How to deal with mold growing in your house post-flood

HAZARD, Ky. (WYMT) - Homeowners across the region are fighting mold growing in their homes after the flooding that hit the area two weeks ago.

“You can’t hardly go in there, you can see all the green mold. Look all down the walls and what all it done,” Perry County flood victim Jimmy Caudill said, looking at three feet of green mold growing on his walls.

Caudill and many others in the area are tasked with cleaning the mold.

Using a moisture meter, you can check to see if your home might be at risk for mold. Officials said if the moisture reads at around 10-16%, it is fine.

If the moisture number is over 30%, that could mean trouble.

“This is at 34, 33%. That’s not good, that’s gonna be mold,” Chris Doll, Assistant Director for Housing Development Alliance, said while analyzing a house damaged by flood water.

Before you start cleaning the walls, Doll said it is important to make sure the structure is dry.

“If the wood is dry to the touch. If it feels like it’s dry, you can probably start work,” he said.

A wired brush and mold control spray are also needed. The brush opens up the pores, and the spray can take away any mold.

Doll said that trying to use bleach and vinegar will only reach the surface of the walls, and will not completely clean the structure.

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