When the grout between the tile in our bathrooms becomes cracked, loose, or missing, water is allowed to get underneath the tile and damage the wooden floor underneath it. This damage can eventually become structural and cause the need for replacement of the entire floor or at least a sizeable portion of it. This will not only cost you quite a bit of money, but will also cause the loss of at least a day or two in repairing it. Not many people want to have to tear up the tile on the floor in the bathroom or on the walls of the shower and then tear up the floor, too. Repairing grout is not a difficult job to do and it is something that you can do yourself to keep your floor waterproofed.
There are a few different kinds of grout that you can use to repair the cracked or missing grout in your bathroom. There is unsanded, sanded, epoxy, or acrylic grout and depending on the kind of tile that you will use the grout between, you will need to use one instead of the other. If you have marble tiles, you should not use sanded grout, since this will etch the marble irreparably. Use acrylic or unsanded grout on marble tiles.
Mix the grout according to the manufacturer’s instructions and before you go to replace the grout, the area should be cleaned with a mixture of water and vinegar. Use a grout saw to take out the damaged and loose grout, but be careful not to chip the tile. Dampen the joints with water and use a paper towel to soak up the water. The joints need to be filled up and the surface should be rounded out with a stick. Use a damp sponge to get rid of the excess.
Allow the grout to set firmly in the joints and the directions on the grout package should tell you how long this is going to take. A grout sealant should be applied over the grout after it dries, since this grout is going in an area that is going to be wet.
Clean the tile with a damp rag after the sealant dries and allow it to dry again. After the cloudy haze starts to appear on the tile, use a dry towel to polish this off.
You do not need to hire a professional to do these small home improvement jobs. Most of the time jobs of this size can be done by you and you will save a significant amount of money doing them on your own.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New Jersey mold damage restoration and other states and cities such as
Connecticut mold remediation companies across the united states.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Protecting Your Deck From Water Damage
Waterproofing your deck that you worked so hard to pay for or to build is something that most homeowners need to do to keep their deck in good condition over the years. It will likely be used extensively and you want to keep it looking as good and as structurally sound as possible. Mold and rotting can occur to decks that are not properly waterproofed, so the deck’s structural integrity is also under scrutiny. Water from a pool or rain or snow can cause the water damage to your deck that you are trying to avoid, so applying a water sealant to the deck will help prevent all of this.
Waterproofing a new deck is not very different from waterproofing one that already exists on a property, but you should wait at least 30 days before you do, because the chemicals in the wood the deck was built with will need time to evaporate and the wood will need time to adjust to its new environment. After you have waited a month, you can start waterproofing the deck.
Clean off the entire deck and remove all furniture. It should be made completely bare and free of all debris, including leaves, sticks, pool toys, and etcetera. You can purchase a cleaner for the deck from most department stores. Follow the directions and apply it with a pump sprayer. When it starts foaming up, get a brush with stiff bristles and start scrubbing the surface of the deck firmly. This will not only remove all the dirt and other buildup from the deck, but also help to remove stains such as grease. After you are done, rinse all of the foam off with your garden hose or a few buckets of water. When you are doing this, you should be wearing eye protection.
Applying the sealant will be done with a roller or a pump sprayer and if there are any puddles of the sealant on the deck, you will have to roll them out so that the sealant coats the deck evenly.
Drilling a few small holes in your deck where water collects can also help further waterproof it. This will let the water drain off of the deck in these areas. They can be as big or as small as you want them to be, although 3/16 of an inch is about the smallest you can get that will allow for a decent amount of drainage.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New Jersey mold damage restoration and other states and cities such as
Connecticut mold remediation companies across the united states.
Waterproofing a new deck is not very different from waterproofing one that already exists on a property, but you should wait at least 30 days before you do, because the chemicals in the wood the deck was built with will need time to evaporate and the wood will need time to adjust to its new environment. After you have waited a month, you can start waterproofing the deck.
Clean off the entire deck and remove all furniture. It should be made completely bare and free of all debris, including leaves, sticks, pool toys, and etcetera. You can purchase a cleaner for the deck from most department stores. Follow the directions and apply it with a pump sprayer. When it starts foaming up, get a brush with stiff bristles and start scrubbing the surface of the deck firmly. This will not only remove all the dirt and other buildup from the deck, but also help to remove stains such as grease. After you are done, rinse all of the foam off with your garden hose or a few buckets of water. When you are doing this, you should be wearing eye protection.
Applying the sealant will be done with a roller or a pump sprayer and if there are any puddles of the sealant on the deck, you will have to roll them out so that the sealant coats the deck evenly.
Drilling a few small holes in your deck where water collects can also help further waterproof it. This will let the water drain off of the deck in these areas. They can be as big or as small as you want them to be, although 3/16 of an inch is about the smallest you can get that will allow for a decent amount of drainage.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New Jersey mold damage restoration and other states and cities such as
Connecticut mold remediation companies across the united states.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Little known Phone Sticker Squeals On Water Damage And Voids Warranty
If you take a look inside the case of your cell phone, you should see a round white sticker placed somewhere on the device. What is it? This is called a water damage sticker and if your phone is exposed to moisture that makes its way inside the phone, this can be used to completely void your warranty, no matter the reason your phone may stop working. It does not seem to take much, either; a simple drop of water placed onto this sticker is enough to change its color and void the warranty on your cell phone. For honest consumers who accidentally get a small bit of water on their phone and then 5 or 6 months later, suddenly notice that the phone is having problems, knowing about this sticker is quite useful.
What exactly can you do to stop this little devil from voiding the warranty on your phone should is accidentally get a little damp? The best thing that you can do is to take a piece of satin finished scotch tape and put it over the sticker to keep the color from changing if it gets wet. If you drop your phone into the toilet or the bathtub, this probably isn’t going to be that effective, but if you are just worried about general moisture problems or an accidental quick spill of something on the phone, this should work just fine. If your phone stops working for some other reason, remove the tape and take it back to the manufacturer for repairs or a replacement.
It is was not exactly a bad idea for these stickers to be put on the inside of phones, though; a lot of phones get returned that are supposedly not water damaged, but are. At the same time, though, it is bad for the consumer because having such a sticker can completely void the warranty regardless of whether the liquid was the reason the phone stopped working or not. The phone could have just been a defective model and it would make no difference.
Hopefully people will use the information presented here honestly and not try to defraud the phone company into giving them a new item after their phone was irreparably damaged by having a hot cup of coffee spilled onto it or something like that. For honest consumers just having a bit of bad luck, it is great to know these kinds of things about our electronics just in case. Unfortunately, there are those that will attempt to misuse this information.
Garland Texas Water Damage Restoration
Blog has more related information free
What exactly can you do to stop this little devil from voiding the warranty on your phone should is accidentally get a little damp? The best thing that you can do is to take a piece of satin finished scotch tape and put it over the sticker to keep the color from changing if it gets wet. If you drop your phone into the toilet or the bathtub, this probably isn’t going to be that effective, but if you are just worried about general moisture problems or an accidental quick spill of something on the phone, this should work just fine. If your phone stops working for some other reason, remove the tape and take it back to the manufacturer for repairs or a replacement.
It is was not exactly a bad idea for these stickers to be put on the inside of phones, though; a lot of phones get returned that are supposedly not water damaged, but are. At the same time, though, it is bad for the consumer because having such a sticker can completely void the warranty regardless of whether the liquid was the reason the phone stopped working or not. The phone could have just been a defective model and it would make no difference.
Hopefully people will use the information presented here honestly and not try to defraud the phone company into giving them a new item after their phone was irreparably damaged by having a hot cup of coffee spilled onto it or something like that. For honest consumers just having a bit of bad luck, it is great to know these kinds of things about our electronics just in case. Unfortunately, there are those that will attempt to misuse this information.
Garland Texas Water Damage Restoration
Blog has more related information free
Some Interesting Facts You Need to Know About Mold
There are a few things that the average person should know about mold and one of the most obvious ones is that mold growing in the house is dangerous to the health. But, what exactly is mold? Why is it dangerous? How do you get rid of it?
Mold is a fungus and it exists all around us. There are thousands of different species of it and they exist all around the world in more colors than you can think of. Some people seem to think that the words “mold” and “fungus” can be used as replacements for each other, but this is not always the case. All molds are fungi, but not every fungus is a mold. We have been known to eat different fungi around the world such as mushrooms and some kinds of mold have even been used to create such foods as cheese or alcoholic beverages and the fact is that some molds, when used in the creation of food or medicines properly, can be quite beneficial to our health.
The news has been making a big deal over mold the past few years, noting “toxic black mold” in many of its broadcasts. The black mold that it is usually referring to is called Stachybotrys and this is a genus of mold that contains about 10 different species. It grows mostly on dead plants and has been known to grow in homes or businesses. Not every kind of black mold mentioned on the news is Stachybotrys.
People are becoming more and more concerned about hidden mold in their homes and businesses. This is mold that you cannot readily see just by taking a look around your house and is often found tucked away inside air conditioning vents or inside walls. Any mold that has been found to be growing inside the ventilation system should be gotten rid of as soon as possible because every time the air conditioner is turned on, the mold is spread to every corner of your home or business and will be creating health problems for everyone in it.
Mycotoxins are what make some molds so dangerous. These are produced by some molds is what makes the molds dangerous, it is not just the existence of the mold by itself. If a mold does not produce mycotoxins, it is not a significant danger to human health, only the structural health of some buildings that it grows in.
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Mold is a fungus and it exists all around us. There are thousands of different species of it and they exist all around the world in more colors than you can think of. Some people seem to think that the words “mold” and “fungus” can be used as replacements for each other, but this is not always the case. All molds are fungi, but not every fungus is a mold. We have been known to eat different fungi around the world such as mushrooms and some kinds of mold have even been used to create such foods as cheese or alcoholic beverages and the fact is that some molds, when used in the creation of food or medicines properly, can be quite beneficial to our health.
The news has been making a big deal over mold the past few years, noting “toxic black mold” in many of its broadcasts. The black mold that it is usually referring to is called Stachybotrys and this is a genus of mold that contains about 10 different species. It grows mostly on dead plants and has been known to grow in homes or businesses. Not every kind of black mold mentioned on the news is Stachybotrys.
People are becoming more and more concerned about hidden mold in their homes and businesses. This is mold that you cannot readily see just by taking a look around your house and is often found tucked away inside air conditioning vents or inside walls. Any mold that has been found to be growing inside the ventilation system should be gotten rid of as soon as possible because every time the air conditioner is turned on, the mold is spread to every corner of your home or business and will be creating health problems for everyone in it.
Mycotoxins are what make some molds so dangerous. These are produced by some molds is what makes the molds dangerous, it is not just the existence of the mold by itself. If a mold does not produce mycotoxins, it is not a significant danger to human health, only the structural health of some buildings that it grows in.
Visit our mold remediation
site for more information
Equipment to Remedy Mold
It does not take long to realize that one who chooses to remedy a mold infestation on their own, as opposed to hiring a professional to do the deed, will probably be wondering as to what the safest way to do this is. It is important that safety is first and foremost on the long list of things to take into account when dealing with the scourge on one’s home that is mold. Aggravation of asthma, emphysema, respiratory infections, rashes, eye infections, and even death are just some of the health complications that can come about from having mold in the home.
One of the best ways to ensure that the remediation process is as safe as possible is to know the kind of tools the job will call for. And to know what the job will call for, you must know just how much mold needs to be removed. If there is mold growing on the walls of your home, then trying to wash the mold off with mold killing chemicals probably, and unfortunately, will not work. In fact, possibly the only solution is the most expensive solution and that would be completely removing and replacing the drywall. However, if the mold has not seeped all the way into the drywall, then this may not be required.
It comes highly recommended that one uses heavy duty mold killing chemicals in the remediation process. If you read product reviews, it should be easy to become committed to buying a particular cleaner. It is also recommended that you buy a high strength brand of trash bag to keep on hand, should any contaminated materials be discovered that should be disposed of immediately. It is very important that you do not touch anything contaminated that you throw away, as it is possible to cause cross contamination.
You should also purchase some sort of respirator during the remediation process, no matter how serious the contamination is. A half or full face mask respirator will most likely be required if you are going to be removing the drywall or any other possible building materials from your home or building. A full face mask can be purchased for roughly $130. You should also buy disposable protective clothing which is fairly inexpensive, especially when you consider the amount of protection that will be received from them. Breathable gloves should be, but these can often only be bought in bulk quantities.
You should also purchase a vacuum with a HEPA filter. These vacuums collect mold spores that have settled onto the floor and have possibly worked their way into the fibers of your carpet.
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One of the best ways to ensure that the remediation process is as safe as possible is to know the kind of tools the job will call for. And to know what the job will call for, you must know just how much mold needs to be removed. If there is mold growing on the walls of your home, then trying to wash the mold off with mold killing chemicals probably, and unfortunately, will not work. In fact, possibly the only solution is the most expensive solution and that would be completely removing and replacing the drywall. However, if the mold has not seeped all the way into the drywall, then this may not be required.
It comes highly recommended that one uses heavy duty mold killing chemicals in the remediation process. If you read product reviews, it should be easy to become committed to buying a particular cleaner. It is also recommended that you buy a high strength brand of trash bag to keep on hand, should any contaminated materials be discovered that should be disposed of immediately. It is very important that you do not touch anything contaminated that you throw away, as it is possible to cause cross contamination.
You should also purchase some sort of respirator during the remediation process, no matter how serious the contamination is. A half or full face mask respirator will most likely be required if you are going to be removing the drywall or any other possible building materials from your home or building. A full face mask can be purchased for roughly $130. You should also buy disposable protective clothing which is fairly inexpensive, especially when you consider the amount of protection that will be received from them. Breathable gloves should be, but these can often only be bought in bulk quantities.
You should also purchase a vacuum with a HEPA filter. These vacuums collect mold spores that have settled onto the floor and have possibly worked their way into the fibers of your carpet.
water and fire damage restoration
Moldy Carpet
New carpet is something that almost every home owner wishes that they could afford, especially if that carpet has become contaminated by mold. Mold is everywhere in our homes in its spore form, but it becomes more hazardous and more visible when it actually starts to grow in colonies in our carpet, on our walls, and virtually on anything else composed of organic material.
Dealing with carpet that has become contaminated with mold can really be a pain, because many times you are just better off purchasing new carpet. It just depends on your situation, what area of your home you are having to replace the carpet in, and whether you want to hire someone else to install it for you or not.
Unfortunately, a lot of the time when your carpet becomes contaminated with mold, you have to tear it up and throw it out in the end. At the very least, you will have to pull it up and remove the padding from underneath it because this padding cannot be cleaned. You just have to buy more of it.
Also, if your carpet has been submerged in water throughout the house or even just in one room, the best thing that you can do is just tear it up and throw it away. This is especially true if it is due to flood waters that can have all kinds of chemicals, sewage, and even cadavers floating in it. The biological hazards that could be present in your old carpet will be there even after the carpet dries and will affect the health of you and your family. Mold loves to grow on items that have gotten wet and been allowed to dry naturally.
Purchase a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter if you can. This will filter the air that your vacuum cleaner is dispersing back into your home, but when you have to empty this filter’s contents in to your garbage, do so with gloves on.
Another bad thing that you could have in your home to help mold grow is wall-to-wall carpeting. If you have this in your home already, you can reduce the amount of mold that could grow if you just remove your shoes before walking upon it and not allowing pets on it at all.
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Dealing with carpet that has become contaminated with mold can really be a pain, because many times you are just better off purchasing new carpet. It just depends on your situation, what area of your home you are having to replace the carpet in, and whether you want to hire someone else to install it for you or not.
Unfortunately, a lot of the time when your carpet becomes contaminated with mold, you have to tear it up and throw it out in the end. At the very least, you will have to pull it up and remove the padding from underneath it because this padding cannot be cleaned. You just have to buy more of it.
Also, if your carpet has been submerged in water throughout the house or even just in one room, the best thing that you can do is just tear it up and throw it away. This is especially true if it is due to flood waters that can have all kinds of chemicals, sewage, and even cadavers floating in it. The biological hazards that could be present in your old carpet will be there even after the carpet dries and will affect the health of you and your family. Mold loves to grow on items that have gotten wet and been allowed to dry naturally.
Purchase a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter if you can. This will filter the air that your vacuum cleaner is dispersing back into your home, but when you have to empty this filter’s contents in to your garbage, do so with gloves on.
Another bad thing that you could have in your home to help mold grow is wall-to-wall carpeting. If you have this in your home already, you can reduce the amount of mold that could grow if you just remove your shoes before walking upon it and not allowing pets on it at all.
water damage restoration
Taking Care of Mold in Your Kitchen
The kitchen is often the heart of the household and since we have to eat to survive, this is one of the most important rooms in your home to keep clean. This means not only the countertops, dishes, and table where we eat, but also the inside of the refrigerator where we keep our food. We should pay special attention to what we take into our bodies, since foods that have become contaminated can make the strongest of us deathly ill.
So, just exactly what foods do we need to throw away? Well, not all foods that are outdated need to be thrown out. Most of the time the expiration date refers to the date that the grocery store has to sell the item by, not necessarily the date that it needs to be consumed by. Many items will remain safe to eat for months after their expiration dates, as long as the seal on them has not been broken. Once the seal has been broken, though, these items will go bad just like anything else.
Once an item has had its seal broken, it is exposed to mold spores, bacteria, viruses, and other hazards in the household. Keeping the inside of your refrigerator cleaned out can help reduce this, but the threat will always be there. Almost anything that you find in the refrigerator that has become molded needs to be thrown away, but a couple of things are fine as long as you cut off the molded parts and a generous portion around them. This includes dense items that do not contain a high moisture content, like hard salami and blocks of cheese. Items that have a lot of moisture, like jams, jellies, sour cream, mayonnaise, and etcetera cannot be saved. Do not consume these items under any circumstances.
Fruits and vegetables that become molded usually need to be thrown away, as well. Keep a check on your produce supply to make sure that one bad item does not contaminate the rest. Mold spreads fairly quickly over these and it needs to remain monitored or you will have wasted a good sum of money on fresh produce for nothing. Never buy more than you will consume within the next few days.
Cleaning out your refrigerator at least once every few months is advised to keep bacteria from building up inside it. This can be a chore that your kids can do, but only if you show them how to do is properly first. If not done correctly, it might as well not have been done at all.
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So, just exactly what foods do we need to throw away? Well, not all foods that are outdated need to be thrown out. Most of the time the expiration date refers to the date that the grocery store has to sell the item by, not necessarily the date that it needs to be consumed by. Many items will remain safe to eat for months after their expiration dates, as long as the seal on them has not been broken. Once the seal has been broken, though, these items will go bad just like anything else.
Once an item has had its seal broken, it is exposed to mold spores, bacteria, viruses, and other hazards in the household. Keeping the inside of your refrigerator cleaned out can help reduce this, but the threat will always be there. Almost anything that you find in the refrigerator that has become molded needs to be thrown away, but a couple of things are fine as long as you cut off the molded parts and a generous portion around them. This includes dense items that do not contain a high moisture content, like hard salami and blocks of cheese. Items that have a lot of moisture, like jams, jellies, sour cream, mayonnaise, and etcetera cannot be saved. Do not consume these items under any circumstances.
Fruits and vegetables that become molded usually need to be thrown away, as well. Keep a check on your produce supply to make sure that one bad item does not contaminate the rest. Mold spreads fairly quickly over these and it needs to remain monitored or you will have wasted a good sum of money on fresh produce for nothing. Never buy more than you will consume within the next few days.
Cleaning out your refrigerator at least once every few months is advised to keep bacteria from building up inside it. This can be a chore that your kids can do, but only if you show them how to do is properly first. If not done correctly, it might as well not have been done at all.
Emergency Water Damage Restoration
Controlling Humidity to Prevent Mold
There are a number of ways to keep the humidity in your home from building up to a level that it allows mold to grow inside the house. The air in your home should not be made completely dry, however, because both airs that are too dry or too wet can cause you and the other members of your household significant discomfort. Having air that is too dry in your home can cause nosebleeds, but having air that is too wet will allow mold to grow, which in turn can cause some serious health problems.
One thing that you should seriously consider is installing a dehumidifier in your basement, if you have one. This is one of the most difficult areas of your home to keep the humidity down in, so sometimes purchasing a piece of equipment to help is necessary. Other ways to keep the humidity in your basement down are pretty cheap, though, in comparison. If the concrete walls in your basement are leaking, you can usually fix this with an injection of concrete using a caulking gun. Something else that you can do is to install an exhaust fan in the basement to alleviate some of the moisture. If you use the basement to do laundry, one of the worst things that you can do is hang clothes up to dry there, since as the clothes dry out, the moisture evaporates and saturates the air around them.
To keep your house as dry as possible, you need to clean up spills of water as soon as they happen and these spills are most likely to happen in the kitchen or the bathroom. Both of these rooms should have tile installed on the floor that is water tight, so any spills that do occur do not leak water into the sub-flooring. Sub-flooring that keeps getting wet will eventually crumble, leaving your toilet, bathtub, or sink on the ground under the house. Most people have not had to deal with a floor collapse in their home, but water damage or termites are the usual culprits.
Replacing the plumbing in your home can also help with preventing water damage (and thus, excess humidity) in the house. Older homes may have plumbing that needs to be replaced, since these can not only become inefficient due to mineral buildup inside them, but are also more likely to leak. If you notice any discoloration of the drywall in your house near the bathroom, kitchen, or laundry room, you might have a leak behind the wall that needs to be dealt with.
Texas Water Damage Restoration
One thing that you should seriously consider is installing a dehumidifier in your basement, if you have one. This is one of the most difficult areas of your home to keep the humidity down in, so sometimes purchasing a piece of equipment to help is necessary. Other ways to keep the humidity in your basement down are pretty cheap, though, in comparison. If the concrete walls in your basement are leaking, you can usually fix this with an injection of concrete using a caulking gun. Something else that you can do is to install an exhaust fan in the basement to alleviate some of the moisture. If you use the basement to do laundry, one of the worst things that you can do is hang clothes up to dry there, since as the clothes dry out, the moisture evaporates and saturates the air around them.
To keep your house as dry as possible, you need to clean up spills of water as soon as they happen and these spills are most likely to happen in the kitchen or the bathroom. Both of these rooms should have tile installed on the floor that is water tight, so any spills that do occur do not leak water into the sub-flooring. Sub-flooring that keeps getting wet will eventually crumble, leaving your toilet, bathtub, or sink on the ground under the house. Most people have not had to deal with a floor collapse in their home, but water damage or termites are the usual culprits.
Replacing the plumbing in your home can also help with preventing water damage (and thus, excess humidity) in the house. Older homes may have plumbing that needs to be replaced, since these can not only become inefficient due to mineral buildup inside them, but are also more likely to leak. If you notice any discoloration of the drywall in your house near the bathroom, kitchen, or laundry room, you might have a leak behind the wall that needs to be dealt with.
Texas Water Damage Restoration
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