Think you got all the water cleaned up? Think again.
We’re sure this has happened to you in the past: The washing machine hose leaks all over the floor, the toilet overflows, your teenager plugged the sink and left the water running…and you diligently mop it all up, thinking “Whew! That could have been a lot worse!”
Well, bad news. It was a lot worse than you thought. There’s water that escaped before you could get to it, that is now running throughout your home. Where? you might ask. Water will always find a way to get to the lowest point, and it will get there through the tiniest of cracks.
And sometimes it doesn’t even need cracks—did you know that drywall drinks up water like a straw? Look at it this way: When did the water start leaking? How long before you noticed it? How long did it take you to mop up the water? From start to finish, one hour? Two? That’s at least 2-4 inches of water that got up into your drywall that you can’t see. And won’t even think about until the mold starts growing.
Was the leak upstairs? That water most likely found its way into a crack between the seal plate and the subfloor and leaked into the walls below. It also found its way under your tile or vinyl flooring, which will feed mold growth almost immediately, causing tiles to pop off and the bottom of your vinyl to be completely black with mold.
Do you have carpet in the bedroom adjoining the bathroom? Did you spend the extra money for the thick carpet pad? The water will thank you for it. That soft carpet pad will soak up the water like a sponge, and keep it under it’s nice slick coating for a while. Eventually, it will get up to the carpet itself, causing major mold and allergy issues.
That goes for laminate flooring, too—this flooring is laid with a plastic and foam film underneath it. Like the carpet pad, this layer will absorb and trap the water, keeping it there until it can’t hold it in anymore. It gets forced up between the seams of the film and ends up warping the laminate floor.
And with any of these problems, add the Southern California heat and that mold will be in absolute heaven and grow like a plague.
Why are we telling you all of this? It’s because we’d rather you find out about it sooner so that the insurance company will pay for it. And if you assume that they will no matter what, keep this in mind—if you don’t fix the problem immediately, the insurance company won’t pay for the restoration because the damage wasn’t recent.
We see this happen every day, and we also see the numbers. You might think it’s expensive to have the water damage restoration people come in, but it’s three times more expensive to have us come in for mold remediation. Yes, you read that right—THREE times as much.
So if you’re in Chino Hills, Corona, Ontario, Riverside, Rancho Cucamonga or San Bernardino and your appliance or pipe sprung a leak, please give us a call. It will be worth it in the long run, both for your pocketbook and for your health. Call (877) 732-8471 any time, day or night; our technicians are standing by to help.
Check back on Monday for our next segment: Water damage in the kitchen.