Anyone that has ever moved into a new home knows that there is always a lot to be done. One of which, is checking the home for potential hazards. Because after all, knowing your home inside out is the key to making sure that your family is living in a healthy environment. Should you stumble upon asbestos within the confines of your walls, then there are a few things that you will have to know. And today, we will be discussing these important details.

Before you start opening up your wall, ask yourself whether asbestos removal is actually what you want to do. If you simply know that your home houses asbestos but there is no hole in the wall that could let the asbestos leak out, then you don’t necessarily need to go through the motions of removing asbestos. The only way asbestos can harm a person is through circulation. If it has nowhere to go, then there is no need to mess with it unless you want to simply get rid of the risk of an opening being created a few years down the road and exposing the inhabitants.

And while it sounds tempting to remove asbestos by yourself and completely legal to do so, it is not recommended. Hiring a professional to perform the asbestos removal for you is not only much safer, but will also ensure that mishaps are less likely to happen. If you decide to remove the asbestos on your own, know that this can only be done if you can do it in a week and the affected area is no bigger than 10m². Wearing protective gear is mandatory, and asbestos removal should never be done without it. The material should be collected in tough plastic bags and labelled accordingly.

When dealing with asbestos, it’s important to know that some tools shouldn’t be used. Sanding discs, power tools and compressed air should never be worked with, as they have a high chance of worsening the situation. If you have found an asbestos leak and want to slow down the spread, it’s best to use a wet cloth over the leak. The water will hold the asbestos back a little, but should only be used as a band aid for the problem. Proper measures should still be used in the end.

There are many things you should take into consideration with asbestos. If your neighbors live close by, you should warn them before you start working with asbestos, as it could become a hazard for them as well. But the most important thing to know for anyone that is dealing with asbestos, is to proceed with caution. While it isn’t terribly hard to do, it can easily go wrong and give bigger problems than you had before. Follow the normal procedures carefully. Maybe even ask for advice to someone you know has done it before. And always keep your breathing mask up.

More about San Diego Mold & Asbestos removal here.

There are certain things that you should always do before you commit to purchasing a property, and most of them are pretty obvious. Everyone manages to remember them, and there’s no problem – but it is during those few times that you do not remember that you could come round to stab you in the back later. The last thing that you want to do is to lose money over a silly mistake that you would never have made if you had only thought things through logically: which is why we have created this simple and easy checklist for you to use when you need to work out whether or not a property has suffered water damage.

Firstly, why should you care whether or not a property has water damage? Well, water damage has a whole ream of consequences that you need to be aware of before you invest. The water damage could have occurred from a natural source, which means that it could happen again. On the other hand, the water damage could have come from negligence on the part of the previous owners, so you will need to check whether they have been negligent in other areas of upkeep. Lastly, any water damage will require extensive water damage restoration, and you should always make sure that you have checked with your surveyor to see whether or not this has been carried out properly. You do not want yourself snowed under with a load of unexpected bills as soon as you have closed the purchase.

So, what do you need to be looking for?

1. Large areas of mold.

By far the most obvious and the most worrying sign, if you can see large areas of mold in the property that you really should not think about purchasing it. The water damage has not happened, it is happening right in front of your eyes!

2. Any large water features nearby.

Although this may not guarantee the fact that the property has experience water damage and water damage restoration, seeing a large water feature such as a pond or a river nearby certainly makes it more likely to happen in the future.

3. Recent refurbishment on a large scale.

In some cases this will just be because the previous owner wanted a little change in interiors, but the more properties you see, the more you will be able to get your eye in and notice when the refurbishment hasn’t been to alter something, but to repair the water damage that has taken place.

With this simple information, you should be easily able to spot when a property has undergone water damage and water damage restoration, and then you can make an informed decision about whether you want to purchase the property or not. Many people still do decide to purchase a property that has undergone water damage, along as it has received water damage restoration, and they continue to enjoy and love those properties without further mishap.

Article courtesy of San Diego Water Damage Repair Specialists