After a leak in a Jacksonville home, the water you can see is only part of the problem. The bigger risk is the moisture left behind in drywall, baseboards, cabinets and subfloors. In our climate, that moisture does not leave on its own.
What mold needs to grow
Mold spores are already in every home. They come in on outdoor air, clothing and pets, and they stay dormant until they get three things:
- Moisture, from a leak, a flood or long stretches of high humidity
- Food, such as the paper facing on drywall, wood framing, carpet backing and dust
- Warmth, which Florida supplies most of the year
Water damage brings the moisture and the house brings the food. Humidity decides how fast it happens.
Why humidity makes it faster here
Wet materials dry by giving their moisture to the air around them. When the air already holds a lot of water, that slows to a crawl. For much of the year, outdoor air in Northeast Florida is warm and humid, and it comes inside every time a door opens.
A wet wall that might dry in a few days in a dry climate can stay damp for weeks here. That is the window mold needs. In Florida conditions, mold can begin within 24 to 48 hours.
The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60 percent, ideally between 30 and 50 percent. A room with wet carpet and walls is usually well above that.
Where it starts first
- Behind baseboards and at the bottom of drywall, where water wicks up
- Inside wall cavities, especially behind cabinets and vanities
- Under carpet pad and under laminate or vinyl plank flooring
- In closets and corners with little air movement
- Around A/C closets and air handlers, where condensate leaks go unnoticed
Most of these places are hidden. By the time you see spots or smell something musty, mold has usually been growing for a while.
Signs to watch for after a leak
- A musty or earthy smell that does not go away
- Paint that bubbles or peels, or baseboards that swell
- Dark spots or staining low on walls or on the back of cabinets
- Floors that feel soft or have started to cup
How to stop it before it starts
The goal is to get materials back to dry quickly, and to prove it with readings.
- Stop the water and remove standing water right away.
- Keep the A/C running at a normal setting to help with humidity. It will not dry the walls or floors by itself.
- Pull wet rugs, pads and boxes out of the room.
- Call a restoration company that measures moisture inside walls and floors, not only on the surface.
Professional drying uses dehumidifiers and air movers set up for the rooms and materials involved, with daily moisture readings until everything reaches dry standard. When drying starts early, there is often no mold to remove at all.
If mold has already started
A few spots on a hard surface are a different job from mold inside a wall. Once mold has grown into drywall, insulation or wood framing, those materials usually have to be removed under containment so spores do not spread to the rest of the house. Spraying bleach on the surface does not fix mold inside the wall.
Rainbow Restoration of Deerwood holds Florida Mold Remediator License MRSR4584 and is an IICRC Certified Firm. Read more about our mold removal and remediation service, or about mold testing, licensing and insurance in Florida.
In Florida, mold covering more than 10 square feet in total calls for a licensed mold remediation company. An independent mold testing company is also worth using: it gives you lab-verified confirmation of the problem and a written scope of work.
What about insurance?
Coverage depends on your policy and the cause. Many Florida policies cap mold coverage at $10,000. When mold follows a sudden water leak, how quickly the water was handled and how well it was documented can matter to the claim.
When to call
Call as soon as you find water or smell something musty. Every call to Rainbow Restoration of Deerwood is answered, 24/7, at (904) 862-7522.
