How Fast Does Mold Grow After Water Damage?

Mold is a nightmare for homeowners and businesses alike. It lowers property value and presents heightened health risks for your family or staff. Mold often sprouts up following flooding or excess moisture in your property. It’s one of the most devastating forms of water damage because it can grow on so many surfaces. If not treated promptly, mold can affect your indoor air quality, cause unsightly stains, and disperse musty odors on your property. 

This is all to say that you can’t ignore a mold problem. A fast response is your best bet at containing mold growth before it reaches other areas. Trying to handle it on your own can inadvertently make matters worse. We recommend calling a professional water damage specialist who has the equipment and expertise to handle mold remediation.

Why Does Mold Grow?

Mold is a living organism. And like all living things, it wants to grow and spread. All mold needs to grow is a warm environment, moisture, oxygen, and a food source. In dry conditions where the temperature is below 40℉, mold remains dormant. But if temperatures rise, mold can thrive. 

Now think about this—your home or office likely has a warm environment, oxygen, and food sources (building materials like wood and drywall). That means a leaky pipe, flooding, or excess humidity could provide the final ingredient for mold growth. 

Since you can’t strip your home of food sources and oxygen, and you’re not likely to keep the office at a temperature below 40℉, you need to keep water damage in check. If you suspect your home or business has a water leak or experienced damage, call a professional water damage expert. It’s better to get ahead of the damage or mold growth than let it cost you more down the road. 

How Fast Does Mold Grow After a Water Damage?

Once you’ve experienced water damage on your property, you have a small window to prevent mold from growing. In as little as 24 hours of water exposure, mold can begin growing. At this stage, mold spores might not be visible—but that doesn’t mean they’re not there. As mold grows, it releases spores into the air that causes it to spread onto other surfaces. 

What started as a small growth in the corner of the ceiling could spread across a large area sooner than you think. That makes it all the more important to address water damage quickly. Extracting water, drying the area, and cleaning the area promptly could help you prevent mold from growing in the first place. 

Should I Remove the Mold Myself or Call a Professional?

After looking through your water-damaged property and spotting mold, your first instinct might be to try and handle it on your own. This is a DIY project you should skip. Mold removal is not something you can take lightly. You could put your health at risk and make the situation far worse. 

For one, if you don’t identify all affected areas, your removal efforts could be for naught. Any mold left behind can continue growing and spreading. You also need to ensure whatever caused the mold in the first place is taken care of. There could still be an undetected water leak putting your property at risk for mold growth. 

A professional water damage restoration company will know exactly how to handle mold infestations. They’ll have well-trained mold removal and remediation specialists who have the right equipment to contain it. Mold needs to be handled responsibly to ensure your home or business is safe to be in. Call for mold remediation services today. 

Got a Mold Problem? Get Professional Help Now

Stressing over your mold problem? Let Power Dry take care of it. Our team can arrive within an hour of your call to begin assessing water damage and identifying all affected areas—giving mold no chance to grow and spread. We know how important it is to your home life and work productivity to limit disruptions and unhealthy living conditions that mold can present. That’s why we use state-of-the-art equipment to ensure it’s removed safely and efficiently. 

If your property in the Kansas City metro and surrounding areas has experienced flooding, water leaks, or another event that leads to mold growth, you can call us anytime for a free assessment. Our team is on standby 24/7. Give Power Dry a call at (913) 285-8837.