and if it was due to bad construction or not. As long as your contractor is known for good building practices, you should have no problem with the way that he treats the building materials for your house.
It is unfortunate that you cannot be at the site of your home’s new construction all the time, but the more you are able to check on the progress of your home’s construction, the better. You should have a mold inspector come and inspect the property at least twice, once during the middle of the construction and again once it is completed to determine that there is no mold growing in the home.
Jim Gaykern is a writer and promoter of quality
Trumbull, Darien, Greenwich CT Mold Remediation services and
flood and water damage cleanup companies across the united states.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Home Building Contractors
Having a home built for you is a tricky procedure, especially since there are so many different factors to consider. The first thing that you need to think of, though, is just who you will hire to do this task for you. There are a large number of contractors out there that would love to do the job, but the fact is that not all of them are honest or completely up to the task of making sure it gets done correctly. Many contractors have been known to use poor quality materials, even if they are up to local building code standards. They may end up causing damage to your home, but you cannot do anything about it as long as the materials the contractor used are up to local structural codes.
When choosing a contractor, you should talk to people that you know and trust first to find out if they can recommend anyone for the job. Only after you have exhausted these resources should you look to the local phone book. No matter which method you use, you should obtain at least three different references from at least three different contractors so you will have some options. Contact each of the references and ask if the newly built home has had any problems with mold or water damage since the construction was finished. Other structural problems should also be asked about.
After you have gotten a few different contractors to choose from that you find to be reputable, ask each one of them for a fixed price bid based on the building plan that you give to them and what materials you want the home built out of. They may try to get you to accept a time and materials contract, but this can be tricky, since time and materials contract allow the price to vary depending on different factors such as the cost of labor and building materials. They may quote you a low price in the beginning, but it can quickly rise as unexpected issues come up with the building process.
The contract with your contractor should be very specific as to what is covered in it. It should include the date that the project will begin and a date by which it should be finished and also include what specific building materials you wish for the home to be built out of so that your contractor does not have much room to substitute other, lesser materials.
Jim Gaykern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors.
When choosing a contractor, you should talk to people that you know and trust first to find out if they can recommend anyone for the job. Only after you have exhausted these resources should you look to the local phone book. No matter which method you use, you should obtain at least three different references from at least three different contractors so you will have some options. Contact each of the references and ask if the newly built home has had any problems with mold or water damage since the construction was finished. Other structural problems should also be asked about.
After you have gotten a few different contractors to choose from that you find to be reputable, ask each one of them for a fixed price bid based on the building plan that you give to them and what materials you want the home built out of. They may try to get you to accept a time and materials contract, but this can be tricky, since time and materials contract allow the price to vary depending on different factors such as the cost of labor and building materials. They may quote you a low price in the beginning, but it can quickly rise as unexpected issues come up with the building process.
The contract with your contractor should be very specific as to what is covered in it. It should include the date that the project will begin and a date by which it should be finished and also include what specific building materials you wish for the home to be built out of so that your contractor does not have much room to substitute other, lesser materials.
Jim Gaykern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Mold Likes Your Food
Mold likes food just as much as we do, but we do not usually like to find it sharing the same space as the food that we stock our refrigerators with every week or two. While we all lead busy lives and are usually too occupied to remember to clean out our refrigerator, what we do not realize is that mold is also leading a busy life consuming and contaminating our food. It can contaminate almost anything that you put in your refrigerator and most of the time if it does contaminate something, you just have to throw it away. There are some things that you can do to prevent mold from growing in your refrigerator and there are a few items that you can save even if they do get a little moldy.
Keep track of what you have in your refrigerator and how long you have had that same item in there. Make a note of expiration dates. Things like sour cream, jellies, jams, marmalades, and anything else that has high moisture content can become moldy faster than you think and if they do, unfortunately, there is not much that you can do to save these items. Throwing them away and replacing them is about the only thing that you can do.
Those little plastic bags in the produce section of the grocery store sure can be convenient, but once you get your produce back home, you should remove it from these bags. Condensation gets trapped inside the bags and this will cause your fresh fruit and vegetables to rot faster than they normally would if you just put them in the crisper by themselves.
To clean out your refrigerator as regularly as you can remember to is also some good advice. Keeping bacteria and mold spores from building up in the fridge is one of the best ways to prevent mold from growing there. You can use bleach to kill the mold inside your refrigerator, since there is no surface inside that is porous. Bleach will not kill mold growing on porous surfaces. If you have to use bleach, do not mix it with any other chemicals you might have in your kitchen cabinet, especially ammonia. This is dangerous and can produce hazardous fumes.
If a dense item in your refrigerator develops spots of mold on it, such as hard salami or a block of cheese, take a clean knife and cut both around and underneath the moldy spot one inch. Do not touch the knife to other areas of the product and discard the chunk you cut out.
Jim Gaykern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York City water damage restoration and other states and cities such as
New York City, NY Basement Water Removal companies across the united states.
Keep track of what you have in your refrigerator and how long you have had that same item in there. Make a note of expiration dates. Things like sour cream, jellies, jams, marmalades, and anything else that has high moisture content can become moldy faster than you think and if they do, unfortunately, there is not much that you can do to save these items. Throwing them away and replacing them is about the only thing that you can do.
Those little plastic bags in the produce section of the grocery store sure can be convenient, but once you get your produce back home, you should remove it from these bags. Condensation gets trapped inside the bags and this will cause your fresh fruit and vegetables to rot faster than they normally would if you just put them in the crisper by themselves.
To clean out your refrigerator as regularly as you can remember to is also some good advice. Keeping bacteria and mold spores from building up in the fridge is one of the best ways to prevent mold from growing there. You can use bleach to kill the mold inside your refrigerator, since there is no surface inside that is porous. Bleach will not kill mold growing on porous surfaces. If you have to use bleach, do not mix it with any other chemicals you might have in your kitchen cabinet, especially ammonia. This is dangerous and can produce hazardous fumes.
If a dense item in your refrigerator develops spots of mold on it, such as hard salami or a block of cheese, take a clean knife and cut both around and underneath the moldy spot one inch. Do not touch the knife to other areas of the product and discard the chunk you cut out.
Jim Gaykern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York City water damage restoration and other states and cities such as
New York City, NY Basement Water Removal companies across the united states.
Mold and Your Home Canned Food
Home canned food is a comfort to many of us and it rightly should be. It reminds us of times that have long passed when having a garden and raising your own food was just a part of life. In these days with the many grocery stores and markets that we have available to us, sometimes we forget that growing and canning your own food at home has its benefits. It might take a little effort, but in the end it is usually worth the trouble.
But, the drawback of home canning is the fact that sometimes when we can our own food, they become contaminated with mold due to a number of different factors that we may not realize right off hand. Most of these are completely avoidable and if you are a careful canner, you might not have ever had a moldy jar, but some of us are completely clueless as to how to avoid this contamination.
Whatever you are canning, be it fruits or vegetables, you need to make sure that they are washed thoroughly before you start to get them ready for processing. Starting with fresh and clean ingredients is the first step to un-contaminated food. Cut off any bad spots from these items and throw these pieces away.
Sterilize the equipment that you plan on using in boiling water. Fill the jars you are going to use with hot (not boiling water) and put them in the pot you are going to use. Fill the pot with hot water, as well, and let the water come to a slow boil on the stove. Allow it to boil for about 10 minutes or so. Pour the water from the jars back into the pot, since this water is already sterilized.
After you are done preparing your food and getting it ready to put in the jars, transfer the food to the jars you have sterilized. Do not pack the food too tightly. Allow sufficient room between the food and the top of the jar. Packing food too tightly can result in the food in the center not getting hot enough to kill bacteria and mold spores. Place the lids and the screw bands on them tightly and begin processing them in the pot of hot water. Bring the water to a boil again.
Store in a place away from heat (and sunlight) and allow them to cool naturally.
Jim Gaykern is a writer and promoter of quality
Manhattan, NYC water damage restoration contractors and other states and cities such as
Stamford, CT mold remediation and water damage restoration companies across the united states.
But, the drawback of home canning is the fact that sometimes when we can our own food, they become contaminated with mold due to a number of different factors that we may not realize right off hand. Most of these are completely avoidable and if you are a careful canner, you might not have ever had a moldy jar, but some of us are completely clueless as to how to avoid this contamination.
Whatever you are canning, be it fruits or vegetables, you need to make sure that they are washed thoroughly before you start to get them ready for processing. Starting with fresh and clean ingredients is the first step to un-contaminated food. Cut off any bad spots from these items and throw these pieces away.
Sterilize the equipment that you plan on using in boiling water. Fill the jars you are going to use with hot (not boiling water) and put them in the pot you are going to use. Fill the pot with hot water, as well, and let the water come to a slow boil on the stove. Allow it to boil for about 10 minutes or so. Pour the water from the jars back into the pot, since this water is already sterilized.
After you are done preparing your food and getting it ready to put in the jars, transfer the food to the jars you have sterilized. Do not pack the food too tightly. Allow sufficient room between the food and the top of the jar. Packing food too tightly can result in the food in the center not getting hot enough to kill bacteria and mold spores. Place the lids and the screw bands on them tightly and begin processing them in the pot of hot water. Bring the water to a boil again.
Store in a place away from heat (and sunlight) and allow them to cool naturally.
Jim Gaykern is a writer and promoter of quality
Manhattan, NYC water damage restoration contractors and other states and cities such as
Stamford, CT mold remediation and water damage restoration companies across the united states.
First Steps To Take If Your Home Is Water Damaged
Having a home that is located close to the ocean or close to a fresh water source can be a nice and aesthetically pleasing experience, but what do you do if it happens to flood? A flood can be a nightmare for any homeowner, whether the home is newly built or 30 years old and a lot of people do not know how to deal with this situation, simply because most have not ever had to.
If your home does become a victim of flooding and water damage either due to rain, a levy breaking, or hurricane, there are a few things that you can do to help minimize the damage once the water has receded. It is best to tend to the home as soon as possible after the waters have receded back away from your home.
When you do finally get the opportunity to re-enter your home, you must be absolutely certain that the electricity to your entire home is cut off. There is a serious risk of electrocution if you step into your home without making sure of this first and foremost. There are also some serious biological risks that you will be taking when you re-enter a home that has been flooded simply because of all the different chemicals, trash, sewage, and even dead bodies that could be floating around in it.
If you can afford to purchase some protective gear before trying to dry out your home, please do so. Wash your hands extremely well before you eat anything to avoid infecting yourself with anything that may be in the water.
Before you do anything at all to try and repair the damage to your home, you need to use a video camera to record the damage. Tape every section of your home that has suffered significant damage and point out everything that you notice that will have to be repaired. This will offer you irreplaceable help when you try to file an insurance claim on the home.
Remove any insulation in the attic that has gotten wet. It is no longer effective and has become very heavy. It will weigh your ceiling down and eventually cause it to collapse in sections.
You should also remove anything else that is wet and set it outside to dry in the sun, although some items should be let to dry in the shade to keep the sun from bleaching them. If the water was contaminated do not try to clean the carpeting, it is a total loss and can be hazerdous to your health.
Do not use artificial heat sources to dry hardwood floors. This will cause what is called cupping or can cause the floor to buckle. Open the windows and let air circulate through the home.
Jim Gaykern is a writer and promoter of quality
Manhattan, NY water damage restoration contractors and other states and cities such as
Trumbull, Darien, Bridgeport CT mold remediation and water damage restoration companies across the united states.
If your home does become a victim of flooding and water damage either due to rain, a levy breaking, or hurricane, there are a few things that you can do to help minimize the damage once the water has receded. It is best to tend to the home as soon as possible after the waters have receded back away from your home.
When you do finally get the opportunity to re-enter your home, you must be absolutely certain that the electricity to your entire home is cut off. There is a serious risk of electrocution if you step into your home without making sure of this first and foremost. There are also some serious biological risks that you will be taking when you re-enter a home that has been flooded simply because of all the different chemicals, trash, sewage, and even dead bodies that could be floating around in it.
If you can afford to purchase some protective gear before trying to dry out your home, please do so. Wash your hands extremely well before you eat anything to avoid infecting yourself with anything that may be in the water.
Before you do anything at all to try and repair the damage to your home, you need to use a video camera to record the damage. Tape every section of your home that has suffered significant damage and point out everything that you notice that will have to be repaired. This will offer you irreplaceable help when you try to file an insurance claim on the home.
Remove any insulation in the attic that has gotten wet. It is no longer effective and has become very heavy. It will weigh your ceiling down and eventually cause it to collapse in sections.
You should also remove anything else that is wet and set it outside to dry in the sun, although some items should be let to dry in the shade to keep the sun from bleaching them. If the water was contaminated do not try to clean the carpeting, it is a total loss and can be hazerdous to your health.
Do not use artificial heat sources to dry hardwood floors. This will cause what is called cupping or can cause the floor to buckle. Open the windows and let air circulate through the home.
Jim Gaykern is a writer and promoter of quality
Manhattan, NY water damage restoration contractors and other states and cities such as
Trumbull, Darien, Bridgeport CT mold remediation and water damage restoration companies across the united states.
How To Know When To Check For Mold In Your Home Or Business
With all the new concern about mold growing in our homes in our businesses, you may be wondering just what you can do to determine whether mold exists on your property or not. There are a few different ways to know if mold exists on your property and one of the best ones is to purchase a mold testing kit that you can perform by yourself, but how do you know if you need to test for it?
Do you throw wet clothing and towels on the floor and leave them there? Or even worse, throw dry clothing on top of them and forget the wet clothes are underneath? If this is a habit for you or the rest of your family, especially if the floor you are putting these on is carpeted, then you are inviting mold to start growing in your house. Wash wet clothing as soon as possible or put them in a sink or other container by themselves and never put dry clothing on top of wet.
Has your home suffered water damage due to floods or heavy rain? Mold likes to grow on items that have been wet and forgotten about or just never repaired. It will grow anywhere that there is moisture or high amounts of humidity. Stachybotrys mold in particular likes to grow where there is standing water, such as in a leaky area of your basement. Try to keep the humidity level in your house down and if you see condensation on your windows or on exposed pipes, you are not succeeding in this. Try a de-humidifier.
Any part of your home that has been water damaged, especially floors and walls, could be hiding a mold infestation. To detect mold that you cannot see or smell, purchase a mold testing kit and follow the directions for it exactly as they appear or the test will be useless.
Mold will also grow in closets that have too many clothes packed in them. Air simply cannot circulate in a closet packed too tight and the clothing provides all the food that the mold needs to survive. A solution to this problem is to just give or throw away clothing that you do not need and if there is not much clothing that you do not use, find another way to store it.
Leaking water pipes or even a waterline for the icemaker on your fridge can be hidden causes for this terrible menace. Check the basics and you can help to eliminate the problem before it starts.
Jim Gaykern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood and water damage cleanup and
water damage restoration> companies across the united states
Do you throw wet clothing and towels on the floor and leave them there? Or even worse, throw dry clothing on top of them and forget the wet clothes are underneath? If this is a habit for you or the rest of your family, especially if the floor you are putting these on is carpeted, then you are inviting mold to start growing in your house. Wash wet clothing as soon as possible or put them in a sink or other container by themselves and never put dry clothing on top of wet.
Has your home suffered water damage due to floods or heavy rain? Mold likes to grow on items that have been wet and forgotten about or just never repaired. It will grow anywhere that there is moisture or high amounts of humidity. Stachybotrys mold in particular likes to grow where there is standing water, such as in a leaky area of your basement. Try to keep the humidity level in your house down and if you see condensation on your windows or on exposed pipes, you are not succeeding in this. Try a de-humidifier.
Any part of your home that has been water damaged, especially floors and walls, could be hiding a mold infestation. To detect mold that you cannot see or smell, purchase a mold testing kit and follow the directions for it exactly as they appear or the test will be useless.
Mold will also grow in closets that have too many clothes packed in them. Air simply cannot circulate in a closet packed too tight and the clothing provides all the food that the mold needs to survive. A solution to this problem is to just give or throw away clothing that you do not need and if there is not much clothing that you do not use, find another way to store it.
Leaking water pipes or even a waterline for the icemaker on your fridge can be hidden causes for this terrible menace. Check the basics and you can help to eliminate the problem before it starts.
Jim Gaykern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood and water damage cleanup and
water damage restoration> companies across the united states
How to Effectively Clean Out Your Fridge
The refrigerator is an important center of the household and as such, you would think that people would remember to keep these food centers cleaned more often than they tend to. Even though it is fairly cool inside, mold can still grow very well in these cool temperatures, as anyone who has opened a jar of spoiled grape jelly can surely tell you. Whether it is a jar of grape jelly or a casserole left in the fridge for a bit too long, mold can grow on anything in your refrigerator that it can get onto. This includes, well… just about everything that is not completely sealed up, such as home-canned goods that have not had their seals broken. Mold spores are everywhere and in the air we breathe, unless the air is purified, such as in a hospital or laboratory clean room, so it is fairly hard to keep mold completely off of something we do not want it on, but it can be done. It just takes a little effort. Cleaning out your refrigerator and knowing what to do with moldy food (some of it can be saved, believe it or not) is essential to keeping a healthy kitchen.
Take everything out of your refrigerator and put it either on your kitchen table or on the counters for you to deal with later. You will go through these items after you are finished cleaning out the inside of your refrigerator.
Remove all drawers, shelves, and racks so that you can wash them in the sink in whatever household chemical you have chosen for this task. Whether it is anti-bacterial soap, bleach, or even better, a chemical made specifically to kill mold, use plenty of it, but do not mix chemicals, especially bleach. If you do use bleach, do your best not to get it on your hands. Wear rubber gloves.
Wash the inside of the refrigerator with a sponge or a rag thoroughly. To get some things that might be stuck to the wall of the fridge or stuck to a shelf off, let some warm water and some of the chemical you have chosen soak on it a few minutes. After you are done with the inside of the refrigerator, wash the parts that you removed, dry them, and replace them.
As for the food you took out, put back everything that is not contaminated with mold. Anything with a high moisture content that is contaminated like sour cream or jelly must be thrown away. Blocks of cheese or dense items like hard salami can have the molded parts cut out and thrown away. Cut 1 inch around and one inch under the molded part(s), remove, and discard. The rest is usable.
Jim Gaykern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Orlando water Damage companies.
Take everything out of your refrigerator and put it either on your kitchen table or on the counters for you to deal with later. You will go through these items after you are finished cleaning out the inside of your refrigerator.
Remove all drawers, shelves, and racks so that you can wash them in the sink in whatever household chemical you have chosen for this task. Whether it is anti-bacterial soap, bleach, or even better, a chemical made specifically to kill mold, use plenty of it, but do not mix chemicals, especially bleach. If you do use bleach, do your best not to get it on your hands. Wear rubber gloves.
Wash the inside of the refrigerator with a sponge or a rag thoroughly. To get some things that might be stuck to the wall of the fridge or stuck to a shelf off, let some warm water and some of the chemical you have chosen soak on it a few minutes. After you are done with the inside of the refrigerator, wash the parts that you removed, dry them, and replace them.
As for the food you took out, put back everything that is not contaminated with mold. Anything with a high moisture content that is contaminated like sour cream or jelly must be thrown away. Blocks of cheese or dense items like hard salami can have the molded parts cut out and thrown away. Cut 1 inch around and one inch under the molded part(s), remove, and discard. The rest is usable.
Jim Gaykern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Orlando water Damage companies.
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