How Long Does It Take For Mold Growth After Water Damage?

When your home suffers from water damage, the water itself isn’t the only threat. Unfortunately, there are many secondary issues that can occur, including mold growth that can require mold remediation. Many homeowners in the Springfield Missouri area think that they have plenty of time before they need to worry about any mold or mildew problems, but that isn’t the case.

Time is always the enemy in these situations, and the longer you wait, the more time mold has to take over your Springfield home. If you’re wondering, “how long after water damage does mold grow?” you should continue reading. There’s no exact answer, but the following factors can drastically impact the rate of mold growth.

Common Causes Of Mold Growth

Mold Problem Can Be Caused By Temperature Changes

One of the main factors that affect the growth rate of mold is temperature. Mold thrives in warm climates, so if it is too warm inside your house, the mold can grow much faster in just a 24-hour period. If you want to slow mold growth down, you should lower your thermostat. 

For most water damage situations, you only need to consider the temperature inside your home. However, you may also have to consider the outside temperature if your house is exposed to the elements. Storm damage can leave your house with broken windows, damaged doors, and destroyed roofs. In these cases, you may also have to combat warm weather outside.

Poor Ventilation

In addition, you can slow mold regeneration by increasing ventilation inside your house. Mold requires moist environments to grow and spread quickly. If you can keep dry air flowing into your house, you can reduce the risk of mold while you wait for a restoration company to arrive.

When it is dry and cool outside, you can simply open your windows to increase ventilation. However, warm, humid summer temperatures will only speed up the spread of mold, so you would be better off keeping windows closed. In these cases, you should use ceiling and floor fans to move the air around. 

Organic Surfaces

Mold also requires organic surfaces to grow. They use these surfaces to latch on and feed. The more surfaces that are available in your home, the more mold will have an opportunity to thrive. Unfortunately, most homes have several organic surfaces. 

Even the paint on your walls can feed mold and allow it to spread throughout an entire room. If you want to prevent this from happening, you should only use inorganic paint. If it’s too late for that, the best thing you can do is try to remove any wet furniture, décor, rugs, and other surfaces.

Length of Time with Standing Water

Finally, the amount of time that water has stood in your home can impact the rate of mold growth. The longer that dirty water sits inside your house, the more bacteria can accumulate to feed mold. It’s important that you remove standing water as quickly as you can. If it sits for any longer than a day, it can drastically increase the chances of mold growth. 

Contact Professionals to Learn More About How Long It Takes for Mold to Grow After Water Damage

If you are worried that water damage will lead to mold growth in your home, you shouldn’t hesitate to contact a water damage restoration crew. You will be better off if you are able to act quickly. 

Fortunately, you don’t have to wait to contact ABC Damage Restoration. Their professionals are available 24/7, so you can get started with drying your home right away. You can reach their Springfield, MO contractors by calling (417) 352-2313, or you can submit their online form to request a free estimate.