Whether you are indoors or outdoors, mold is always there. No matter where you are, there is no such thing as an environment on the planet earth that is considered to be mold-free. Wherever there are the three things that mold need to survive, there will be mold, even though you might not be able to see it. Mold is only visible to the human eye when colonies of it start to grow. Just what does mold need to grow?
Mold needs nutrients. In an outdoor environment, this would be organic matter such as dead plants or animals. This is a necessary natural event that has to take place to get rid of the some of the debris that builds up on the forest floor. In the indoor environment, molds often feed on building materials. These can include cardboard, paper on both the sides of drywall, soap, fabrics, and other kinds of dust.
Moisture is also required by mold in order to survive. In order to begin decaying organic matter and digesting it, it needs moisture. Mold often grows inside the home during the summer when moisture becomes trapped inside the house and in the house in the winter when certain areas become drafty and condensation builds up in areas.
Something else mold needs to survive is very simple and we all have a lot of it, whether we realize it or not. Mold needs time to grow. It can start to form a colony as soon as 24 hours up to ten days after it gets enough of the nutrients and moisture that it needs to survive. The longer you allow something such as a wet towel or wet piece of clothing to lie on the floor in the back of your closet, the more time you are giving mold to start growing on it.
One last thing that molds tend to need in order to continue growing is heat. Not all molds need a significant amount of heat in order to grow, but many do. Molds have been known to survive at extreme temperatures and remain dormant, but not actually continue growing. They can be exposed to temperatures around 2 degrees Celsius and still only become dormant instead of dying like some other organisms would do.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration and
mold remediation companies across the united states.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Protecting Your Deck From Water Damage
Waterproofing your deck that you worked so hard to pay for or to build is something that most homeowners need to do to keep their deck in good condition over the years. It will likely be used extensively and you want to keep it looking as good and as structurally sound as possible. Mold and rotting can occur to decks that are not properly waterproofed, so the deck’s structural integrity is also under scrutiny. Water from a pool or rain or snow can cause the water damage to your deck that you are trying to avoid, so applying a water sealant to the deck will help prevent all of this.
Waterproofing a new deck is not very different from waterproofing one that already exists on a property, but you should wait at least 30 days before you do, because the chemicals in the wood the deck was built with will need time to evaporate and the wood will need time to adjust to its new environment. After you have waited a month, you can start waterproofing the deck.
Clean off the entire deck and remove all furniture. It should be made completely bare and free of all debris, including leaves, sticks, pool toys, and etcetera. You can purchase a cleaner for the deck from most department stores. Follow the directions and apply it with a pump sprayer. When it starts foaming up, get a brush with stiff bristles and start scrubbing the surface of the deck firmly. This will not only remove all the dirt and other buildup from the deck, but also help to remove stains such as grease. After you are done, rinse all of the foam off with your garden hose or a few buckets of water. When you are doing this, you should be wearing eye protection.
Applying the sealant will be done with a roller or a pump sprayer and if there are any puddles of the sealant on the deck, you will have to roll them out so that the sealant coats the deck evenly.
Drilling a few small holes in your deck where water collects can also help further waterproof it. This will let the water drain off of the deck in these areas. They can be as big or as small as you want them to be, although 3/16 of an inch is about the smallest you can get that will allow for a decent amount of drainage.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Texas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
Waterproofing a new deck is not very different from waterproofing one that already exists on a property, but you should wait at least 30 days before you do, because the chemicals in the wood the deck was built with will need time to evaporate and the wood will need time to adjust to its new environment. After you have waited a month, you can start waterproofing the deck.
Clean off the entire deck and remove all furniture. It should be made completely bare and free of all debris, including leaves, sticks, pool toys, and etcetera. You can purchase a cleaner for the deck from most department stores. Follow the directions and apply it with a pump sprayer. When it starts foaming up, get a brush with stiff bristles and start scrubbing the surface of the deck firmly. This will not only remove all the dirt and other buildup from the deck, but also help to remove stains such as grease. After you are done, rinse all of the foam off with your garden hose or a few buckets of water. When you are doing this, you should be wearing eye protection.
Applying the sealant will be done with a roller or a pump sprayer and if there are any puddles of the sealant on the deck, you will have to roll them out so that the sealant coats the deck evenly.
Drilling a few small holes in your deck where water collects can also help further waterproof it. This will let the water drain off of the deck in these areas. They can be as big or as small as you want them to be, although 3/16 of an inch is about the smallest you can get that will allow for a decent amount of drainage.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Texas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
How to Waterproof Your Deck
Waterproofing the deck that your family barbecues on or that surrounds the pool is an important thing to do if you want your deck to stand up to the weather for a long time. Warping and cracking will eventually happen to every deck made of wood, but what waterproofing will do is slow this process down quite considerably and the sealant will keep out most of the moisture that is placed upon it, whether it is rain, snow, or pool water.
If you wish to waterproof a new deck, it is best to wait at least 30 days before doing this, since the chemicals that the wood was treated with before installation need time to evaporate. Give the wood time to adjust to the climate. After you have waited this long, it is safe to begin the waterproofing process.
Start with cleaning off the surface of the deck and removing all debris. Also remove all patio furniture and equipment such as barbecue grills. The deck should be completely cleared off. A deck cleaner can be bought at most hardware and home improvement stores. Follow the instructions and you can apply this with a pump sprayer. When it starts to foam, start scrubbing the deck with a stiff bristled brush. This will make sure that the stains on the deck, almost no matter how stubborn they are, will come up. Rinse it off completely with a garden hose, but make sure you have on eye protection to keep anything from spraying into your eyes.
This is the time to apply the sealant. Spray it onto the deck with a pump sprayer or a roller. Sometimes there will be puddles of sealant that will form and these need to be rolled out evenly over the deck. Allow it to dry completely and after two days, you should be able to walk on it without damaging the seal.
When you apply sealant or any chemical to your deck, you should always wear eye and skin protection.
If you want to help keep your deck further waterproofed, you can drill some small holes into the areas of it that retain water on a regular basis. These holes can be as small as 3/16 of an inch to even ¼ of an inch and they will not adversely affect the appearance of the wood very much. They will, however, help keep the water drained.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Orlando water Damage companies.
If you wish to waterproof a new deck, it is best to wait at least 30 days before doing this, since the chemicals that the wood was treated with before installation need time to evaporate. Give the wood time to adjust to the climate. After you have waited this long, it is safe to begin the waterproofing process.
Start with cleaning off the surface of the deck and removing all debris. Also remove all patio furniture and equipment such as barbecue grills. The deck should be completely cleared off. A deck cleaner can be bought at most hardware and home improvement stores. Follow the instructions and you can apply this with a pump sprayer. When it starts to foam, start scrubbing the deck with a stiff bristled brush. This will make sure that the stains on the deck, almost no matter how stubborn they are, will come up. Rinse it off completely with a garden hose, but make sure you have on eye protection to keep anything from spraying into your eyes.
This is the time to apply the sealant. Spray it onto the deck with a pump sprayer or a roller. Sometimes there will be puddles of sealant that will form and these need to be rolled out evenly over the deck. Allow it to dry completely and after two days, you should be able to walk on it without damaging the seal.
When you apply sealant or any chemical to your deck, you should always wear eye and skin protection.
If you want to help keep your deck further waterproofed, you can drill some small holes into the areas of it that retain water on a regular basis. These holes can be as small as 3/16 of an inch to even ¼ of an inch and they will not adversely affect the appearance of the wood very much. They will, however, help keep the water drained.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Orlando water Damage companies.
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