Basement Flooded During Ida - What to do about mold?

so i checked the internet says one cup of bleach to one gallon of water to treat mold. i would probably mix it a little stronger myself but i did not say to do that.

of course ventilate. i would use negative pressure in my basement so as to not push the chemically contaminated air up into the house.

i am not a chemist. i only picked this stuff up working with acids and alkalis in the course of my job and with the exception of working in a chlorine plant at a mill years ago, i have no formal training in this stuff.

andriywww1990

in General Discussion 3 years and 7 months ago

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Guest User | 3 years and 7 months ago

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Like a lot of people, my basement flooded a little during Ida, we’re talking 1-2 inches that drained by morning. I’m now seeing a big mold issue on the baseboards and potentially walls behind that. I read through my insurance policy and can see that ‘floods’ are not covered. Has anyone found a way around this? I know the water was caused by blocked sewer drains in the area so not sure if that’s in any way a loophole. Or how to even go about fixing this. Contractor to rip out the baseboards ASAP?
Any help would be appreciated! Many thanks.

JohnHancock | 3 years and 7 months ago

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I would start with ventilation and chlorine and probably rip it out as soon as possible if it’s bad. Possibly mold on the back of Sheetrock if you have that

cate | 3 years and 7 months ago

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Generally speaking, after a flood it’s a good idea to use fans to dry the area. If something is wet for three days, it will mold. But now your best bet is to remove it. Take appropriate measures to contain the dust, etc., when you demo because mold in large quantity supposedly can be hazardous.

workisfun | 3 years and 7 months ago

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Call Guy Reed at +1 (631) 332-2099. He did a comprehensive assessment of my flooded lower level. He took time to answer all my questions on the spot and later via email and phone. At least worth a call. https://www.angi.com/companylist/us/ny/floral-park/candg-restorations-reviews-5539513.htm

Guest User | 3 years and 7 months ago

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Thank you all! Really appreciate it. I’ve put a call into Guy to get it taken care of ASAP. And have dehumidifiers etc running in the meantime.

stevecym | 3 years and 7 months ago

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Be careful with jh’s use of chlorine. What you want is chlorine bleach; retail product and perhaps you can find out what strength is safe to spray around your basement and litmus test it and dilute with water as necessary. We had to litmus test this stuff in a job once so I know it is done, I just do not recall any parameters. My guess is full strength bleach, no. But that is a guess.

I say this because there are commercial chlorine products available that are not diluted to homeowner strength. I’ve used this stuff in the past in a commercial swimming pool and have some here which I bought at the start of covid in case something really went wrong and we had to purify large amounts of drinking water. For someone who handles a lot of chemicals, the risks are somewhat more known and we might know what to avoid or have an escape plan. That said, I keep a gas mask around when dealing with alakalines and acids in a commercial setting and I was once on a job where we were working around chlorine and had to carry an escape respirator on our belts. Even retail bleac h sprayed onto the wrong chemicals in a basement can release dangerous gases and as a child, before we had all these wonder chemicals made for specific tasks, we were warned about bleach (and I think its use with ammonia).

Read a little more about using a quantity of full strength bleach in an enclosed area and dont go near the commercial product.