Maintain Property Value

6/10/2016 (Permalink)

Most Common Household Emergencies

Burst washing machine hose- as rubber washing machine ages they eventually wear down and burst, causing costly flooding. Consider switching to a stainless-steel reinforced hose.

Leaky Roof- Mother Nature is pretty tough on your roof. Regularly check your roof for missing or damaged shingles.

Refrigerator Leaks- like your washing machine, the refrigerator is a common culprit in home floods. Ensure your water line is unkinked and in good condition.

Tips on handling water damages

How many of you know how to respond during a water damage disaster? Your first and most important step should be to call your emergency mitigation specialists at SERVPRO. The sooner we arrive on site, the more you and your insurance company save in restoration and construction services.

These emergency tips will assist you in taking the proper actions and precautions until WE arrive!

Do:

·         Shut off the source of water if possible or contact a qualified party to stop the water source.

·         When access to the power distribution panel is safe from electrical shock, turn off circuit breakers in wet areas of the building.

·         Remove as much excess water as possible by mopping and blotting.

·         Wipe excess water from wood furniture after removing lamps and tabletop items.

·         Remove and prop up wet upholstery cushions for even drying.

·         Place aluminum foil or wood blocks between furniture legs and wet carpeting.

·         Any paintings, art objects, computers, documents and other materials that are valuable or sensitive to moisture should be relocated to a safe, dry place.

·         Use wooden clothespins to keep furniture skirting off damp floors.

·         Hang draperies with coated hangers to avoid contact with wet carpeting or floors.

·         Hang furs and leather good to dry separately at room temperature.

Don’t:

·         Enter rooms with standing water where electrical shock hazards may exist.

·         Enter affected areas if electrical outlets, switches, circuit breakers or electrical equipment are exposed to water. Always avoid electrical shock hazards.

·         Leave books, newspapers, magazines or other colored items on wet carpet or floors to cause staining.

·         Leave oriental rugs or other colored rugs on wet wall-to-wall carpets to cause staining.

·         Use your household vacuum cleaner to remove water, possibly causing electrical shock or damage to the vacuum cleaner.

·         Use TVs or other appliances while standing on wet carpets or floors, especially not on wet concrete floors.

·         Turn on ceiling fixtures if ceiling is wet.

·         Enter rooms where ceiling are sagging from retained water.

Leak Prevention Tips

Regularly check the following items for leaks:

Exterior

·         Check roofing for deterioration.

·         Check gutters and down spouts for blockage.

·         Check basement and crawl space for moisture.

Interiors

·         Check appliances in break room and cafeterias.

·         Check sinks and toilets in restrooms.

·         Check HVAC for leaks and blockage.

Household Cleaning

Carpet Cleaning-

How often should you have a professional clean your carpets? The cleaning frequency for a home depends on several factors, such as the number of persons living in the home, number of children and pets, and whether any occupants are smokers.

A combination of conditions may require your carpets to be cleaned professionally more often. The main consideration is to clean carpets before they become totally saturated with soil. Dirt builds up in layers, and when a carpet looks dirty you are only seeing the dirt at the tips of the fibers. The dirt hiding below the surface down near the base of the pile is what causes most damage to a carpet. When a carpet is saturated with dirt, the soil has penetrated crevices and has become firmly lodged.

Duct Cleaning-

Unlike many duct-cleaning services, Server of Cayce/ West Columbia/ Lexington uses a portable ventilation and Air Duct Cleaning system to examine ductwork and make a clean sweep, removing years of dust and grime. ?CLEAN SWEEP FOR DUCTS?*Improve the Air Quality of Your Business When addressing air quality inspecting the ductwork is your SERVPRO of Cayce/ West Columbia/ Lexington first order of business. Dirty ducts can circulate odors and contaminates like mold and irritating dust throughout the building. Server uses a proven Portable Ventilation & Air Duct Cleaning system to help improve the air quality of your business. ?Sweeping Away Years of Dust and Dirt- Reducing Potential Health Risks?Since the ventilation system is often the biggest culprit in poor indoor air quality, inspecting the ductwork should be a high priority. Often times the HVAC system has been operating for some time without much attention. Dirty ducts can circulate odors, contaminants such as mold and irritating dust throughout your building. A routine part of a SERVPRO service is inspecting the heating, ventilation and air conditioning unit. Keeping the HVAC system and ductwork clean can potentially extend the life span of equipment by allowing it to operate at peak condition, which can in turn save you money!

If you don't think it is important to have clean air in your home, well here are a few fun facts!

·         Children in homes with high levels of mold show persistent, cold-like symptons-300% more than those in clean environments.          

·         Every year about 40 pounds of dust is generated per 1,5000 square feet in a home.

·         Roughly 80 percent of the particles you see floating in your home in a ray of sunshine are dead human skin.

Something very important to keep in mind, though, is that when you see a little bit of mold in your home, it's likely that there is a lot you can't see. That's where we come in. The most important aspect of mold removal is to remove the water source, something that we're, well, experts at. Mold in your home can jeopardize your health, so step 1: Don't ignore it. Step 2: Don't use bleach. Step 3: Give SERVPRO a call.