Areas in the Bathroom Prone to Water Damage

Since your bathroom is one of the most important rooms in the house, you need to be aware of the different areas of it that are the most at risk for water damage. These are the water junctions in your bathroom and this means that these are the areas that water comes out of the plumbing and into the room at some point, whether it is at the shower, the sink, or the toilet.

Having tile down in your bathroom to protect the floor underneath from water is an absolute must. While you can put down carpet in the bathroom, this is not advised, since mold will eventually start to grow in it or under it, especially in the bathroom closet where you are likely to throw wet towels and clothes. These wet items are usually forgotten about and dry clothing is thrown on top of them.

Do an inspection of your bathroom when you go in it every now and then to make sure that there are no real signs of water damage occurring.

The tiles on the floor and on the walls around the shower and bath tub can become cracked over time and when they do become cracked, you need to replace them to keep water from seeping under them. Water that gets under these tiles will damage the surface underneath and if they become very damaged, tearing up the tile and replacing this surface is the only option to maintain structural integrity.

The plumbing under the sink should be inspected for leaks on a regular basis and you should replace the pipes if they are cracked or loose at all.

You should also pay attention to the area around the base of the toilet and cracked tile around it needs to be replaced. Toilets overflow all the time from clogging and you can prevent this most of the time by just not putting too much toilet paper in the toilet. Also avoid putting hanging toilet bowl cleansers in it, because these also tend to cause clogging.

The plumbing inside the walls can be checked out, but this is the most difficult area of the bathroom to keep an eye on, since the pipes are located inside the walls. Watch for moisture on the drywall or leaking into the floor from any part of the wall. Either of these signs should be a giveaway that there is a problem in the wall.


Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration contractors and
Mold Remediation companies across the united states.

Water Damaged Cell Phone Tips That May Save Your Phone

If your cell phone has been submersed in water recently and you have managed to save it yourself, then good for you. But, there are some other tips that you might want to know just in case.

Another method for helping the phone dry out (if you do not have any rice on hand) is to put it on top of the vent on a monitor or a television for at least 24 hours. The low amount of heat put out by these devices should be enough to gently dry out the phone.

If you are the kind of person who keeps the silica packs that come packed in electronics, coats, shoes, and etcetera, you can put the phone into a plastic bag with a couple of these and let them absorb the moisture over a couple of days. If you do not have these on hand, a local craft store should have a flower drying kit that will contain a silica sand-type mixture. Put it in a Tupperware dish, use a dryer sheet, lay the phone on top of it, and seal it.

Corrosion is a definite threat to cell phones and other electronics and some people have suggested that you wash the phone in distilled water to wash away any kind of minerals that might have existed in the water or other liquid the phone was originally submersed in. If you choose to try this, do it only after you have removed the SIM card and battery.

If the battery is wet, do NOT heat it to try and dry it out. Batteries, especially lithium-ion ones, are quite sensitive and they very well may explode if you try to speed up the drying process in this manner.

If you choose to use alcohol to clean off parts of the phone that are sticky with soda or another similar liquid, do not apply heat to the device in any way. Do not reattach the battery until the smell of alcohol is completely gone.

This might also seem like common sense, but do not put any electronic device into the microwave. You will probably destroy not only your device, but even your microwave could be put at risk.

You should be aware that most phone warranties do not cover water damaged phones and that most phones today have special stickers inside them (only one visible to you) that will tell a technician if the phone has come into contact with water or even just too much humidity. Be careful when taking your phone outdoors when humidity is very high. It is possible to void your warranty.





Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
mold removal in Atlanta Georgia and
Water Damage Restoration companies

Things You Should Know About Water Damage And Your Computer

Water or almost any other kind of liquid is not a great thing to have around your computer or any other electronic device. This kind of damage can be expensive to either replace or to have repaired and unfortunately, many people who are unfortunate enough to have this happen to them cannot afford it.

If the liquid spilled upon the device is acidic, like soda or coffee, then it generally does more damage than simple water would do. It causes more corrosion to the metal areas of the motherboard or any other computer component such as the hard drive or CD-ROM.

One of the worst case scenarios is that you spill a liquid onto your laptop where everything, motherboard, hard drive, CD-ROM, and etcetera are all packed into the same general area. In most cases of water damage to computers, the liquid is spilled merely on the keyboard or another outside component such as the mouse. With laptops, spilling a liquid on the keyboard does not mean that only the keyboard is affected, but also the other components sharing the shell of the laptop are, as well. What can you do if water or another liquid is spilled on your laptop?

Unplug it from the A/C adapter and remove the battery IMMEDIATELY. Unplug any other external devices including external hard drives, mice, other input devices, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, and etcetera. The next thing is to turn the laptop completely upside down to stop the liquid from sinking any further into it.

Use a towel or paper towels to clean up the spilled liquid, wipe off the keyboard, exterior, and any external devices that came into contact with the liquid as well.

At this point, you could do one of two things. You could take it to a professional repairman and have them look at it (I hope you have an extra arm and leg lying around) or if you know how to take something apart and put it back together, you can try to fix it yourself. In trying to fix it, you may irreparably damage it, so if you are even remotely unsure about your ability to repair it, it is better to take it to a professional.

If you choose the do-it-yourself route, disassemble the computer and allow it to dry out completely for at least 24 hours, if not longer. Let it dry until you are satisfied that it is completely done. Whatever you do, do not turn the power on before it is. It is not water itself that kills the circuit board of any electronic device, but the electricity that runs through it when someone tries to turn the device on when it is still wet.

If it was just water, drying should be all it needs. If it was soda or any other acidic liquid, clean it with rubbing alcohol and Q-tips, then put it back together and wait for the alcohol to dry. See if it works.



Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Water Damage Miami and
water damage restoration in atlanta companies.