FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — As temperatures slowly warm across Middle Tennessee, homeowners are facing a new challenge after the deep freeze: preventing mold growth following burst pipes and flooding.
Victor Griffith, who has been helping people with mold issues for 25 years after founding Breathe Easy Mold Remediation, said there are steps homeowners can take to stop mold before it starts.
"The best way is to make sure you've got everything dry," Griffith said.
Getting your home dry quickly is crucial because mold can begin growing within days.
"It grows pretty well in 72 hours. So you've got somewhere between 48 to 72 hours to get stuff dried up," Griffith said.
Beyond using towels and mops, Griffith recommends using a wet/dry shop vacuum if you have standing water.
He also said to get fans or air movers running to dry out the carpet and the padding underneath.
"That blows air underneath the carpet to dry it underneath," Griffith said.
If necessary, you can rent a dehumidifier to pull moisture out of the air.
However, sometimes flooding damage is harder to detect.
"Most of the time when pipes burst, it gets behind the baseboard, you pull off the baseboard, and it’s molded," Griffith said.
If your drywall got soaked, you can use a moisture meter to test if it's wet on the inside, even though it feels dry to the touch.
Griffith said the ideal moisture range for a wall is 15 to 18 percent.
"That sheet rock and gypsum can hold moisture, sometimes for four to six months," Griffith said.
Corey Mason, owner of Breathe Easy, said he's been getting calls from many homeowners who stayed in hotels or Airbnbs during the freeze and returned home to find water damage.
"They're staying in hotels or Airbnbs, and the last three days, they've came home to water in their home," Mason said.
He said if the damage is extensive, you may want to call a professional, especially if it's in a hard-to-reach place like your crawl space or if the flooding has entered your air ducts.
"Use those dehumidifiers, use the vacuums without the filter, the wet vacs, and monitor the situation," Mason said.
This story was reported on-air by Robb Coles and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Coles verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at robb.coles@newschannel5.com.
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