Cleaning and restoration tips Archives - Restoration and Cleaning Tips

How to Know If You Have Hidden Mold

Mold is a natural substance that is always present both indoors and outdoors. There are many types of mold, and some of them are even beneficial. However, mold can be problematic if it is found growing inside of your residential or commercial property. When mold forms indoors, it causes damage to the surfaces and materials it grows on. For example, mold that has grown on drywall is using the material as a food source, which results in eventual structural damage. The mold spores can also spread to different areas, exposing inhabitants to the fungus. Mold exposure can cause people to suffer from negative health effects. Because of this, you will want any mold you find indoors to be removed as soon as possible. Sometimes, though, cases of mold growth can be concealed. Albeit conc...

Cleaning and restoration tips, Water damage restoration

How to Make Your Home Flood Proof

If you own a home, there are many steps to take, both big and small, to prevent flooding in your home. But before taking these steps below, it is important to assess the flood risk in your geographical area. Simply type in your address on FEMA’s (Federal Emergency Management Agency) flood maps and you can identify your flood risk and whether you are in a low, medium, or high-risk area. After determining your geographical flood risk, you may want to customize your flood prevention plan accordingly. Determine Your Risk of Flooding You will also want to note the date on the maps, as some of them are severely outdated. So of course, the flood risk will change over time and the actual risk in your area will be different than what is reflected on the map. You will also want to discus...

Air Duct HVAC Cleaning, Cleaning and restoration tips

How Do I Know if My Air Ducts Need to Be Cleaned?

Your home's HVAC system can make a real difference in creating a comfortable environment for you and your family to live in. During the cold winter months, your HVAC system provides you with necessary heat and warmth. During the summer months, your HVAC system provides you with relieving cool air to combat the heat and humidity of the season. However, your HVAC system may not be as helpful or effective if your home's air ducts are not clean. Dirty air ducts can also ruin the indoor air quality in your household. That said, if you find your home is not heating or cooling properly, then the air ducts may need to be cleaned. When do air ducts need to be cleaned? It is not always easy to tell when HVAC cleaning needs to be done, though. The following information can help you determine...

Cleaning and restoration tips, Sewage Cleanup, Water damage restoration

7 Tips on How to Clean Up After Sewer Water Damage

Water damage on its own is an emergency disaster that requires immediate attention. However, when the water damage involves sewage water, there is even more that you need to be worried about. When water damages your property, any porous building materials and furnishings absorb the excess water and moisture. However, when the water is contaminated with sewage, then the materials also absorb the harmful contents of the sewage water. Because of this, they suffer even more harm as damage comes from both the water and the sewage. Knowing this, you will need to take immediate action if your home or business suffers water damage from sewer water. Use the following information to help you figure out how to go about sewage cleaning: 1. Be Safe While it is important to take immediate ...

Carpet Cleaning, Cleaning and restoration tips, Water damage restoration

Can Carpeting and Rugs be Saved After a Flood?

When your home experiences a flood, there is a lot of damage you need to worry about. The building materials that make up your property's structure absorb the excess water, which can make it unstable. But then there is also the damage to your personal content, including clothing and furnishings, that you need to attend to. Your home's carpeting and rugs are among the items that can sustain the most harm in a flood. Because they are on the ground, they are not only the first items that the flood will affected, but they can also sustain more damage. And though this can make saving carpeting and rugs more difficult, it is not impossible. Saving Your Carpeting In the event of a flood, your belongings—including wet carpeting and rugs—are salvagable. However, to do so, there are various...

Cleaning and restoration tips

How Smoke Damages Electronics

A fiery blaze unleashes smoke, and microscopic smoke particles can find their way into the inner parts of various electronics. The fragile circuitry of electronic devices makes them especially susceptible to smoke damage. Once soot and smoke permeate an electrical device, irreversible damage is possible. What is smoke? Smoke is an unavoidable outcome of fire and it consists of gases, water vapor and particles. Mostly made up of carbon, smoke contains various chemicals and fumes, which vary in accordance to the type of material that is burned, whether plastic or wood, for instance. Dioxins, a toxin that is harmful to humans, are present when plastic burns. Nitrogen oxide is released when wood burns. Highly acidic chemicals, like sulfur dioxide, acetic acid and hydroch...

Cleaning and restoration tips

Safety Tips to Prevent Space Heater Fires

With the severely cold temperatures that winter brings, keeping warm is a priority to stay safe and healthy. To protect yourself against the cold, you can bundle up with warm clothing, heavy jackets, and other winter accessories. When staying indoors, the best ways to stay warm are to turn on the heat or even cozy up in front of the fireplace if you have one. Some parts of a property can be more difficult to warm than others. However, it is not practical to increase the overall temperature in your residential or commercial property just to accommodate one area. In such a situation, a space heater can solve this issue because it allows you to provide supplemental heat for a certain area without having to adjust the overall temperature of the property. As with any...

Cleaning and restoration tips, Fire Damage Restoration

Restoring Fire and Smoke Damage in the Kitchen

The kitchen is one of the most aesthetic and active areas of the home. It’s a place to entertain, cook, and even eat for some families. This room is essentially the heart of all homes, which is why a fire in this area can be the most devastating. Even small fires in one area of the kitchen is enough to cause and spread severe damage and interrupt daily activities. The most important action to take after a fire is to ensure the safety of yourself and loved ones. Ensure to create and practice your fire safety and escape plan frequently with your family so everyone knows what to do if a fire breaks out. But after extinguishing the fire, you need to start taking action to limit and clean up the damage. Here are some tips on restoring fire and smoke damage in the k...

Cleaning and restoration tips, Water damage restoration

Prevent Water Damage by Keeping Your Home’s Gutters Clean and Repaired

The welcome, warmer climate of spring brings with it torrential rain. Springtime downpours fall straight into a home’s gutter systems, making a clean gutter essential. The balmy temperatures of spring allow homeowners to ascend to their rooftops and bring down the host of debris that has accumulated along the gutter throughout the frosty winter. A spring season gutter cleaning removes all the accumulated debris from the winter. Plus, spring gutter cleanings are necessary due to the fact that the spring blossoms and seeds of trees and plants develop and can potentially land in the gutter, causing blockage problems. Gutter Cleaning to Avoid Water Damage A blocked gutter leads to a significant issue—water damage. When the spring’s rainwater and melting snow along the rooftop have nowhere...

Cleaning and restoration tips, Mold cleaning

How to Clean Your Washing Machine and Dryer

As your clothes whirl around the washing machine, your trusty appliance puts your clothes through the ringer. An essential household unit, the washing machine dutifully breathes new life into your garb and adds a fresh scent to newly laundered apparel. The dryer has an equal importance in your home, completing the other half of the task of cleaning your tops and bottoms. If you weren’t aware before, you soon will recognize the importance of washing machine and dryer maintenance. Regularly Clean the Washer How often should you clean the washing machine? Regular machine cleanings prevent detergent streaks from appearing on newly laundered whites and darks. The white residue from the soaps used to wash your clothes is more apparent on dark colored apparel. Fabric softener and the dirt ca...

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