Successfully Removing Mold from Your Home

1/20/2022 (Permalink)

This customer in Pilot Mountain needed a mold remediation prior to a new waterproofing system in their basement was installed.

Let review the facts about mold. 

Mold spores are around us everyday. They're a living organism that participate in our ecosystem. When they have a habitat that causes them to colonize in such numbers that the fuzzy green and black stuff starts to show is when we typically get worried.

Mold thrives in a humid, warm environment. That's why when water damage has been left for too long we see evidence of it. 

Mold can cause health effects and damage to your property. When you call a mold specialist at SERVPRO, we will follow the following basic steps to remediate and treat your issue.

1. Contain the area and place powerful air scrubbers. These machine draw the contaminated air out and filter through several layers of HEPA filters before sending clean air back into the room.
2. Remove items such as drywall, carpet, and insulation that show evidence of colonizing.
3. HEPA vacuum and clean all exposed areas with an anti-microbial disinfectant. 
4. Clean and disinfect ductwork to remove any spore that may have traveled through the HVAC system.

Finally, cleaning with bleach IS NOT an acceptable way to remove mold!! Bleach is not an antimicrobial disinfectant and only masks the issue for a short time before it returns. If you think you have an issue that concerns you, always call a mold remediation specialist for guidance.

Calling a Water Damage Pro vs. Doing it Yourself

1/15/2022 (Permalink)

In this 3-story modular, we tracked the water migration to the bottom level and dried these cavities without major demo.

On any given day, home water damages affect up to 14,000 people! It can happen at any time for a myriad of reasons. In the panic of the moment deciding if you should clean it up yourself or call someone can be emotionally difficult to process.

If you're thinking, "I'll just call my brother-in-law and we'll clean this up with some shop vacs.... think again!" Water is an interesting animal and is never predictable in the direction it goes. While sucking up the standing water and opening your doors and windows can help prevent long term damage, calling a water damage restoration pro is the option to ensure your home doesn't sustain long term damage.

In most instances, events are covered by a homeowner's insurance policy and your out of pocket expense will be limited. 

Plus, a water damage professional at SERVPRO will do these three things to get you back to "Like it never even happened."

1. Using state of the art moisture detection equipment, we will identify the exact extent the water migrated so nothing is left out and mold becomes an issue later.
2. SERVPRO will place professional drying equipment such as air movers, dehumidifiers, and air scrubbers to dry the structure and contents back to a preloss state.
3. By daily monitoring, we produce a job file to "tell the story" back to your insurance company and give you the peace of mind that when we leave, all evidence of water damage is gone.

Here are SERVPRO, we will communicate through the process and help you with any questions. Take this review from a recent commercial client: "We used the Mount Airy location of SERVPRO recently for water clean up. From the first phone call to communication afterwards the experience was superb!! Mike Gosnell was wonderful to work with and answered all questions I ask him. Customer Service at its best!! I would highly recommend them to anyone who needs their services!!"

The Secret to Saving Hardwood Floors after Water Damage

1/2/2022 (Permalink)

This house in Mt. Airy had hundreds of gallons of water run over them from an overhead pipe break. Using drying mats, we were able to save them.

In the last month, our business saved four homes' hardwood floors. 

For years, many water damage company's initial approach to emergency response was to demo everything affected and place drying fans to get the structure ready for reconstruction.

Today, we have many more options to dry the contents of a home. Your water damage professional should be well versed in the IICRC's Standard for Water Restoration to know the proper method's of restorative drying.

After accessing your homes damage, our technicians will extract all standing water from the floors and while we continue with any necessary demo, place the Injectidry Floor Mat Drying System on the hardwoods. These mats create a strong suction on the floor and most times save hardwoods from having to be torn out!

At SERVPRO of Mt. Airy, Pilot Mountain, we use creative drying methods to restore floors and structures before going straight to tear out. This is the job of a water damage professional. 

In this situation the homeowner said, "We had to call them for a water leak, and they were at our house in no time. Because of their quick response and excellent knowledge, they were able to save our solid hardwood floors from damage and our carpet. Once they finished cleaning up and drying out the house we only had to paint a few walls. I would call these guys anytime!!"

Three Steps to Healthy Indoor Air Duct Cleaning

12/20/2021 (Permalink)

Before and after of duct cleaning from a smoke damaged house.

For most, being cool in the summer and warm in the winter is the most important factor to our personal comfort. We rarely think about our ductwork until something goes wrong! 

Having your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning unit (HVAC) inspected and ductwork cleaned is a vital part of extending the life of your unit and reducing health risks of those living in your home. 

Especially if your air duct registers are in your floor; dirt, debris, and dust is constantly falling into it. Even with a good filter, over time the buildup can cause fungi and microbes to grow and this is blowing into your home every time the air is running. 

The National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) recommends getting your air ducts inspected at least once a year, and cleaned as needed. 

Our SERVPRO has a licensed HVAC on staff and can inspect your system and have the air ducts professionally cleaned. We follow these three steps to give your home the "feel" and guarantee  of clean air.

1. Connect our duct cleaning machine to your HVAC unit to create a negative air vacuum. 
2. Remove dust and debris from the ductwork interior using brushes and compressed air. 
3. Fog anti-microbial on system interior. "Fogging is an application of anti-microbial with a tool that turns water into vapor/mist."

Sweep away years of dust and dirt by having your ducts inspected and cleaned today.