When you are purchasing a house to flip it and earn a return on your investment, you need to do a few things before sealing the deal. One of the first things that you need to do is make sure that the property has no structural problems, especially if you are on a tight budget. Sometimes structural problems can be fixed fairly easily and buildings brought up to code by simply adding an extra support beam to a ceiling, but this is usually not the case.
One of the worst problems that you can run across when you are playing the house flipping game is mold growth anywhere in the house. Have the home tested for mold or moisture issues before you purchase it and if these problems arise, ask yourself just how much of your budget can you allocate to getting rid of this problem. You may want to pass if the mold remediation will take too big of a chunk out of your budget and move onto the next property. A number of factors will determine if the problem is worth it.
What is the house worth and how much do you expect to earn when you sell it? A $550,000 house you purchased for $400,000 with a $5,000 mold problem is not such a bad thing, but if it is all over the house and you have to tear down all the walls and replace them, you may be looking at much more work than will be worth it in the end.
Is the mold growth isolated to one part of the house? Is it dead? If the mold is dead and you can remove the affected drywall or wood fairly easily, it might be worth it. You need to look around for water damage in the molded area, though, and determine if there is still a water damage issue that needs to be repaired. The most important thing is to make sure that there are no plumbing leaks in the house.
Know what you are getting yourself into when you make the decision to purchase a home contaminated with mold. If it is only in one room and there do not appear to be any expensive water damage issues to deal with, it might be worth it. If you think you will make significantly more than the remediation will cost you, go for it. But, if the mold is all over the house and you’re on a budget, stay away.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Los Angeles water damage and restoration services and Denver water damage restoration companies.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Taking Care of Mold in Your Kitchen
The kitchen is often the heart of the household and since we have to eat to survive, this is one of the most important rooms in your home to keep clean. This means not only the countertops, dishes, and table where we eat, but also the inside of the refrigerator where we keep our food. We should pay special attention to what we take into our bodies, since foods that have become contaminated can make the strongest of us deathly ill.
So, just exactly what foods do we need to throw away? Well, not all foods that are outdated need to be thrown out. Most of the time the expiration date refers to the date that the grocery store has to sell the item by, not necessarily the date that it needs to be consumed by. Many items will remain safe to eat for months after their expiration dates, as long as the seal on them has not been broken. Once the seal has been broken, though, these items will go bad just like anything else.
Once an item has had its seal broken, it is exposed to mold spores, bacteria, viruses, and other hazards in the household. Keeping the inside of your refrigerator cleaned out can help reduce this, but the threat will always be there. Almost anything that you find in the refrigerator that has become molded needs to be thrown away, but a couple of things are fine as long as you cut off the molded parts and a generous portion around them. This includes dense items that do not contain a high moisture content, like hard salami and blocks of cheese. Items that have a lot of moisture, like jams, jellies, sour cream, mayonnaise, and etcetera cannot be saved. Do not consume these items under any circumstances.
Fruits and vegetables that become molded usually need to be thrown away, as well. Keep a check on your produce supply to make sure that one bad item does not contaminate the rest. Mold spreads fairly quickly over these and it needs to remain monitored or you will have wasted a good sum of money on fresh produce for nothing. Never buy more than you will consume within the next few days.
Cleaning out your refrigerator at least once every few months is advised to keep bacteria from building up inside it. This can be a chore that your kids can do, but only if you show them how to do is properly first. If not done correctly, it might as well not have been done at all.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Miami water Damage companies.
So, just exactly what foods do we need to throw away? Well, not all foods that are outdated need to be thrown out. Most of the time the expiration date refers to the date that the grocery store has to sell the item by, not necessarily the date that it needs to be consumed by. Many items will remain safe to eat for months after their expiration dates, as long as the seal on them has not been broken. Once the seal has been broken, though, these items will go bad just like anything else.
Once an item has had its seal broken, it is exposed to mold spores, bacteria, viruses, and other hazards in the household. Keeping the inside of your refrigerator cleaned out can help reduce this, but the threat will always be there. Almost anything that you find in the refrigerator that has become molded needs to be thrown away, but a couple of things are fine as long as you cut off the molded parts and a generous portion around them. This includes dense items that do not contain a high moisture content, like hard salami and blocks of cheese. Items that have a lot of moisture, like jams, jellies, sour cream, mayonnaise, and etcetera cannot be saved. Do not consume these items under any circumstances.
Fruits and vegetables that become molded usually need to be thrown away, as well. Keep a check on your produce supply to make sure that one bad item does not contaminate the rest. Mold spreads fairly quickly over these and it needs to remain monitored or you will have wasted a good sum of money on fresh produce for nothing. Never buy more than you will consume within the next few days.
Cleaning out your refrigerator at least once every few months is advised to keep bacteria from building up inside it. This can be a chore that your kids can do, but only if you show them how to do is properly first. If not done correctly, it might as well not have been done at all.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Miami water Damage companies.
Plumbing and Mold Issues for New Home Builders
When you are having a contractor build your home, there are a few things that you need to do before they begin the project.
The first thing on the list is to find a contractor that you think that you can trust. Finding one through the phone book is not an entirely bad idea, but asking around can be more beneficial. You can use the phone book to do this or ask friends for the name of a good contractor, you will still want to get at least three different contractors on a list of those that you are considering. Make sure they all three get the same set of building plans so they are all bidding on the same project.
When looking at the bids that you have received, be wary of a bid that is significantly lower than the others. This may be a sign of inexperience or desperation. While desperation is not necessarily a bad thing, inexperience is your enemy and you need to avoid hiring an inexperienced contractor. Consider the lowest offer, but do a good amount of research on the contractor first. Get more references from him than for the higher offers to ensure that he is experienced and will do a good job.
No matter which contractor that you choose from your list, you need to visit the job site as often as possible to ensure that your new home is being built correctly and is completely up to your local building codes. Building codes vary from state to state and even city to city, so be aware that a building inspector may come by to make sure it is done correctly. You should also pay good attention to how your contractor is taking care of your building materials. Nothing should ever be stored on the ground, especially wood and drywall. These will mold fairly quickly and the last thing you want is mold built into your brand new home. For best results, have a mold inspector come out to look at the property a few times before the project is completed.
Having an experienced plumber on the job is also very necessary. Bad plumbing in your home can cause water damage that is often very expensive to repair and you never know when a leak will spring up. If a building inspector has not come out to check the property, make sure he or she does to inspect this.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Texas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
The first thing on the list is to find a contractor that you think that you can trust. Finding one through the phone book is not an entirely bad idea, but asking around can be more beneficial. You can use the phone book to do this or ask friends for the name of a good contractor, you will still want to get at least three different contractors on a list of those that you are considering. Make sure they all three get the same set of building plans so they are all bidding on the same project.
When looking at the bids that you have received, be wary of a bid that is significantly lower than the others. This may be a sign of inexperience or desperation. While desperation is not necessarily a bad thing, inexperience is your enemy and you need to avoid hiring an inexperienced contractor. Consider the lowest offer, but do a good amount of research on the contractor first. Get more references from him than for the higher offers to ensure that he is experienced and will do a good job.
No matter which contractor that you choose from your list, you need to visit the job site as often as possible to ensure that your new home is being built correctly and is completely up to your local building codes. Building codes vary from state to state and even city to city, so be aware that a building inspector may come by to make sure it is done correctly. You should also pay good attention to how your contractor is taking care of your building materials. Nothing should ever be stored on the ground, especially wood and drywall. These will mold fairly quickly and the last thing you want is mold built into your brand new home. For best results, have a mold inspector come out to look at the property a few times before the project is completed.
Having an experienced plumber on the job is also very necessary. Bad plumbing in your home can cause water damage that is often very expensive to repair and you never know when a leak will spring up. If a building inspector has not come out to check the property, make sure he or she does to inspect this.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Texas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
Mold Threatens Home Canned Food
If you have a fair sized garden, odds are pretty good that you know how to can a lot of the things that come out of it. This can include tomatoes, cucumbers, and just about anything you can think of. When you can your food at home out of your own garden, you know exactly what is going into it without having to look on the back of the package. Unfortunately, though, some of the people who can their own vegetables at home are making some mistakes that completely void the benefits of doing this themselves.
Mold likes to grow on anything that is organic and of course, this includes anything that you are canning in your own kitchen. But, canning your own food is completely safe and you will not run into any mold contamination issues after the jars are sealed, right..? Wrong!
Before beginning the canning process, you need to make sure that you are using only the best samples from your garden. If there are any fruits or vegetables that you are unsure about, do not use them. One bad vegetable or fruit will cause the whole batch to be bad.
Sterilize everything. This includes the jars and everything the food is going to come into contact with. You can sterilize the jars by filling them and the pot they are in with hot water and heating it to boiling. Bring the temperature of the water up gradually and do not insert a jar into water that is already boiling. They should stand upright with water inside them.
You should also not pack things too tightly inside the jars. This can keep the food in the middle from reaching a sterilizing temperature and can leave microorganisms such as bacteria and mold spores alive. After you pack the jars full of whatever you want to can, you need to begin the processing immediately. Do not use old jars and lids for this, because they may not seal entirely.
Any jars that are found to have mold growing in them need to be thrown out. This food is no longer safe to eat, even if you take what appears to be the only molded part out.
After the processing bit is over with, you should store these in an area away from heat and sunlight. They should be let to cool naturally.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Orlando water Damage companies.
Mold likes to grow on anything that is organic and of course, this includes anything that you are canning in your own kitchen. But, canning your own food is completely safe and you will not run into any mold contamination issues after the jars are sealed, right..? Wrong!
Before beginning the canning process, you need to make sure that you are using only the best samples from your garden. If there are any fruits or vegetables that you are unsure about, do not use them. One bad vegetable or fruit will cause the whole batch to be bad.
Sterilize everything. This includes the jars and everything the food is going to come into contact with. You can sterilize the jars by filling them and the pot they are in with hot water and heating it to boiling. Bring the temperature of the water up gradually and do not insert a jar into water that is already boiling. They should stand upright with water inside them.
You should also not pack things too tightly inside the jars. This can keep the food in the middle from reaching a sterilizing temperature and can leave microorganisms such as bacteria and mold spores alive. After you pack the jars full of whatever you want to can, you need to begin the processing immediately. Do not use old jars and lids for this, because they may not seal entirely.
Any jars that are found to have mold growing in them need to be thrown out. This food is no longer safe to eat, even if you take what appears to be the only molded part out.
After the processing bit is over with, you should store these in an area away from heat and sunlight. They should be let to cool naturally.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Orlando water Damage companies.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Hurricane, Flood, and Water Damage Tips
Mandatory evacuations during hurricanes and floods are not always fun to have to deal with and even during hurricane Katrina, some people did not wish to evacuate their homes and did not believe that they should be made to leave their property if they did not want to. If you cannot evacuate from your home for one reason or another or wish not to, then you really need to be prepared to stay there for a long period of time until the flood waters recede and the area is cleaned back up.
This means that you need to be stocked up with plenty of food and even more bottled water than you think you might need for a week or two’s time. Depending on the number of people in the home, you will want to have more food and water saved up. Having one gallon of water put up for each person for every day you expect to be staying in the home and even more than that, since you never know exactly when you will be able to leave.
If you need to leave the home for any reason and the waters have receded, something you need to be aware of is downed power lines. These are extremely dangerous and you can never tell if the downed line is electrified or not. Never attempt to cross one of these, not even in a vehicle.
Whatever water damage was inflicted on your home needs to be recorded with a camcorder, if you can get your hands on one. You can show this to your insurance claims adjuster so that he or she knows just how much damage was done to your home and can give you a good idea of how much compensation you can expect from your insurance company.
After you have made a video of the damage, drying out your home is the next thing that you need to start doing. Wet items should be taken outside and left to dry, unless more rain is expected.
Open the doors and windows all around the home so that air from outside can blow through out the structure and start drying things out naturally. A wet vacuum can be used to help extract some of the water from under hardwood floors, but a regular vacuum cleaner should never be used to do this due to the risk of electrocution.
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.
This means that you need to be stocked up with plenty of food and even more bottled water than you think you might need for a week or two’s time. Depending on the number of people in the home, you will want to have more food and water saved up. Having one gallon of water put up for each person for every day you expect to be staying in the home and even more than that, since you never know exactly when you will be able to leave.
If you need to leave the home for any reason and the waters have receded, something you need to be aware of is downed power lines. These are extremely dangerous and you can never tell if the downed line is electrified or not. Never attempt to cross one of these, not even in a vehicle.
Whatever water damage was inflicted on your home needs to be recorded with a camcorder, if you can get your hands on one. You can show this to your insurance claims adjuster so that he or she knows just how much damage was done to your home and can give you a good idea of how much compensation you can expect from your insurance company.
After you have made a video of the damage, drying out your home is the next thing that you need to start doing. Wet items should be taken outside and left to dry, unless more rain is expected.
Open the doors and windows all around the home so that air from outside can blow through out the structure and start drying things out naturally. A wet vacuum can be used to help extract some of the water from under hardwood floors, but a regular vacuum cleaner should never be used to do this due to the risk of electrocution.
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.
How Water Affects Documents
Water damaged documents and books can be a pain for homeowners and especially libraries to have to deal with. If you are planning on salvaging papers or books, there are a few things that you need to know, especially if some of the things you may have to restore are very old or rare.
Most people are not aware of the fact that depending on the condition, composition of the paper, and the age of it, it will absorb more or less water than you would expect. If you have a large collection of old texts and you live in an area where water damage due to floods or hurricanes, knowing about how much water your collection will absorb will help you select a drying method that is appropriate. Information you also might want to have is just how long your particular collection can stay under water before some serious deterioration of the material occurs.
Some papers may absorb up to 200 percent of their original weight. Materials that are older than around the year 1840 can absorb up to around 80 percent of their weight and these old materials are particularly sensitive to mold when they have been immersed in water.
Most of the damage that occurs to books that is caused by the swelling of the materials will happen within around the first four hours after they have been submerged. The papers of the text block and the cardboard that the book binding may contain will soak up quite a lot of water and this will eventually cause the block of text to become either partially or completely detached from the binding and this is most noted when the material starts to dry out on its own and the humidity in the area falls below around 70 percent.
Most leather and vellum books can be saved if they are dried using some very carefully controlled measures. If the leather or vellum book that you are trying to salvage is from the 15th, 16th, or 17th century, you are probably already aware of the rarity of it, so these should not be mixed together with other materials for salvation, stabilization, or drying.
The most important thing to do before you start treating your papers is to stabilize the environment they are in. Lower the humidity to around 65 percent and get rid of any standing water that still exists. If you have a large amount of books that are packed onto bookshelves very tightly, they should not be removed and fanned out because this will help stop mold from growing on them, at least on the insides.
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.
Most people are not aware of the fact that depending on the condition, composition of the paper, and the age of it, it will absorb more or less water than you would expect. If you have a large collection of old texts and you live in an area where water damage due to floods or hurricanes, knowing about how much water your collection will absorb will help you select a drying method that is appropriate. Information you also might want to have is just how long your particular collection can stay under water before some serious deterioration of the material occurs.
Some papers may absorb up to 200 percent of their original weight. Materials that are older than around the year 1840 can absorb up to around 80 percent of their weight and these old materials are particularly sensitive to mold when they have been immersed in water.
Most of the damage that occurs to books that is caused by the swelling of the materials will happen within around the first four hours after they have been submerged. The papers of the text block and the cardboard that the book binding may contain will soak up quite a lot of water and this will eventually cause the block of text to become either partially or completely detached from the binding and this is most noted when the material starts to dry out on its own and the humidity in the area falls below around 70 percent.
Most leather and vellum books can be saved if they are dried using some very carefully controlled measures. If the leather or vellum book that you are trying to salvage is from the 15th, 16th, or 17th century, you are probably already aware of the rarity of it, so these should not be mixed together with other materials for salvation, stabilization, or drying.
The most important thing to do before you start treating your papers is to stabilize the environment they are in. Lower the humidity to around 65 percent and get rid of any standing water that still exists. If you have a large amount of books that are packed onto bookshelves very tightly, they should not be removed and fanned out because this will help stop mold from growing on them, at least on the insides.
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.
Bathroom Humidity and Mold Problems
A relaxing bath or shower can be just what you need after a long day at work, but when you look up and around you and you see mold starting to grow on the walls, the relaxation usually gets ruined by the worry about that mold problem. It shows itself as a splotchy growth on the drywall and it usually moves slowly from one end of the room to the other. If left untreated, it will eventually cover the rest of your bathroom and then you really will not have much of a good time bathing.
Most of the time drywall that becomes contaminated needs to be taken out and thrown away, unless the growth is very new and superficial. If it is old growth and is found to be embedded into the wall, then the drywall cannot be cleaned, since it is such a porous surface. This is unfortunate, because tearing out drywall and replacing it can cost quite a bit, especially if you have to hire someone else to do it for you.
A lot of people seem to like installing carpet in their bathrooms, but what they may not realize is just what a very bad idea this is. Water and mold go hand in hand and once carpet gets wet and is allowed to stay that way on a continuing basis as it will be in a bathroom, it eventually begins to mold. When carpet gets moldy, the unfortunate fact about this, as with drywall, is that it usually has to be thrown out. Carpet can be cleaned, but the padding underneath it cannot and if mold continues to grow on the padding, any new carpet that you put over it will also be contaminated and so will the old carpet if you attempted to clean it.
Try to keep the humidity in the bathroom down by installing an exhaust vent to let steam and moisture out of the house. Also keep wet items of clothing and towels washed as often as possible and avoid letting them stay on the floor, especially a carpeted one.
Keep an eye on your toilet and make sure that it is flushing properly and that the members of your house are not putting too much toilet paper in it. Feminine napkins can sometimes be put into toilets, but this is usually only recommended for homes that are connected to city sewer systems. Homes with septic tanks tend to have a harder time with feminine napkins being put in the toilet and can stop up the whole system, particularly if the pipes are old and corroded.
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.
Most of the time drywall that becomes contaminated needs to be taken out and thrown away, unless the growth is very new and superficial. If it is old growth and is found to be embedded into the wall, then the drywall cannot be cleaned, since it is such a porous surface. This is unfortunate, because tearing out drywall and replacing it can cost quite a bit, especially if you have to hire someone else to do it for you.
A lot of people seem to like installing carpet in their bathrooms, but what they may not realize is just what a very bad idea this is. Water and mold go hand in hand and once carpet gets wet and is allowed to stay that way on a continuing basis as it will be in a bathroom, it eventually begins to mold. When carpet gets moldy, the unfortunate fact about this, as with drywall, is that it usually has to be thrown out. Carpet can be cleaned, but the padding underneath it cannot and if mold continues to grow on the padding, any new carpet that you put over it will also be contaminated and so will the old carpet if you attempted to clean it.
Try to keep the humidity in the bathroom down by installing an exhaust vent to let steam and moisture out of the house. Also keep wet items of clothing and towels washed as often as possible and avoid letting them stay on the floor, especially a carpeted one.
Keep an eye on your toilet and make sure that it is flushing properly and that the members of your house are not putting too much toilet paper in it. Feminine napkins can sometimes be put into toilets, but this is usually only recommended for homes that are connected to city sewer systems. Homes with septic tanks tend to have a harder time with feminine napkins being put in the toilet and can stop up the whole system, particularly if the pipes are old and corroded.
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.
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