While we have to deal with water every single day in some form or another, it can be a nightmare for anyone who has a cell phone or a blackberry. Getting these items wet by rain or dropping them into a sink of dish water is the last thing any owner of one of these wants to do and most of the time, they think that if this happens, they have to get a completely new phone. While this is sometimes the case, it is not always true.
If you have one of the newer cell phones on the market, odds are good that if you get it wet and it stops functioning, your warranty will not cover it and you will not be able to cover up the fact that the phone was in fact damaged by water and not some other means. This is because most cell phones and small electronic devices whose warranties do not cover water damage now come equipped with small stickers on the inside of the phone’s battery compartment that trigger when they get wet. There is a powdered dye on the underside of the sticker and when it gets wet, the dye coats the sticker and changes its color. This is good for the manufacturer to keep people from claiming that there was a problem with the product originally and that it was not submerged in water. This is bad for the consumer, however, because these stickers have been known to trip and change color in areas with high amounts of humidity. This means that if you live in such an area and your phone stops working for some hardware or software-related reason, you cannot get a new phone under your warranty because they will say that the phone was water damaged, often without even doing any real looking at the phone components for signs of it.
If you do drop your phone into water, get it out as quickly as you can. Do not leave it under the water for more than 20 seconds, but if it is plugged into the AC in your house, unplug the adapter from the wall first. Wipe off the exterior, remove the battery, and place both in a bowl of uncooked rice overnight (at least) and wait until the phone is dry before you try to use it again. Try both the AC and the battery; if the battery does not work and the AC does, then you just need a new battery, which can be purchased for a small amount compared to the value of your phone.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Orlando water Damage companies.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Bathroom Vents, Mold, and Wet Laundry
A good shower or a bath can be quite relaxing, but not so much in a bathroom that is contaminated with mold on the ceilings, floor, or walls. This manifests itself is a somewhat splotchy growth on the wall and it slowly moves from one part of the bathroom to another. Leave it untreated and it will eventually go on to infest the entire bathroom. Any drywall that is contaminated must usually be completely replaced, depending on how far along the growth of the colony is. The mold will be able to seep through the entire depth of the drywall because it is a porous surface and unfortunately, all you can really do is replace it with a new piece.
Some homes these days are taking to putting carpet into the bathroom, but this is a serious mistake. No matter how careful you are, the toilet, bath tub, or sink will eventually overflow and both your carpet and padding will be completely soaked in water. If you do happen to have carpet in your bathroom and have no intentions of removing it, get ready for a mold hazard. If the carpet and padding get wet and are not completely dried as soon as possible, mold will start to grow under it. Once carpet padding gets molded, it has to be thrown away. There is nothing else you can do. The best advice is to take up the carpet and have tile installed. This creates a waterproof barrier over your wooden floor.
Leaving damp rags, towels, or clothing on the floor anywhere is a bad idea and these items need to be washed as soon as you can, since if you leave them unattended for more than 48 hours, mold can start to grow on them. Leaving them on a floor that is carpeted and then covering them up with dry clothes is even worse, since you will probably forget about the wet items and neglect to wash them. This will cause mold to grow on everything in the pile, including the carpet and padding. Clothes should be put into a hamper instead of on the floor and dry clothing should never be put on top of wet.
Keeping the humidity down in the bathroom can also be a big problem, especially if you do not have an exhaust vent installed so that steam can escape. The water vapor adheres to the ceiling and is absorbed by it, causing it to be almost continually moist. This is the perfect environment for mold to grow in and if you do not have an exhaust fan installed, this is something that you should invest in, especially if you are going to remodel the bathroom to remove the infection, anyway.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
mold removal in Atlanta Georgia and
Water Damage Restoration companies.
Some homes these days are taking to putting carpet into the bathroom, but this is a serious mistake. No matter how careful you are, the toilet, bath tub, or sink will eventually overflow and both your carpet and padding will be completely soaked in water. If you do happen to have carpet in your bathroom and have no intentions of removing it, get ready for a mold hazard. If the carpet and padding get wet and are not completely dried as soon as possible, mold will start to grow under it. Once carpet padding gets molded, it has to be thrown away. There is nothing else you can do. The best advice is to take up the carpet and have tile installed. This creates a waterproof barrier over your wooden floor.
Leaving damp rags, towels, or clothing on the floor anywhere is a bad idea and these items need to be washed as soon as you can, since if you leave them unattended for more than 48 hours, mold can start to grow on them. Leaving them on a floor that is carpeted and then covering them up with dry clothes is even worse, since you will probably forget about the wet items and neglect to wash them. This will cause mold to grow on everything in the pile, including the carpet and padding. Clothes should be put into a hamper instead of on the floor and dry clothing should never be put on top of wet.
Keeping the humidity down in the bathroom can also be a big problem, especially if you do not have an exhaust vent installed so that steam can escape. The water vapor adheres to the ceiling and is absorbed by it, causing it to be almost continually moist. This is the perfect environment for mold to grow in and if you do not have an exhaust fan installed, this is something that you should invest in, especially if you are going to remodel the bathroom to remove the infection, anyway.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
mold removal in Atlanta Georgia and
Water Damage Restoration companies.
Which Flooded Items You Can Salvage
After your home has been flooded, you might walk around it after the waters have receded and wonder to yourself just what you need to try to save and what you need to get rid of pretty quickly, since you know that contaminated items left in the home can infect everything else.
One of the first things that you need to know is that porous items, especially those that have a lot of padding, will need to be thrown away. This is because they need to be completely dried out so that mold does not start to grow in them and because these items can be difficult to disinfect, since padding makes it difficult for the disinfectant to get through the entire depth of it. This means that any bed or décor pillows will need to be thrown out, as well as any stuffed animals that you have for your children.
It will also be very hard to save upholstered furniture. The dirt, silt, and chemicals often found in flood waters will get past the outer fabric fairly easily if the item is in the water for more than a couple of hours and the padding inside will soak up quite a bit of it.
Saving your curtains and other fabric items that are exposed like this depends on how much damage was done to them. The dyes in the fabric may have bled or it may have become stained from being left in the water for so long.
Items like table cloths and towels can be saved if they are washed a few times in enough disinfectant, but even items that have not come into contact with the flood water can become molded after a few days if they are left in the house, due to the high humidity.
Any electric blankets that you may have that were exposed to the flood water will need to be completely thrown away. These items could possibly have wiring damage and can malfunction if you try to use them. They are in no way safe to continue using after being submerged in water.
Blankets can be washed, but you will need to do this a few times in hot water. Chlorine bleach can sanitize these items, but you will need to be careful what you use it on, since the dyes may run on some items. Try to find a laundry detergent that disinfects, as well. Borax detergent can be helpful in killing mold.
Wooden items that have had their finishes breached by flood waters may be contaminated and will need to be disinfected thoroughly.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Water Damage Miami and
water damage restoration in atlanta companies.
One of the first things that you need to know is that porous items, especially those that have a lot of padding, will need to be thrown away. This is because they need to be completely dried out so that mold does not start to grow in them and because these items can be difficult to disinfect, since padding makes it difficult for the disinfectant to get through the entire depth of it. This means that any bed or décor pillows will need to be thrown out, as well as any stuffed animals that you have for your children.
It will also be very hard to save upholstered furniture. The dirt, silt, and chemicals often found in flood waters will get past the outer fabric fairly easily if the item is in the water for more than a couple of hours and the padding inside will soak up quite a bit of it.
Saving your curtains and other fabric items that are exposed like this depends on how much damage was done to them. The dyes in the fabric may have bled or it may have become stained from being left in the water for so long.
Items like table cloths and towels can be saved if they are washed a few times in enough disinfectant, but even items that have not come into contact with the flood water can become molded after a few days if they are left in the house, due to the high humidity.
Any electric blankets that you may have that were exposed to the flood water will need to be completely thrown away. These items could possibly have wiring damage and can malfunction if you try to use them. They are in no way safe to continue using after being submerged in water.
Blankets can be washed, but you will need to do this a few times in hot water. Chlorine bleach can sanitize these items, but you will need to be careful what you use it on, since the dyes may run on some items. Try to find a laundry detergent that disinfects, as well. Borax detergent can be helpful in killing mold.
Wooden items that have had their finishes breached by flood waters may be contaminated and will need to be disinfected thoroughly.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Water Damage Miami and
water damage restoration in atlanta companies.
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