Even though we know that mold exists everywhere around us, having excess amounts of it in our homes or workplaces can be hazardous to our health and should be taken care of as soon as it is noticed. If you are renting an apartment or a house and discover a mold issue on the property, you need to take this up with your landlord as soon as possible. There are a number of rights that a renter has and being guaranteed a safe and sanitary living space is most certainly one of them.
As long as the mold issue was not caused by you, your landlord is responsible for having any removal done. You can also hold the landlord responsible for any medical bills that you may incur due to being exposed to the mold, but depending upon your relationship with your landlord, having them take care of the problem may be enough for you. If your landlord has been good to you throughout the course of your stay on his or her property and you wish to continue renting from them after the incident is over, it could be in your best interest to not cause too much trouble over the issue. If you feel that your landlord has neglected the property and has allowed it to fall into disrepair and has repeatedly ignored your request for maintenance and mold removal, then seek the maximum the law will grant you under the circumstances. You should seek the compensation that is right for your situation.
The first thing that you need to do, no matter how much you trust your landlord, is send him or her a certified letter stating that mold exists on the property along with proof of this. You can obtain this proof most easily by performing a do-it-yourself mold testing kit and sending in the results or you can hire a mold inspector to look at the property.
If you do not receive a response from your landlord, a second letter should be sent in the same manner and state that you will withhold your rent until the matter is solved. This should get the reaction that you want, but sometimes even this is not enough.
The last thing that you need to do if you do not feel that your landlord has responded in a timely fashion is to send yet another certified letter and state your intent to move and bring legal action within a certain amount of days unless the problem is taken care of immediately. At this point, charging your landlord for any medical bills you may have incurred that are directly related to mold exposure is completely ethical and acceptable.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Connecticut water damage contractors and other states and cities such as
Chicago mold remediation companies across the united states.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Removing Mold And The Equipment You Need
The process of removing mold from your home can be a long and tedious one, depending on how large the infection is and whether you are choosing to take care of the problem yourself or have a professional take care of the problem for you. The most efficient solution for those who have the money, but not a lot of time is to have a professional mold remediation company remove the mold and all affected materials from the property, but not everyone can afford to have this done. So, the option of removing the mold yourself is available, but only for those who have the knowledge and proper equipment to do so.
You can perform most mold removal projects on your own, but projects that require you remove material from walls, floors, or ceilings are best undertaken by those who have experience in interior remodeling and renovation. Scrubbing mold off of certain areas of the home is fairly easy and is an efficient way to deal with a mold problem, as long as the mold has not embedded itself into the surface. Drywall is particularly at risk for having to be replaced if the mold infection becomes too extensive.
You will need buckets of water and the cleaning solution of your choice, along with sponges, rags, or whatever you decide to use while doing the cleanup. Wearing latex or rubber gloves is recommended for this, since coming into contact with mold can cause skin rashes. Heavy trash bags will be needed to dispose of waste in.
Something else you may want to purchase is a respirator, particularly if you are going to be opening up any walls and releasing mold spores into the air. An N-95 respirator can be purchased from your local hardware store and is the lowest level of protection available. If you want more protection than that, you can purchase a half or full face mask respirator with a HEPA filter attached to it.
Wearing disposable protective clothing is also recommended if the mold problem is extensive in any area of the house. Protective shoe covers should also be worn and duct tape used to seal up the gaps in the suit on the wrists and ankles.
Something else you may want to purchase is an air purifier with a HEPA filter built into it. This will help clean the air in your home and remove almost anything you can think of, including mold spores stirred up by the removal, and your health will improve. Depending on your financial situation, you may not be able to afford this, but if you can afford it, purchasing one of these air purifiers will be one of the best health investments you can make.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Connecticut water damage contractors and other states and cities such as
Chicago mold remediation companies across the united states.
You can perform most mold removal projects on your own, but projects that require you remove material from walls, floors, or ceilings are best undertaken by those who have experience in interior remodeling and renovation. Scrubbing mold off of certain areas of the home is fairly easy and is an efficient way to deal with a mold problem, as long as the mold has not embedded itself into the surface. Drywall is particularly at risk for having to be replaced if the mold infection becomes too extensive.
You will need buckets of water and the cleaning solution of your choice, along with sponges, rags, or whatever you decide to use while doing the cleanup. Wearing latex or rubber gloves is recommended for this, since coming into contact with mold can cause skin rashes. Heavy trash bags will be needed to dispose of waste in.
Something else you may want to purchase is a respirator, particularly if you are going to be opening up any walls and releasing mold spores into the air. An N-95 respirator can be purchased from your local hardware store and is the lowest level of protection available. If you want more protection than that, you can purchase a half or full face mask respirator with a HEPA filter attached to it.
Wearing disposable protective clothing is also recommended if the mold problem is extensive in any area of the house. Protective shoe covers should also be worn and duct tape used to seal up the gaps in the suit on the wrists and ankles.
Something else you may want to purchase is an air purifier with a HEPA filter built into it. This will help clean the air in your home and remove almost anything you can think of, including mold spores stirred up by the removal, and your health will improve. Depending on your financial situation, you may not be able to afford this, but if you can afford it, purchasing one of these air purifiers will be one of the best health investments you can make.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Connecticut water damage contractors and other states and cities such as
Chicago mold remediation companies across the united states.
Mold Prevention All Over the House
Mold growing in your home can be a serious problem not only for you, but also for the building itself. The negative health effects it can have on you, your family, and your pets are bad enough by themselves, but when you add the structural damage it can do, what it costs to have it removed, and how unsightly it can be, it is a nightmare for any homeowner to deal with. There are a number of places in your home that are at risk for mold growth and you should do a casual inspection of these areas often, since it can start to grow in about 48 hours.
The bathroom is the worst area of the home at risk for mold because this room sees so much water going in and out of it every day. Hopefully everyone in your home takes a bath or a shower at least once a day and if they do, then this is somewhere around or even over a hundred gallons a day. Steam collects and becomes soaked up by the ceiling and will cause mold to grow there over time. Ceilings have been known to collapse due to this kind of moisture buildup, so having an exhaust vent installed in the room to let the steam outside into the atmosphere is a good idea. The bathroom floor should also be waterproofed. Hard, non-porous surfaces are not good environments for mold to grow on, but if they get underneath to the wooden sub-floor, they will thrive.
The kitchen is another area of the home at risk and an exhaust vent should be here, too, and preferably located over the stove. This is also an area that needs to have a water tight floor, since it is also a place where spills of liquid happen often. Dishwashers and ice makers in the refrigerator also have a tendency to malfunction if they are old or in disrepair.
Basements have their own humidity problem to deal with most of the time and you can fix this by repairing any water leaks that may be there and installing a dehumidifier can also help. If you do laundry or have an extra bathroom here, an exhaust vent is a must. Replacing window wells and piling more soil around the foundation of your house can help stop water from seeping inside, as well.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York water damage restoration contractors and other states and cities such as
Connecticut mold remediation and water damage restoration companies across the united states.
The bathroom is the worst area of the home at risk for mold because this room sees so much water going in and out of it every day. Hopefully everyone in your home takes a bath or a shower at least once a day and if they do, then this is somewhere around or even over a hundred gallons a day. Steam collects and becomes soaked up by the ceiling and will cause mold to grow there over time. Ceilings have been known to collapse due to this kind of moisture buildup, so having an exhaust vent installed in the room to let the steam outside into the atmosphere is a good idea. The bathroom floor should also be waterproofed. Hard, non-porous surfaces are not good environments for mold to grow on, but if they get underneath to the wooden sub-floor, they will thrive.
The kitchen is another area of the home at risk and an exhaust vent should be here, too, and preferably located over the stove. This is also an area that needs to have a water tight floor, since it is also a place where spills of liquid happen often. Dishwashers and ice makers in the refrigerator also have a tendency to malfunction if they are old or in disrepair.
Basements have their own humidity problem to deal with most of the time and you can fix this by repairing any water leaks that may be there and installing a dehumidifier can also help. If you do laundry or have an extra bathroom here, an exhaust vent is a must. Replacing window wells and piling more soil around the foundation of your house can help stop water from seeping inside, as well.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York water damage restoration contractors and other states and cities such as
Connecticut mold remediation and water damage restoration companies across the united states.
Mold and Home Inspections
Mold grows everywhere, but something new homeowners may not realize is that a mold inspection of a home before they sign the final papers is essential to make sure that their new place is not contaminated with it. This should be done in addition to a structural inspection that ensures that the building is not structurally compromised in any way. This crucial information can make or break a real estate deal and cost the buyer thousands of dollars if it is not discovered, but the unfortunate thing is that a great many people in the process of purchasing a home do not think to have a professional inspection done.
Before you purchase a home, hire a building inspector to look all around the property, including the grounds it is built upon, to look for problems with the structure or the surrounding area. The area underneath the home needs to be checked for foundation issues like the rotting of support beams and floor joists. Infestations of snakes or anything else under the home is also considered a problem, since the new owner will have to pay for an professional to exterminate or remove the problem. The same extermination problem can be faced in attics where large numbers of bats and birds have been found.
An inspection should also be done of the central heat and air system. Having this repaired or purchasing a new air conditioner is a major expense and you should consider having the seller have it fixed or replaced unless the sale is noted as being “as-is”.
The home should also be inspected for areas of water damage. Where there is water damage, there is usually mold growth, and both can be terribly expensive to repair, depending upon the extent of the damage.
The mold inspection should include the entire house, but there are four major risk areas for mold growth that should be scrutinized the most heavily. This is the bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, and basement. If you inspect all 4 of these areas and do not find any mold on your own, then you can feel somewhat safe that the mold inspector will not find anything when he completes his own inspection of the property. It is somewhat unlikely that you will find mold growing in other areas of your house as long as these 4 areas are found to be clean.
Getting a home and mold inspection should be the first thing on your list once you pick a home that you wish to purchase. It can potentially save you tens of thousands of dollars in the long run.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood and water damage cleanup and
water damage restoration> companies across the united states.
Before you purchase a home, hire a building inspector to look all around the property, including the grounds it is built upon, to look for problems with the structure or the surrounding area. The area underneath the home needs to be checked for foundation issues like the rotting of support beams and floor joists. Infestations of snakes or anything else under the home is also considered a problem, since the new owner will have to pay for an professional to exterminate or remove the problem. The same extermination problem can be faced in attics where large numbers of bats and birds have been found.
An inspection should also be done of the central heat and air system. Having this repaired or purchasing a new air conditioner is a major expense and you should consider having the seller have it fixed or replaced unless the sale is noted as being “as-is”.
The home should also be inspected for areas of water damage. Where there is water damage, there is usually mold growth, and both can be terribly expensive to repair, depending upon the extent of the damage.
The mold inspection should include the entire house, but there are four major risk areas for mold growth that should be scrutinized the most heavily. This is the bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, and basement. If you inspect all 4 of these areas and do not find any mold on your own, then you can feel somewhat safe that the mold inspector will not find anything when he completes his own inspection of the property. It is somewhat unlikely that you will find mold growing in other areas of your house as long as these 4 areas are found to be clean.
Getting a home and mold inspection should be the first thing on your list once you pick a home that you wish to purchase. It can potentially save you tens of thousands of dollars in the long run.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood and water damage cleanup and
water damage restoration> companies across the united states.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Water Damage Everywhere, Can You Prevent It?
We all hate it when the bathtub or the toilet overflows, but what about the long term consequences of such an occurrence? Not cleaning up spilled water completely can do a lot of damage to the floors and walls of your home, not to mention creating a good environment for mold to grow in.
Clean up as much of the spilled water as you can. If you have carpet, soak up all the water on the surface that you can and after that, pull up the carpet so you can get underneath it. Drying the carpet as thoroughly as possible is the most important thing. Mold and mildew grows in carpet and once it starts to grow, there is not a whole lot that you can do to remove it. Carpet is a bad thing to have inside a bathroom and most people know that. If you do have carpet there, remove it and install tile or laminate that is caulked around thoroughly.
You need to have a vent installed in the bathroom, preferably above the bathtub or the shower stall. This will allow the steam and heat to escape the bathroom, go through the attic, and outside into the atmosphere. Letting the steam stay locked up in the bathroom with the door closed while you are bathing or showering is a bad idea because the ceiling and walls soak up the moisture and then dry that way. This is another cause of mold growth.
Keep a check on the plumbing that goes to your dishwasher and to the washer in your laundry room. Either of these household appliances can malfunction and leave your kitchen or laundry room floor flooded and if it happens while you are not at home, you will have lost quite a lot of time that could have been used cleaning it up before your floor has a chance to absorb it.
Any plumbing underneath the bathroom and kitchen sinks should also be examined for leaks on a regular basis, around once a month just to be safe. A leak can spring up overnight, so it is important to catch these as soon as you can to prevent any damage from occurring.
A leaking roof is also another regular cause of water damage and the signs of it are well known, especially when the water seeps through the sheetrock and stains the ceiling.
Clean up as much of the spilled water as you can. If you have carpet, soak up all the water on the surface that you can and after that, pull up the carpet so you can get underneath it. Drying the carpet as thoroughly as possible is the most important thing. Mold and mildew grows in carpet and once it starts to grow, there is not a whole lot that you can do to remove it. Carpet is a bad thing to have inside a bathroom and most people know that. If you do have carpet there, remove it and install tile or laminate that is caulked around thoroughly.
You need to have a vent installed in the bathroom, preferably above the bathtub or the shower stall. This will allow the steam and heat to escape the bathroom, go through the attic, and outside into the atmosphere. Letting the steam stay locked up in the bathroom with the door closed while you are bathing or showering is a bad idea because the ceiling and walls soak up the moisture and then dry that way. This is another cause of mold growth.
Keep a check on the plumbing that goes to your dishwasher and to the washer in your laundry room. Either of these household appliances can malfunction and leave your kitchen or laundry room floor flooded and if it happens while you are not at home, you will have lost quite a lot of time that could have been used cleaning it up before your floor has a chance to absorb it.
Any plumbing underneath the bathroom and kitchen sinks should also be examined for leaks on a regular basis, around once a month just to be safe. A leak can spring up overnight, so it is important to catch these as soon as you can to prevent any damage from occurring.
A leaking roof is also another regular cause of water damage and the signs of it are well known, especially when the water seeps through the sheetrock and stains the ceiling.
Mold and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
While there are some medical conditions that occur in children and babies that you cannot do much of anything to prepare for, what you get told by health professionals might not be all there is to it. It happens to some of the best parents in the world, but they are continually told that there is nothing that they can do to stop it. They are told that the medical community has no answer. They are at the mercy of it.
SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) occurs in infants and toddlers and most often what happens is that a child is asleep in its crib and for some strange reason, he or she just dies. Just like that. North American doctors have had no explanation for this occurrence for years and continue to this day to tell parents that there is next to nothing that can be done to prevent it.
However, an answer to the cause of it might lie just on the other side of the world in New Zealand.
A study that has been going on for almost the past 10 years in New Zealand says that the reason SIDS occurs is because of the chemicals being put into our mattresses (including baby mattresses) to make them flame retardant. These chemicals include arsenic, antimony, and phosphorus and all three are poisonous to human beings. However, this by itself is not what causes SIDS. It is when mold, particularly Scopulariopsis brevicaulis, makes its way into one of these flame retardant mattresses (and you never know which mattresses contain which chemicals, there are no labeling laws), it eats the mattress material. When it begins to digest this material, it releases toxic gases back into the air and when you have your baby sleep on this mattress (especially on its stomach), it inhales these gases and dies.
This study advises that you have your baby sleep on its stomach, to wrap the mattress itself in a specially manufactured wrap to keep these gases from escaping the mattress, and to always purchase a new mattress each time you have a new baby. Used mattresses are much more likely to contain the mold that you do not want your baby to come into contact anyway, much less while it is eating these flame retardant materials. Try to keep bed materials cleaned as often as possible to keep mold from growing in the bedding, as well.
North Carolina Sewage Damage Cleanup
North Carolina mold remediation
SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) occurs in infants and toddlers and most often what happens is that a child is asleep in its crib and for some strange reason, he or she just dies. Just like that. North American doctors have had no explanation for this occurrence for years and continue to this day to tell parents that there is next to nothing that can be done to prevent it.
However, an answer to the cause of it might lie just on the other side of the world in New Zealand.
A study that has been going on for almost the past 10 years in New Zealand says that the reason SIDS occurs is because of the chemicals being put into our mattresses (including baby mattresses) to make them flame retardant. These chemicals include arsenic, antimony, and phosphorus and all three are poisonous to human beings. However, this by itself is not what causes SIDS. It is when mold, particularly Scopulariopsis brevicaulis, makes its way into one of these flame retardant mattresses (and you never know which mattresses contain which chemicals, there are no labeling laws), it eats the mattress material. When it begins to digest this material, it releases toxic gases back into the air and when you have your baby sleep on this mattress (especially on its stomach), it inhales these gases and dies.
This study advises that you have your baby sleep on its stomach, to wrap the mattress itself in a specially manufactured wrap to keep these gases from escaping the mattress, and to always purchase a new mattress each time you have a new baby. Used mattresses are much more likely to contain the mold that you do not want your baby to come into contact anyway, much less while it is eating these flame retardant materials. Try to keep bed materials cleaned as often as possible to keep mold from growing in the bedding, as well.
North Carolina Sewage Damage Cleanup
North Carolina mold remediation
How to Contend With Water Damaged Papers
When our homes are water damaged due to floods and hurricanes, one of the things that we do not tend to think about until after we come upon them while attempting to restore the house is our documents. Any important documents that we might have in our homes at the time of the storm can be damaged almost irreparably, but there are ways to salvage these documents and store them later for better protection against not only floods, but fires, as well. Knowing how to deal with these documents after they have already become damaged is essential if you want to save them, especially if they are the only copies in existence.
There is no real reason to panic unless you have been away from the water damaged building for more than a couple of days. Most of the time it takes at least 48 hours for mold to start to grow on cellulose-based items like paper and cardboard, so getting to these soaked documents as soon as possible before those 48 hours are up is important. The environment in the building should be around 65 degrees Fahrenheit if you can manage it and the humidity needs to remain as low as possible. Mold loves humidity.
If you have any standing water still in the home, it needs to be removed as soon as possible. Documents lying in standing water need to be taken out of it and put on a flat surface quickly. Remove them carefully, since they can fall apart, depending on the weight of the paper and how long it has set in the water.
Figure out what documents are the most important to you. These should include marriage and birth certificates, death certificates, divorce papers, bank papers, warranties on large appliances, and any other legal documents you may have in your home. If you are a writer, a printed manuscript of a book you are working on is one thing that could be considered invaluable, especially if you do not have it stored on electronic media or if the media you did have it stored on was damaged during the storm. Take other printed materials like this into consideration depending on your own unique circumstances. If these items are not completely soaked in water, then you can possibly just dry them out using a fan or simply laying them out to dry. If they have been under the water for a long period of time, then freezing them and drying them at a local facility is best.
Using freezer wrap to separate watery books and documents from each other when you are packing them to take to the freeze drying company is best. Do not pack things tightly and label every box with your contact information.
North Carolina Water Damage Restoration
New Jersey Water Damage Restoration
There is no real reason to panic unless you have been away from the water damaged building for more than a couple of days. Most of the time it takes at least 48 hours for mold to start to grow on cellulose-based items like paper and cardboard, so getting to these soaked documents as soon as possible before those 48 hours are up is important. The environment in the building should be around 65 degrees Fahrenheit if you can manage it and the humidity needs to remain as low as possible. Mold loves humidity.
If you have any standing water still in the home, it needs to be removed as soon as possible. Documents lying in standing water need to be taken out of it and put on a flat surface quickly. Remove them carefully, since they can fall apart, depending on the weight of the paper and how long it has set in the water.
Figure out what documents are the most important to you. These should include marriage and birth certificates, death certificates, divorce papers, bank papers, warranties on large appliances, and any other legal documents you may have in your home. If you are a writer, a printed manuscript of a book you are working on is one thing that could be considered invaluable, especially if you do not have it stored on electronic media or if the media you did have it stored on was damaged during the storm. Take other printed materials like this into consideration depending on your own unique circumstances. If these items are not completely soaked in water, then you can possibly just dry them out using a fan or simply laying them out to dry. If they have been under the water for a long period of time, then freezing them and drying them at a local facility is best.
Using freezer wrap to separate watery books and documents from each other when you are packing them to take to the freeze drying company is best. Do not pack things tightly and label every box with your contact information.
North Carolina Water Damage Restoration
New Jersey Water Damage Restoration
Cleaning Up Smoke Damage
Fire is a veritable nightmare for any property owner, whether it is an apartment complex, a house, a business, or even just a piece of land. It can be devastating, but the most danger and expense usually comes from fires that affect the inside of a home or other building. These can wreak havoc on the lives of those who live in the home or even just the person renting it out, depending on whose fault the fire was, if it was anyone’s fault. There are a few things that you should do and not do if your house is the victim of a fire in order to clean up, especially if you cannot hire a restoration company to help you do so.
First, let us talk about the things that you really should do.
If you have pets in the home, you should remove them and get them to a safe environment as quickly as possible after the fire is out. You should not allow your pets, especially birds, to re-enter the home until the damage is taken care of. Birds are especially sensitive to smoke and other gases, so getting them removed from the home is very important to prevent the loss of life.
Open the windows and allow the air from outside to circulate. This will help get rid of the smell of smoke in the home. If your vacuum cleaner made it out of the fire or preferably if you have access to someone else’s, then using this to collect soot and other particles from your carpets, curtains, and upholstery should be the next thing that you do.
If you have plants, wash them completely in water and make sure that soot and other particles are not allowed to stay on them for long.
The things that you should not do should start with not using any electrical appliances (including your vacuum cleaner) until they have been checked and cleaned.
Do not attempt to clean porous surfaces like your ceilings and walls.
Sitting down on any furniture in your home that is upholstered (i.e. porous) is not recommended until they have been vacuumed and covered with plastic.
Any food items that were in the home at the time of the fire should be thrown away. This includes canned goods.
These tips are designed with your safety and your home’s restoration in mind. There may be other things that a restoration company could do to help you and in some cases, hiring a professional is the best thing that you can do. Weigh the pros and cons of hiring a professional and then decide what is best for you. Dealing with a home that has been water damaged due to the water from fire trucks is also another matter to contend with. Always consider hiring a professional to deal with extensive damage.
South Carolina flood water damage restoration
Connecticut water damage restoration
First, let us talk about the things that you really should do.
If you have pets in the home, you should remove them and get them to a safe environment as quickly as possible after the fire is out. You should not allow your pets, especially birds, to re-enter the home until the damage is taken care of. Birds are especially sensitive to smoke and other gases, so getting them removed from the home is very important to prevent the loss of life.
Open the windows and allow the air from outside to circulate. This will help get rid of the smell of smoke in the home. If your vacuum cleaner made it out of the fire or preferably if you have access to someone else’s, then using this to collect soot and other particles from your carpets, curtains, and upholstery should be the next thing that you do.
If you have plants, wash them completely in water and make sure that soot and other particles are not allowed to stay on them for long.
The things that you should not do should start with not using any electrical appliances (including your vacuum cleaner) until they have been checked and cleaned.
Do not attempt to clean porous surfaces like your ceilings and walls.
Sitting down on any furniture in your home that is upholstered (i.e. porous) is not recommended until they have been vacuumed and covered with plastic.
Any food items that were in the home at the time of the fire should be thrown away. This includes canned goods.
These tips are designed with your safety and your home’s restoration in mind. There may be other things that a restoration company could do to help you and in some cases, hiring a professional is the best thing that you can do. Weigh the pros and cons of hiring a professional and then decide what is best for you. Dealing with a home that has been water damaged due to the water from fire trucks is also another matter to contend with. Always consider hiring a professional to deal with extensive damage.
South Carolina flood water damage restoration
Connecticut water damage restoration
Flooded Vehicle Facts
When you go to buy a used vehicle, the last thing on your mind is whether or not the car has been submerged in water before. This is not as rare as you might think that it is and a used car dealer or an individual defrauding a buyer is not uncommon, either. In order to protect yourself from flooded vehicles that you may not know how to look for correctly, there are a few things that you can do.
The first thing that you need to realize is that not all vehicle history reports are created equal. These reports do not list all of the damage done to a vehicle or all the work that has been done on it simply because these things are only listed if the person who owns the vehicle makes a claim on it with their insurance company. If a vehicle is flooded and the owner does not file an insurance claim, then the damage is not recorded as ever having happened at all. Vehicle history reports are useful, but you should realize that not all damage may be included.
Look around the trunk and glove box of the car and see if you can find any signs of rusting, sand, or silt. These are signs of being exposed to water. Also look for these signs under the seats and in any nooks and crannies that these things may settle into.
While you are in there, inhale deeply and notice what the car smells like. If there is a musty smell, then this is probably due to the presence of mold growing either in the carpeting or the upholstery. If there is an air freshener smell, then you may be dealing with someone who is trying to cover up another odor of some kind. Be wary of air freshened vehicles.
All electronic components need to be checked. Be sure that they are in working order before purchasing. Some electronic items are expendable to some vehicle owners, but if many of them are not working, consider it a possibility that the vehicle has been submerged. Test the turn signals, windshield wipers, and etcetera.
Look around under the dashboard and see if any of the wires appear to be brittle or cracked. If they are or they crack when you try to flex them, then they have probably been exposed to water.
New Jersey Sewage Damage Cleanup
New York mold remediation
The first thing that you need to realize is that not all vehicle history reports are created equal. These reports do not list all of the damage done to a vehicle or all the work that has been done on it simply because these things are only listed if the person who owns the vehicle makes a claim on it with their insurance company. If a vehicle is flooded and the owner does not file an insurance claim, then the damage is not recorded as ever having happened at all. Vehicle history reports are useful, but you should realize that not all damage may be included.
Look around the trunk and glove box of the car and see if you can find any signs of rusting, sand, or silt. These are signs of being exposed to water. Also look for these signs under the seats and in any nooks and crannies that these things may settle into.
While you are in there, inhale deeply and notice what the car smells like. If there is a musty smell, then this is probably due to the presence of mold growing either in the carpeting or the upholstery. If there is an air freshener smell, then you may be dealing with someone who is trying to cover up another odor of some kind. Be wary of air freshened vehicles.
All electronic components need to be checked. Be sure that they are in working order before purchasing. Some electronic items are expendable to some vehicle owners, but if many of them are not working, consider it a possibility that the vehicle has been submerged. Test the turn signals, windshield wipers, and etcetera.
Look around under the dashboard and see if any of the wires appear to be brittle or cracked. If they are or they crack when you try to flex them, then they have probably been exposed to water.
New Jersey Sewage Damage Cleanup
New York mold remediation
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