Disaster Recovery News

The cold weather months are some of the wettest of the year. Consequently, the extra humidity creates the perfect environment for mold to grow in a home. While your works of art, photographs, antiques and family heirlooms may have the protection of the roof in your home, they may be susceptible to mold damage if you do not display or store them properly.

Areas to Avoid Displaying Valuables

Laundry room: the washer and drier create a humid environment that can tarnish fine metals, warp paper and be an ideal breeding ground for mold.

Bathroom: water and moisture are always present in the bathroom. Hence, the reason many household mold and mildew removers are targeted for use in this room.

Kitchen: keep all art and photographs away from the sink area, food preparation and cooking surfaces and the areas around an oven and dishwasher. The heat, moisture, food particles and oil in a kitchen will cut the life of your valuables short.

Near windows: windows tend to reflect the weather outside, especially if not sealed well. It is best to keep your heirloom books, photographs and antique findings off a windowsill.

By heating vents, air conditioners, radiators, air purifiers and humidifiers: while practical for maintaining a constant temperature in a home, these items are not art-friendly.

By a hot lamp or in an area that receives direct sunlight: the sun’s UV rays will quickly fade any art it touches. Hot lamps can cause art and photographs to become dry and crack.

The ideal, low moisture temperature for art, antiques and family heirlooms is 66 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your valuables in the same environment you enjoy—one that is warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Should your antiques, photographs and art experience mold damage, contact a restoration specialist as soon as you notice the problem. These professionals have state of the art equipment that can clean, dry and restore your irreplaceable valuables.

Learn more about mold prevention in the winter months.

[photo: frgetmenot]

Photo by Muffet

Winter blanketed the United States last week with one big cold hug. Or was it a slap?

Freezing temperatures were seen coast to coast. Snow was dumped in the Midwest, Central, and East coasts. Below freezing temperatures hit the Northwest and left children wondering where all the snow was.

Sure, the snow and ice make for a romantic scene the first day or so. But what about all that which comes with freezing temperatures: frozen and burst pipes, snow melt, flooding and water damage, and mold? Keep reading to find out how one can be ready for the curveballs Mother Nature throws.

Tips for Preventing Expensive Winter Disasters

• Don’t let pipes freeze.
  • Keep pipes insulated and the areas they are in warm.
  • Leave cabinets where pipes are located open to help prevent the water from within the pipes from freezing. When water freezes, it expands, which causes the pipes to break and burst with water.
• Prevent ice dams from forming.
  • Ice dams are those buggers that form at the edge of sloped roofs or gutters after the snow melts off the roof and refreezes in these locations.
  • Insulate the floors of the attic well and keep the area well ventilated. The cooler an attic is the less snow and ice on the roof will melt.
• Keep the snow out
  • Shovel snow away from the home. It is pretty funny when it snows so much it covers the door of the back porch. When the snow melts into the house and floods the laundry room, people stop laughing.
• Prevent mold by keeping everything dry. Moisture attracts mold, which can cause damage to property and health problems in humans and pets.
  • If a building floods or sustains any water damage, dry it ASAP. If the water damage is extensive, call in a restoration specialist to assist.
  • Dehumidify rooms that are damper, like basements and bathrooms. Make sure there is good air circulation in there as well.

Taking simple preventative measure can make winters more bearable.

Learn more about home maintenance during the winter months.

Image by therangonagin CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

The people of Wethersfield, Connecticut braced themselves as winds ripped through their town at speeds of up to 100 mph on Friday. If any of the residents suspected a tornado must have passed through the town, they would have been right.

As a result of the strong storm, officials of Hartford County opened up shelters to help those displaced. The tornado toppled trees into houses and roads and caused devastation the people of the town would have never expected. Most people lost power for most of the day-not the ideal way for one to start the weekend. Many people throughout the county are still without power today, but it will hopefully be restored by the end of Sunday.

The debris and fallen trees caused damage to numerous homes. If these homes are not repaired quickly and correctly, they could see damages that extend past what just the trees did. Vulnerable areas of a home are more at risk to be affected by water and mold damage in the future.

Read the full story here.

Shingles on a roof that are torn or blown-off after a storm can allow water to seep through. If the water does not properly dry or there is a lot of moisture in the affected area, the roof’s integrity could be compromised. The damage could even extend to ceilings within a building, causing them to collapse.

More on preventing mold damage.