Fires happen all over the world, but the fires that happen inside a person’s home are often the most preventable and all it takes is a little diligence and some common sense to discover what the fire hazards in your home are and how to get rid of them when you find them.
It is a fact that most house fires happen in the kitchen. Even though a great number of these small stove fires go unreported because they do not do any damage, you really need to learn what you can do to prevent them from happening in the first place, because it only takes a second or two for a small fire to spread into a much larger one. House fire prevention begins in the kitchen by learning that you should never leave anything on the stove unattended unless it is an emergency and you should never leave the house to go and run errands during this time unless someone is going to be there to keep an eye on the cooking.
You also need to be careful with deep fryers and electric skillets. Any appliance that emits a large amount of heat needs to be monitored consistently to make sure that it does not overheat and catch on fire and you should not ever have to use an extension cord with these. Small extension cords like the ones you would use for lamps will NOT work and will melt. If you must use an extension cord, make sure it is a heavy duty one with a gauge of at least 14.
Heating shortening and oil in the kitchen also poses a significant problem, since it is so flammable. Heat these slowly so that they do not burn and do not catch on fire and if you have to leave the room, turn them off or have someone watch them for you.
Space heaters are also a big problem during the winter time and like with deep fryers and electric skillets, do not use an extension cord with these. Do not place them near drapes or other fabric items and keep children away from them. Also try not to leave them on overnight while you are sleeping unless you absolutely have to and even then, make sure you take the necessary steps to keep flammable items away from them. Do not use these in the bedrooms of small children due to the amount of flammable stuffed animals, pillows, and blankets that are likely to be there.
The worst thing that you can do is let yourself become comfortable with these appliances and allow yourself to think that you know what you are doing and a fire cannot happen to you. Letting your guard down in this manner is what causes a large amount of house fires.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Mississippi Flood Damage Cleanup and other states and cities such as
Miami Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Which Flooded Items You Can Salvage
After your home has been flooded, you might walk around it after the waters have receded and wonder to yourself just what you need to try to save and what you need to get rid of pretty quickly, since you know that contaminated items left in the home can infect everything else.
One of the first things that you need to know is that porous items, especially those that have a lot of padding, will need to be thrown away. This is because they need to be completely dried out so that mold does not start to grow in them and because these items can be difficult to disinfect, since padding makes it difficult for the disinfectant to get through the entire depth of it. This means that any bed or décor pillows will need to be thrown out, as well as any stuffed animals that you have for your children.
It will also be very hard to save upholstered furniture. The dirt, silt, and chemicals often found in flood waters will get past the outer fabric fairly easily if the item is in the water for more than a couple of hours and the padding inside will soak up quite a bit of it.
Saving your curtains and other fabric items that are exposed like this depends on how much damage was done to them. The dyes in the fabric may have bled or it may have become stained from being left in the water for so long.
Items like table cloths and towels can be saved if they are washed a few times in enough disinfectant, but even items that have not come into contact with the flood water can become molded after a few days if they are left in the house, due to the high humidity.
Any electric blankets that you may have that were exposed to the flood water will need to be completely thrown away. These items could possibly have wiring damage and can malfunction if you try to use them. They are in no way safe to continue using after being submerged in water.
Blankets can be washed, but you will need to do this a few times in hot water. Chlorine bleach can sanitize these items, but you will need to be careful what you use it on, since the dyes may run on some items. Try to find a laundry detergent that disinfects, as well. Borax detergent can be helpful in killing mold.
Wooden items that have had their finishes breached by flood waters may be contaminated and will need to be disinfected thoroughly.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Minnesota Flood Damage Cleanup and other states and cities such as
Florida water damage restoration companies
One of the first things that you need to know is that porous items, especially those that have a lot of padding, will need to be thrown away. This is because they need to be completely dried out so that mold does not start to grow in them and because these items can be difficult to disinfect, since padding makes it difficult for the disinfectant to get through the entire depth of it. This means that any bed or décor pillows will need to be thrown out, as well as any stuffed animals that you have for your children.
It will also be very hard to save upholstered furniture. The dirt, silt, and chemicals often found in flood waters will get past the outer fabric fairly easily if the item is in the water for more than a couple of hours and the padding inside will soak up quite a bit of it.
Saving your curtains and other fabric items that are exposed like this depends on how much damage was done to them. The dyes in the fabric may have bled or it may have become stained from being left in the water for so long.
Items like table cloths and towels can be saved if they are washed a few times in enough disinfectant, but even items that have not come into contact with the flood water can become molded after a few days if they are left in the house, due to the high humidity.
Any electric blankets that you may have that were exposed to the flood water will need to be completely thrown away. These items could possibly have wiring damage and can malfunction if you try to use them. They are in no way safe to continue using after being submerged in water.
Blankets can be washed, but you will need to do this a few times in hot water. Chlorine bleach can sanitize these items, but you will need to be careful what you use it on, since the dyes may run on some items. Try to find a laundry detergent that disinfects, as well. Borax detergent can be helpful in killing mold.
Wooden items that have had their finishes breached by flood waters may be contaminated and will need to be disinfected thoroughly.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Minnesota Flood Damage Cleanup and other states and cities such as
Florida water damage restoration companies
Which Flooded Items Can I Save?
You may not be very sure what you can save after a flood wreaks havoc on the interior and exterior of your home, but there are some definite things that you can save and things that you will have to throw away.
Certain items that have been soaked in dirty flood water for many hours will probably not be salvageable. Wooden shutters, aluminum, wooden blinds, things made of vinyl, and etcetera can usually not be saved. Metal items will corrode and wooden items tend to warp over time, since it is porous and soaks up water easily.
Any pillows that were in the flood water need to be thrown out, since it will be hard to get rid of all the dirt from the material. It will also be difficult to completely disinfect them.
When you purchase a disinfectant, you should make sure that it is approved by the EPA and that it has a registration number somewhere on the label. This will assure you that the cleaner meets the EPA’s requirements. Having the correct disinfectant for the task at hand is also important. Some disinfectants are only effective on hard surfaces.
Before you begin washing your clothing and other fabrics, you should make sure that the water is safe to use and it not contaminated. If the tap water is safe to drink, it is safe to wash your clothes in. You also might want to make an effort to sanitize your washing machine before you use it. You can do this by running some detergent and bleach through the washer using the most water it can handle.
You can use a water hose to get rid of mud and dirt that is still on the floors of your home and on the furniture. Dried mud and dirt can be scraped and shaken off of most textiles.
When you are dealing with water damaged furniture, you have only a few options. If flood water reached the fabric, it may be stained and if they were in the water for more than a few hours, the silt and dirt that was in the water probably got through both the fabric and the padding. Unfortunately, padding will retain water and allow mold to grow. The majority of the time, your best bet will be to simply discard the upholstered furniture altogether. Restoring this furniture will mean stripping everything down to the frame.
If water gets through the finish on some wood items, it will mildew and the joints in the wooden frame of the item may also become loose.
Mattresses or box springs can be saved if they have come into contact with only a minimum of clean flood water (such as broken water pipes), but mattresses that have been come into contact with dirty flood waters cannot be due to the biological and chemical hazards that exist in them. You should not use a mattress that has a musty odor after it dries, since this means that mold is present. Have this item sanitized by a professional.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New Hampshire Flood Damage Cleanup and other states and cities such as
Texas Residential Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
Certain items that have been soaked in dirty flood water for many hours will probably not be salvageable. Wooden shutters, aluminum, wooden blinds, things made of vinyl, and etcetera can usually not be saved. Metal items will corrode and wooden items tend to warp over time, since it is porous and soaks up water easily.
Any pillows that were in the flood water need to be thrown out, since it will be hard to get rid of all the dirt from the material. It will also be difficult to completely disinfect them.
When you purchase a disinfectant, you should make sure that it is approved by the EPA and that it has a registration number somewhere on the label. This will assure you that the cleaner meets the EPA’s requirements. Having the correct disinfectant for the task at hand is also important. Some disinfectants are only effective on hard surfaces.
Before you begin washing your clothing and other fabrics, you should make sure that the water is safe to use and it not contaminated. If the tap water is safe to drink, it is safe to wash your clothes in. You also might want to make an effort to sanitize your washing machine before you use it. You can do this by running some detergent and bleach through the washer using the most water it can handle.
You can use a water hose to get rid of mud and dirt that is still on the floors of your home and on the furniture. Dried mud and dirt can be scraped and shaken off of most textiles.
When you are dealing with water damaged furniture, you have only a few options. If flood water reached the fabric, it may be stained and if they were in the water for more than a few hours, the silt and dirt that was in the water probably got through both the fabric and the padding. Unfortunately, padding will retain water and allow mold to grow. The majority of the time, your best bet will be to simply discard the upholstered furniture altogether. Restoring this furniture will mean stripping everything down to the frame.
If water gets through the finish on some wood items, it will mildew and the joints in the wooden frame of the item may also become loose.
Mattresses or box springs can be saved if they have come into contact with only a minimum of clean flood water (such as broken water pipes), but mattresses that have been come into contact with dirty flood waters cannot be due to the biological and chemical hazards that exist in them. You should not use a mattress that has a musty odor after it dries, since this means that mold is present. Have this item sanitized by a professional.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New Hampshire Flood Damage Cleanup and other states and cities such as
Texas Residential Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
Cleaning Cosmetic Mold
Something important that you need to realize is that not all molds are toxic in nature. There are such things as cosmetic molds that do not pose any real threat to human beings or pets, such as Ceratocystis. This is blue stain mold or “blue rot” and is nowhere near the same thing as Stachybotrys atra, the frightening “toxic black mold” seen on the news. Ceratocystis does not rot the wood, is not harmful to human beings, and does not spread.
The following is a simple guide on how to remove this cosmetic mold from smooth wooden surfaces. If some of the wood framing in your home has been contaminated by Ceratocystis mold, then it can be possible to clean these and remove the mold contamination in some cases. If the contaminated wood is located on the exterior, you can use more violent methods of cleanup such as power-washing or sandblasting, but this is not recommended for use indoors. Spreading mold spores and debris throughout the house is a problem when these powered methods are used inside the house.
The best thing for removing surface mold from framing lumber is to use a sponge that has been wet with a mixture of water and borax laundry detergent. This is not to produce a completely particle-free wooden surface, but only to remove all of the surface mold. Do not use a sponge in one area and then use the same sponge in another, because of the risks of cross-contamination. Five tablespoons of trisodium phosphate mixed in a gallon of water can be used to clean up mold stains after any loose particles have been removed..
Sanding mold off of a surface is an option as long as the mold is a cosmetic one and the initial cause of the mold’s growth has been removed. High humidity indoors or leaks inside the house can restart this growth, so make sure that these issues have been resolved before attempting to sand away a cosmetic mold. A spraying method may be better than a sanding method of removal for large areas.
Before you treat the areas you have cleaned any further, the surface needs to be completely dry and the cause of the mold growth removed, in the case that the mold was not on the lumber at the time of construction.
Mold-resistant varnishes are available and have some advantages and disadvantages. Something good about sealants is that using them after a remediation project can immobilize the particles left inside some hard to reach cracks and crevices in the wood and stop them from re-growing and they will most likely reduce how much moisture the wood absorbs in the future. These sealants and sprays are never to be used as a substitute for thoroughly removing the mold, however.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Michigan Flood Damage Cleanup and other states and cities such as
Florida water damage restoration companies
The following is a simple guide on how to remove this cosmetic mold from smooth wooden surfaces. If some of the wood framing in your home has been contaminated by Ceratocystis mold, then it can be possible to clean these and remove the mold contamination in some cases. If the contaminated wood is located on the exterior, you can use more violent methods of cleanup such as power-washing or sandblasting, but this is not recommended for use indoors. Spreading mold spores and debris throughout the house is a problem when these powered methods are used inside the house.
The best thing for removing surface mold from framing lumber is to use a sponge that has been wet with a mixture of water and borax laundry detergent. This is not to produce a completely particle-free wooden surface, but only to remove all of the surface mold. Do not use a sponge in one area and then use the same sponge in another, because of the risks of cross-contamination. Five tablespoons of trisodium phosphate mixed in a gallon of water can be used to clean up mold stains after any loose particles have been removed..
Sanding mold off of a surface is an option as long as the mold is a cosmetic one and the initial cause of the mold’s growth has been removed. High humidity indoors or leaks inside the house can restart this growth, so make sure that these issues have been resolved before attempting to sand away a cosmetic mold. A spraying method may be better than a sanding method of removal for large areas.
Before you treat the areas you have cleaned any further, the surface needs to be completely dry and the cause of the mold growth removed, in the case that the mold was not on the lumber at the time of construction.
Mold-resistant varnishes are available and have some advantages and disadvantages. Something good about sealants is that using them after a remediation project can immobilize the particles left inside some hard to reach cracks and crevices in the wood and stop them from re-growing and they will most likely reduce how much moisture the wood absorbs in the future. These sealants and sprays are never to be used as a substitute for thoroughly removing the mold, however.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Michigan Flood Damage Cleanup and other states and cities such as
Florida water damage restoration companies
Controlling House Humidity To Prevent Mold
Humidity and moisture are two of the main factors that contribute to mold growth inside of a home, but some of the tricks to avoid them may not be so obvious. There are plenty of things that you can do to solve the moisture problem in your home, although some of them might cost you a little bit of money.
One thing that you can do is to install exhaust fans in as many rooms of the house as you can afford. Installing these in bathrooms and kitchens is the most important thing to start with, but installing them in other rooms can help with other kinds of damage, as well. They not only reduce water and mold damage to ceilings and upper walls, but they can also help to reduce the discoloration of these areas due to those who smoke inside the home.
A dehumidifier installed in a basement can help with the high humidity level down there. You should make sure that there are no ongoing leaks in that area first, though.
The humidity in the most frequented areas of your house should be kept around the mid-comfort range. If the humidity is too high or two low, the people who live with you will be uncomfortable. If the humidity is too high, mold can start to grow and if it is too low, things like nosebleeds can result from the air being too dry.
You should keep the humidity of your home somewhere around 45%, if possible. If the home or building has been wet for quite a while, it could take some time to completely dry this area out. You can use a fan to help speed up this process by moving the air around. If you cannot get the humidity to go down in an area such as a basement, you need to assume that there is still a significant source of moisture there that needs to be taken care of first.
Another way to prevent high humidity in the basement if you do your laundry down there is to never hang laundry up to dry there. If you have to hang laundry up to dry, do it outside.
You can also help prevent mold growth by insulating cold water pipes that are exposed in the basement. This helps keep condensation from building up on them and dripping to the floor as a result of humidity.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Maine Flood Damage Cleanup and other states and cities such as
Texas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors companies across the united states.
One thing that you can do is to install exhaust fans in as many rooms of the house as you can afford. Installing these in bathrooms and kitchens is the most important thing to start with, but installing them in other rooms can help with other kinds of damage, as well. They not only reduce water and mold damage to ceilings and upper walls, but they can also help to reduce the discoloration of these areas due to those who smoke inside the home.
A dehumidifier installed in a basement can help with the high humidity level down there. You should make sure that there are no ongoing leaks in that area first, though.
The humidity in the most frequented areas of your house should be kept around the mid-comfort range. If the humidity is too high or two low, the people who live with you will be uncomfortable. If the humidity is too high, mold can start to grow and if it is too low, things like nosebleeds can result from the air being too dry.
You should keep the humidity of your home somewhere around 45%, if possible. If the home or building has been wet for quite a while, it could take some time to completely dry this area out. You can use a fan to help speed up this process by moving the air around. If you cannot get the humidity to go down in an area such as a basement, you need to assume that there is still a significant source of moisture there that needs to be taken care of first.
Another way to prevent high humidity in the basement if you do your laundry down there is to never hang laundry up to dry there. If you have to hang laundry up to dry, do it outside.
You can also help prevent mold growth by insulating cold water pipes that are exposed in the basement. This helps keep condensation from building up on them and dripping to the floor as a result of humidity.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Maine Flood Damage Cleanup and other states and cities such as
Texas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors companies across the united states.
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