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.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.localrestoration.com and
http://www.moldrestorationusa.com
Friday, October 12, 2007
How To Repair Water Damaged Electronics
A lot of people have had their electronic devices come into contact with liquid, whether it’s a glass of milk or a bathtub full of water, but most people do not know what they are supposed to do with these items afterward. Can they be fixed? Is there really anything wrong with them?
Well, depending on how long they were in the water and whether they were on at the time, they can probably be fixed. It also depends on what kind of liquid you drop the device into. A lot of electronic devices switch of automatically as soon as they come into contact with a liquid and this is important, because it is not the liquid itself that causes the damage to the device. It is the electric current running through it when the water hits it. Even if you put a device that is not on in a puddle of clean water and let it stay in it overnight, it is not likely to be irreparably damaged as long as the power was off. You can most likely pull the item out of the water, allow it to dry completely, and it should power back on fine. I would not advise trying this as an experiment, though, because not every electronic device is made of the same material. As long as you do not attempt to power on the device while it is still wet, it should be alright. Allow the device to dry in a dry, cool area, but not so cool that it will let the device pick up any condensation.
Anything that has been submerged in dirty water, such as flood water, will probably require a bit more attention than that. Flood waters have been known to contain just about any kind of pollution that you can imagine. Silt, mud, sewage, and other chemicals could be getting inside your electronic device and it will take a lot more than simply drying the device out to get it to work properly again.
Even computer hard drives have been known to be restored with the proper cleaning procedures after having been flooded. The particle debris that has made its way inside the hard drive has to be cleaned out first and quite thoroughly before the drive will work again. Simply plugging the hard drive back into the computer after it is dry will NOT work and will damage the drive irreparably.
Unless you know a lot about electronics, your best bet is to take whatever water damaged device you have on your hands to a specialist. Depending on what the value of the device is or if it is a hard drive, the importance of the information stored on it, you might want to fork over the cash necessary to have it repaired.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
mold remediation companies across the united states.
Well, depending on how long they were in the water and whether they were on at the time, they can probably be fixed. It also depends on what kind of liquid you drop the device into. A lot of electronic devices switch of automatically as soon as they come into contact with a liquid and this is important, because it is not the liquid itself that causes the damage to the device. It is the electric current running through it when the water hits it. Even if you put a device that is not on in a puddle of clean water and let it stay in it overnight, it is not likely to be irreparably damaged as long as the power was off. You can most likely pull the item out of the water, allow it to dry completely, and it should power back on fine. I would not advise trying this as an experiment, though, because not every electronic device is made of the same material. As long as you do not attempt to power on the device while it is still wet, it should be alright. Allow the device to dry in a dry, cool area, but not so cool that it will let the device pick up any condensation.
Anything that has been submerged in dirty water, such as flood water, will probably require a bit more attention than that. Flood waters have been known to contain just about any kind of pollution that you can imagine. Silt, mud, sewage, and other chemicals could be getting inside your electronic device and it will take a lot more than simply drying the device out to get it to work properly again.
Even computer hard drives have been known to be restored with the proper cleaning procedures after having been flooded. The particle debris that has made its way inside the hard drive has to be cleaned out first and quite thoroughly before the drive will work again. Simply plugging the hard drive back into the computer after it is dry will NOT work and will damage the drive irreparably.
Unless you know a lot about electronics, your best bet is to take whatever water damaged device you have on your hands to a specialist. Depending on what the value of the device is or if it is a hard drive, the importance of the information stored on it, you might want to fork over the cash necessary to have it repaired.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
mold remediation companies across the united states.
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.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration and
mold remediation companies across the united states.
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.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration and
mold remediation companies across the united states.
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