How To Protect Your Home From Mold After Heavy Rain & Floods

Those long hours leading up to natural water events like hurricanes can be terrifying. Between keeping yourself and your family safe, as well as preparing your home as much as possible, it's a chaotic and adrenaline-infused time. 

And no matter how much you prepare, sometimes Mother Nature just has other plans. As we just saw with Hurricane Ian massive flooding can destroy homes and livelihoods and lead to serious water damage in the era of climate change.

If you're in the middle of dealing with a water-damaged home or want to be prepared for the situation in case it ever happens, here are six pro steps for protecting your home from mold after flooding. 

Safety first! Make sure the electricity is off in the location before venturing into any standing water, taking a moment to check both the breaker and power meter. If the meter is still on, do not enter the water until a professional can come to remedy the situation.

If the power is off, take photos for your insurance company and then move on to your first objective: removing the water using a submersible pump. If you don't have a submersible pump now, I'd consider it a worthy investment if you live in a flood zone. For around $50 you can get yourself a good submersible pump. Keep in mind when purchasing, the more horsepower it has, the faster the pump can remove water. I'd recommend one that is 1/2HP to 1HP.

Place your pump at the lowest part of the water-filled room. That way, it can get as much of the standing water out as possible. Take the other end of the hose as far away from your home as you can, preferably near a drainage area. Direct the water you are pumping away from the home; otherwise, it will just keep coming back in as fast as you're pumping it out.  

These amazing pieces of machinery are like regular vacuums, but you can use them for water. Like the submersible pump, if you don't already own a shop vac, it's a smart precautionary investment to make now before a water event occurs. (You can get a RIDGID wet-vac at your local Home Depot or Lowe's for around $100.)

Again, mold can grow in as little as 24 to 48 hours. It's a balancing act of hurrying to dry out the space but also ensuring that it actually gets dry. Once you've sucked up as much water as possible, take everything wet out of the affected area and thoroughly mop the floors and towel down all surfaces so they're dry. Outside water can contain lots of bacteria, and this step will help protect your home from getting contaminated.

If you had severe flood damage, within 72 to 96 hours of the event, I'd recommend hiring a mold inspector to come test the air quality inside your home. They'll be able to let you know if mold managed to start growing, if bacteria or toxins are present, and if you'll need a remediation company. This may seem like an over-the-top step, but stopping a problem before it escalates can help ensure the mold doesn't begin to spread to other parts of the home and cause adverse health reactions.