Why Delaying Water Damage Cleanup is Dangerous in Staunton

Let’s get one thing straight: not only does delaying water cleanup just lead to worse damage, but it is also dangerous. Don’t put yourself at risk by delaying water damage cleanup. You should always give a water damage cleanup professional a call right away if your home is ever affected by water damage. This post will review five different ways that delaying getting professional water damage services can lead to a dangerous situation. 

Rapid Mold Growth

Mold can start growing within 24 to 48 hours after water damage occurs. Once it begins spreading, it can infiltrate walls, flooring, and air ducts, making removal more difficult and expensive. Mold exposure can also cause respiratory problems, allergic reactions, and other health concerns. The longer you wait, the more likely mold is to take hold in your home.

Structural Deterioration

Water damage will gradually wear away at your home’s structure. It won’t happen immediately, but it will happen sooner than you might think. Porous building materials like drywall are easily ruined when saturated with moisture, quickly becoming soft, swollen, and unstable. More resilient structural components like wood or concrete can also weaken over time as water seeps in and causes warping, rot, or cracks. Left unaddressed, this can compromise the integrity of your walls, floors, and even your foundation in extreme cases. The result is what should have been a straightforward cleanup job turning into a long and costly reconstruction project. 

Electrical Hazards

Delaying water damage cleanup unnecessarily puts you at risk of electrical hazards. Water is a good conductor of electricity, so any live electrical currents in your home will be conducted through any regions of continuous, standing water. Turning your electricity off after a flood is the key safety measure to prevent this, but delaying cleanup still increases the risk of electrocution.

Contaminated Water

Delaying water damage cleanup is particularly costly when the water is contaminated. Whether it be lower-level contamination like dirty water from outside or severe levels of contamination like raw sewage, leaving this unaddressed significantly increases the likelihood that your home suffers additional damage from the contaminated water. Contaminated water can spread bacteria, viruses, and other harmful microorganisms throughout the affected area, posing serious health risks to anyone exposed. It can also penetrate deeply into porous materials like carpeting, drywall, and furniture, making full decontamination difficult and often requiring complete removal and replacement.

Pest Infestations

Finally, one additional unpleasant consequence of delaying water damage cleanup is an increased likelihood of pest infestations. All kinds of undesirable pests are attracted to moisture, and a water-damaged home is an ideal breeding ground. Swift, effective water damage cleanup is your best option for keeping these pests at bay.

Water Damage Cleanup in Staunton

As you can see, water damage is a serious threat that extends to your health and well-being, not just the structure of your home. Fortunately, the solution to preventing such danger is simple. Call for professional water damage help immediately after the flood. At Restoration 1 of Charlottesville in the Staunton area, we offer 24/7 emergency response services and are ready to respond to a water damage disaster whenever it may strike.