Standing water in your home is an issue that needs to be addressed immediately. What makes it such a danger to your home and family? Sure, an indoor pool sounds nice—but not when it’s an accidental pool caused by flooding. If it’s not addressed promptly, keep reading to learn how standing water can cause health problems, safety hazards, and water damage in Olathe, KS.
Spreading Water Damage
You might think that “wet is wet” when it comes to flooding in your home. After all, if it’s gotten to the point that you have a pool of standing water, the space can’t get much wetter. That’s not true. Many building materials in your home can absorb water. For example, drywall—which is found in almost every room of most homes in America—will absorb standing water and wick it upwards so that water damage extends up above the level of the water in your home. The longer the water is allowed to stand, the more your drywall will become saturated by moisture.
While there are bound to be some areas of your home that won’t be salvageable after flooding of this degree, you can still save more of your home by acting quickly and having standing water removed as soon as possible. This will minimize water damage to your property so that you have to replace fewer building materials in the space.
Hidden Safety Hazards
Standing water in a home isn’t usually very deep, but the actual safety hazard has nothing to do with depth for this type of water. In a flooded home, standing water often conceals serious safety hazards, including shards of glass or pieces of broken metal and wood. Additionally, damaged electrical lines could be sending electrical currents through the water, presenting a shock risk to anyone who touches the surface. Removing the water will also help you remove hazards like these that could endanger your family.
Dangers to Your Health
In addition to being a safety hazard, standing water can also be a health hazard. Suppose the flooding in your home was caused by a storm or a nearby water source exceeding its banks. In that case, the water in your home will almost certainly contain biohazards like viruses, bacteria, and even parasites. Exposing yourself to these pathogens can make you incredibly sick.
Additionally, the longer you let water stand in your home, the more contaminated it becomes. It turns into a breeding ground for insects, particularly mosquitos, which can carry other diseases and attract various disease-causing pests.
Mold Growth
Any time moisture is present in a home; there’s the chance that mold will grow. When you have standing water in your home, mold growth is more or less a guarantee. Mold can begin to grow in damp building materials in as little as 24 hours, so the longer you allow water to stand, the more you’re allowing mold to spread and grow. And remember, standing water will continue to dampen more and more building materials creating even more spaces where a mold colony can take hold.
Mold presents its health hazards, in addition to the health hazards we mentioned above. These can health effects be hazardous for those with existing respiratory conditions, such as asthma, or those who are allergic to mold.
Leaving standing water in your home for any period of time is a bad idea. Contact our water cleanup company in Olathe, KS, immediately after flooding occurs to get the water removed quickly and professionally. Call Emergency Mitigation Services for fast water removal at any time of day.