How Long Will It Take For Mold To Appear After The Area Is Wet?

Water damage is the worst nightmare of any householder. It may be due to flooding, burst pipes or leaky roofs and faucets. Mold growth further increases this damage by spreading in the moist and damp conditions.

Mold not only pose health hazards but also ruin the integrity of the buildings. It can spoil your cherished belongings, destroy furniture, upholstery, carpeting, etc.

In case the water damage is minimal and goes undetected, mold will quickly grow. This will intensify the damage, making the water damage restoration and mold remediation process difficult, long and costly.

Before we directly address how long does mold spread, let’s first have a basic overview of molds.

How Does Mold Grow After Water Damage?

Molds can survive anywhere. They just need oxygen, moisture, and food to grow. Molds feed on organic materials such as drywall, wood, fabrics, etc.

Moisture that builds-up indoors favors mold multiplication in the homes. So, necessarily what mold needs to grow is the moisture that is most easily available and accessible in our homes or buildings.

One thing is for certain that even if the water intrusion and infiltration is limited, it may still be indicative of any mold problem. But the problem can be avoided by getting control over the moisture before the mold finds a chance to settle in and cause destruction.

1. How quickly molds grow and appear after the area is wet?
2. How soon you have to dry the areas to prevent mold growth and spreading their roots in your homes?

Do you have these questions ringing the bell in your mind? The purpose of this article is to make you aware of how soon molds grow after the area is wet to inflict serious harm to health and valued possessions.

Recommended Read: Does water damage get worse over time?

Let’s get started.

How Long Does it Take for Mold to Grow?

It is imperative to know how rapidly a mold grows to expose danger to health and household materials. It is said that under optimal conditions, molds just require 24 to 48 hours to grow in an unwelcoming way in our homes.

Surprisingly, some molds can even grow in less than a day. Mold spores are believed to colonize within 3 to 12 days. This time is variable for different mold species out there and also hinges on the actual moisture conditions in the home.

How Fast Does Mold Spread?

Molds spread very quickly – within a few hours. When mold spores slide on porous materials, they become deeply rooted and enjoy the available organic food. Just within a few hours, these annoying molds begin spreading to adjacent or nearby moist locations.

Furthermore, whenever molds bump on any moist surface, the air quickly fills up with hundreds of thousands of spores that disperse throughout your living space. More and more spots are targeted by molds with every passing hour.

When to Dry the Premises Contaminated by Molds?

Have you done mold inspection? Have you found the areas affected by mold? That’s great. Without letting fear to creep, it’s time to pull the molds out of your house. It’s necessary to dry all the mold affected areas within 48 hours. This will ensure that molds will not infest your homes again.

Floods are natural disasters. But if you won’t pay any heed to flooded areas, you are most likely to entertain molds in your residence. Completely dry off the flooded regions within 48 to 72 hours would be a great help in alleviating mold.

Some surfaces or furnishings are hard to dry. For instance, carpets are one of the greatest absorbents of moisture which largely promotes mold development. Therefore, it’s better not to use carpets in areas where water intrusion is maximum.

How to Prevent Mold Growth?

It is best to take small yet effective actions to mitigate molds that appear after any water damage. The simplest way is to keep your home dry. How?

You can keep your home dry by lowering humidity levels. Install exhaust fans, air conditioners, and dehumidifiers. Also, fix any water problem or leaks in plumbing pipes to resolve the mold issues.

Do not wait for molds to diffuse to every corner of your house. Stop molds as early as you can for your own sake.

Recommended Read: Can You Die From Mold?

The Takeaway:

Molds give extreme pressure to the residents as they are known to cause mild to serious medical conditions. These tiny organisms have short generation time and they quickly inhabit any moist area within 24 to 48 hours.

You can avoid these molds just by maintaining dry conditions in your homes. Be mindful of the fact that just because the moisture has evaporated doesn’t mean mold has been wiped out.

You can hire a residential mold remediation company to make sure that the mold problem no longer remains recurring.