Storm Damage in a Charlottesville Garage Turns Fuzzy

12/26/2018 (Permalink)

Heavy rains can leave behind more than moisture if left untended.

After an especially rainy season, many homes in Charlottesville and the surrounding areas experienced flooding in their garages, basements, and even main living spaces in their homes. When the rain stopped, most of the flood water receded. However, the moisture that remained was the tricky, unseen kind. Water can stay under belongings and flooring as well as behind and in drywall. In itself, this moisture would probably dry out over time. However, because mold spores are in the air everywhere, usually this excess moisture is exactly the instigation needed for mold to grow.

This Charlottesville garage flooded during a rainstorm. The family tried to dry things as best they could and hoped that was the end of it. Unfortunately, a few weeks later they began to see what the water had left behind. That’s why they called us.

When we get a call like this, our first step is to schedule an assessment. Mold growth is complex, with multiple factors at play, and is almost impossible to assess from a verbal description. A situation that seems dire is sometimes a very simple remediation, and sometimes a small amount of noticeable growth is an indicator that a larger amount of growth is present. During the assessment, our production manager is able to take moisture readings as well as investigate the growth to see how far it has spread. After the initial assessment of this job, we can began remediating the mold.

This process started with an air scrubber. This is similar to a dehumidifier, but in addition to removing moisture from the air it also filters out mold spores and other contaminants. We could then remove items and building materials that were too far gone to save. With those out of the way, we used a HEPA vacuum to remove growth. Then we wiped down building materials and belongings with an anti-microbial to prevent future growth.

Once we were through, it was amazing to see the transformed garage, with clean flooring, doors and studs. We loved being able to restore this affected part of the home back to the family. It’s like returning something that was lost. If you would like to see how this garage ended up, take a look at our before and after photos.