Because cleaning and facilities crews move through a building every single day, checking corners, skirting boards and the space under fixtures that nobody else bothers with, they are usually the first to notice when a routine damp patch is actually something bigger. A slow drip behind a cabinet, a chronically damp janitorial cupboard or a carpet still wicking moisture a full day after a spill was mopped up can, if simply cleaned and forgotten, grow into a structural and health problem. Caught early and treated for what it really is, the same issue stays small and cheap to fix.
Reading the warning signs
RIC Solutions Group CEO Jeremy Stamkos says persistent musty odours and minor cosmetic changes are the signs cleaning crews most often dismiss as routine. “These could be a slightly swollen skirting board, cupping at the edge of vinyl or a faint tide mark on plasterboard, and they’re routinely wiped over or deodorised instead of investigated,” he says. “Odour, in particular, is often a great first indicator of microbial activity, and masking it simply buys the problem time to grow.”
Staining that carries a history, such as brown rings or tideline marks on plasterboard, tells its own story about how much water has moved through and how often, while soft or spongy flooring, plasterboard that gives under light pressure and swelling skirting all point to moisture sitting somewhere it shouldn’t.
The clock is working against you
Restoration professionals work from consensus standards, chiefly the AS-IICRC S500 for water damage and AS-IICRC S520 for mould remediation, and timing sits at the centre of both. “It’s critical to address the water issue quickly, as porous and semi-porous materials can support mould growth within 24 to 48 hours of wetting and, the longer moisture sits, the more likely the job moves from structural drying to removal and remediation,” Stamkos says. “The difference between a same-day response and a week’s delay is often the difference between drying a wall assembly and demolishing it.” He adds that bacterial contamination may take hold even faster than mould, particularly where high levels of moisture persist.
Knowing when to call it in
A job stops being a cleaning task once water reaches porous materials such as plasterboard, insulation or subfloor, once visible mould spreads beyond a small patch or once the source is still running. Stamkos says the risk for a contractor who pushes on regardless goes well beyond the immediate clean. “Beyond the obvious health exposure to occupants and their own workers, they take on liability for a job outside their competency,” he says. “Cleaning microbial contamination or visible growth without addressing the moisture source or contamination in concealed spaces can lead to recurrence, and the contractor may wear the consequences.” He notes that water damage restoration and mould remediation are governed by Australian Standards for good reason, and any job falling under AS-IICRC S500 or S520 needs trained staff and the proper equipment to address it.
