In this, our 20th public service article, we looked back and asked ourselves the best and most basic question of all, who cares? How does the intra-industry information we have shared with the public benefit the public and why would someone take time from their busy schedule to read what we have freely presented? The answer, of course, is self interest. In this "ah-ha" moment we realized that we are missing a key component in our article database... the health risks and financial dangers posed by and created by exposure to water damage.
So then, why is water damage a concern to me and why should I care about it?
1. Water damage can destroy the structural integrity of your structure rendering it unusable and inhospitable. Even a small amount of water can wreak havoc with your drywall, flooring, and infrastructure as it penetrates and is absorbed into the structure.
2. Such penetration and absorption can easily become an ideal environment for health risks and financial challenges associated with the unconstrained growth of mold, bacteria, and structural degradation.
3. Water conditions can quickly degrade into Category 2 or Category 3 water conditions. Category 2 water, also referred to as "Grey Water," is known to carry microorganisms and can be caused by reasons as common as a sump pump failure or a compromised dishwasher. Category 3 water, or "Black Water," poses serious human health risks and can carry a wide range of life threatening fungi, bacteria, viruses, and other microbes.
4. Any category of water that is not removed properly and by a trained professional can penetrate and poison or infect local sources of clean water.
5. Water damage that is not cleaned professionally can have devastating long term health and financial consequences. Unless the structure owner is a trained restoration professional, the admirable and laudable American original Do-it-Yourself attitude should not be used in this situation and at no time should any one cut corners to cut costs.
Only a professional restoration company is equipped and trained well enough to remove the water, restore your structure to its preloss condition, and dry the structure to a level that adheres to the structure's normal dry level, thereby, circumventing all of the issues we have outlined.
While any one can easily suck the top layer of water off a floor using a simple grocery store rented wet/dry vacuum cleaner, for example, this can, and will, miss the water that has penetrated the inner layers of the structure including the subflooring and inside the wall cavities. This is the real threat of water damage and is the reason you should only use an independent water damage restoration company to handle all of your water damage restoration needs.
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