How Does Water Damage Affect Indoor Air Quality

Water can damage your home in many ways, causing flooding, excess humidity, and mold growth. Your home’s indoor air quality may suffer after exposure to water damage. If not resolved quickly, water damage can worsen and make your home even more unhealthy to enter due to mold, mildew, and other contaminants.

It’s important to be aware of how water damage can affect your home, its impact on indoor air quality, and its implications for your health.

What is Water Damage?

Water damage is any type of damage or loss caused by water intrusion. Sometimes, the damage is gradual, such as wall stains, water spots, and wood rot. Immediate steps to take during water damage are essential, as these damages can escalate if not resolved properly. Other times, the damage is instant and extensive, such as burst pipes or flooding. Either way, not addressing water damage can lead to severe structural and health problems. If you are wondering what water damage looks like, look for discoloration, bubbling or peeling paint, mold growth, warped or sagging walls, spongy walls, and wall cracks.

Examples of Water Damage

To help you understand water damage in more detail, here are some examples of how it usually occurs.

• Flooding

Flooding is one of the most common causes of water damage. If your home is not equipped with proper drainage and sump pump systems, rainwater can accumulate in your crawl space or basement and cause flooding.

• Leaking

Leaking from appliances or plumbing in your home is a slow process. It might not become visible right away. However, over time, leaking can cause severe problems, including wood rot, mold growth, and mildew.

• Condensation

When hot air has nowhere to go (from a radiator or dryer, for example), it lands on cold surfaces and condenses into water. Excess condensation in your home can damage window seals, destroy wallpaper, warp wood, and grow mold. Over time, it can lead to severe structural damage and health problems.

Impact of Water Damage on Indoor Air Quality

Water damage can impact your indoor air quality in various ways, leading to severe health problems.

1. Release of Toxic Chemicals and Gases

Water damage can release toxic chemicals and gasses into the air. When water contacts building materials, like drywall, concrete, or wood, it can trigger the release of formaldehyde, a harmful, flammable gas known for causing various health issues, such as irritation in the nose, eyes, and throat.

2. Mold and Mildew Growth

One of the most serious problems caused by water damage is mold and mildew growth. Water damage creates an environment full of moisture and humidity, which are the ideal conditions for mold growth. Mold spores not only cause structural damage but are also detrimental to your health, triggering allergic reactions and respiratory symptoms.

3. Poor Ventilation 

Many homeowners close doors and windows to minimize property damage during flooding. Doing this may compromise ventilation and cause indoor air pollution. The restoration process may also require you to seal off the building to contain the contaminants. However, sealing off ventilation when the water is present in your property can also hamper proper air circulation and drive up indoor air pollution.

4. Increased Humidity

Water rises and disperses into the surrounding air as water vapor, which is known as humidity. Excess humidity causes discomfort and makes your skin feel sticky. In extreme cases, humidity can also cause dehydration, fatigue, muscle cramps, and heat stroke. Excess humidity levels also lead to mold and mildew, which make your home smell musty and unpleasant.

5. Structural Damage

Water can damage your home’s structure and create cracks and gaps in the building. These cracks allow pollutants and pests to enter your home. Pollutants and pests infiltrating your living space compromise your hygiene and the quality of air you breathe.

What are the Symptoms of Poor Indoor Air Quality?

Ensure the health and safety of your family by keeping an eye out for the following poor indoor air quality symptoms.

• Increasing allergies, irritations, and respiratory problems
• Headaches, fatigue, and insomnia
• Visible mold and mildew growth
• Excessive dust accumulation in the home
• Unpleasant odors
• Unusually stale air
• High humidity
• High condensation and fog on glass surfaces
• High energy bills

These symptoms may occur gradually or suddenly. The key is to call for professional help as soon you notice any of the signs above.

How Does Poor Indoor Air Quality Affect Health?

Poor indoor air quality is detrimental to your health. Indoor air pollutants lead to irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat. It can also cause dizziness, headaches, and fatigue. Moreover, declining indoor air quality is also linked to respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer. According to the EPA, there is an established link between common indoor air pollutants (such as radon, particle pollution, carbon monoxide, and legionella bacterium) and severe health effects.

Radon is a harmful gas and the second leading cause of lung cancer. Moreover, short-term exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide in indoor settings can result in dizziness, fatigue, and headaches. Additionally, poorly maintained HVAC systems, hot tubs, fountains, and plumbing systems can lead to the development of legionella bacterium, which causes legionnaires’ disease – a form of pneumonia.

Indoor air pollutants, including dust mites, mold, pet dander, tobacco smoke, cockroach allergens, and particulate matter, are all asthma triggers. They can worsen asthma symptoms and trigger asthma attacks after exposure.

The risk of all these health hazards can be avoided with prompt water damage remediation that restores indoor air quality.

How to Improve Indoor Air Quality After Flood Damage?

If your indoor air quality is declining after recent flood damage, there are some initial steps you can take with professional help. Here is a brief overview of how to improve indoor air quality.

1. Remove Standing Water

The first step is to remove standing water from your home’s basement or crawl space. You can do this with the help of water extraction equipment and sump pumps. The remediation and waterproofing can only begin after you’ve completely removed the standing water.

2. Fix Broken Water Pipes

The next step is to fix any water pipes that may have been broken due to flood damage. Fixing the broken pipes safeguards your home from additional water damage and allows you to finish addressing the water damage.

3. Mold Remediation

Mold can grow quickly once your home is affected by moisture. One of the after-effects of flood damage is mold growth. If not addressed promptly, mold can spread and affect your entire home, as well as your belongings. Before you take preventative measures in your home, it’s important to get rid of mold with the help of a reliable mold remediation professional.

4. Restore Air Quality 

After water and mold have been removed, you may need fans or a dehumidifier to restore air quality and maintain a comfortable atmosphere in your home. Water damage remediation experts can recommend the most effective solutions and products to keep your home safe and comfortable.

Improve Indoor Air Quality After Water Damage with OKC Restorations

Flood and water damage affects each home differently. What might work for other homes might not work for your home. Therefore, it’s crucial to involve professionals in the process to ensure your home gets personalized restoration service. Oklahoma City Restorations is a locally owned and operated water damage restoration company with the goal of making your home safe and comfortable. Our trained and experienced technicians utilize state-of-the-art vacuums and extraction equipment to remove water from your property and restore your place comprehensively. Schedule your home’s water damage restoration by calling us at (405) 695-6951.