Water damage can occur at any time. Even the tiniest leak in your plumbing — or a single loose shingle in your roof — could lead to water damage inside the walls, in spots that you can’t always see until it’s too late. The areas inside the walls of your home often have a surprising amount of open space, where water can trickle in and begin soaking into your drywall and insulation. While you’re checking for an obvious pool of water or a stain in the wall, mold is busy growing where you can’t see.
How can you spot hidden signs of water damage in your home in Greenville, Spartanburg, or Anderson? Let’s take a look at 5 signs of hidden water damage you should watch out for.
1. A Bad Smell You Can’t Quite Place
Water in the walls will stagnate, and over time mildew, mold, and bacteria will begin to grow. This will produce a musty “dirt-like” smell and it’s usually one of the first red flags for water inside the walls.
2. Visual Mold Growth
Mold spores, which are often airborne, tend to be microscopic. You won’t see them in the air, but they’ll find their way into all the little cracks in your home where water might have settled. If you start to see discoloration on the walls, the floor, or in out-of-the-way places, that’s a sign that mold growth has begun.
3. An Unexplained Stain
Dark stains permeating the walls, floors, ceilings, or in the cabinets under your sink are another visual sign of water damage. These are spots beginning to saturate with water, and may give slightly when you touch them. If you begin to notice water stains in the ceiling or floor, contact a water removal specialist right away. The longer you wait, the more expensive the process is going to get.
4. Paint Peeling Off the Walls
Interior house paint often peels off of your interior drywall with prolonged exposure to moisture, so paint on your bedroom or living wall that suddenly begins peeling without any other explanation is a good sign that you are dealing with hidden water saturation in that area.
5. Bubbling, Buckling, or Staining in the Floor
Water will always find its way into the lowest possible point. Even water damage that begins due to loose shingles letting in moisture during a heavy rain may be first noticed as staining in the floor. Water damage in the floor may also show through a sudden bubbling of tile or vinyl flooring in the kitchen or bathroom, or even a spot in the carpet that feels spongier than normal.
Worried You Might Have Water Damage? Give Ron’s a Call!
Ron’s Carpet and Air Duct Cleaning provides exceptional water removal services to the Greenville, Spartanburg, and Anderson areas of South Carolina. If you’re concerned you may have mold growth or water damage beginning in your home, follow the instructions on this page and then give us a call! We’d be happy to send one of our friendly, experienced technicians out to help you dry out the saturated area so your home can begin to recover. Reach us by phone at (864) 297-6440 or contact us online at any time to schedule service today!