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How can I safely inspect my house after water damage?

Dangers are not over when the water goes down. Do not endanger yourself or your family after a water event. Keep children and pets away. Try to protect yourself and your family from stress, fatigue, and water-related health hazards.

What are the electricity related safety rules after water damage?

1. Turn off the power to your home or business by disabling the main circuit breaker panel. Even if the neighborhood power grid is down assume all power lines are active and functioning.

2. Do not use regular household vacuums to remove excess water.

3. Do not use electrical appliances while standing on a wet floor.

How can I know if I have water damage in the kitchen?

The following are typical signs of water damage in the kitchen:

Leaks under the sink, slow draining pipes, cracked tile or missing grout, soft or stained walls and floors, leaks under and around the base of the dishwasher, and moisture behind the refrigerator.

Where do I need to look for water damage in the bathroom while inspecting?

Start with the toilet; check the water lines, the floor around the toilet, the tank and the toilet rim. Make sure no leaks are visible. Then inspect the Shower and Bathtub. Inspect the tiles, the grout, drain and visible plumbing. Confirm that all seals are tighten and dry. Be attentive to discolorations or soft areas around the bathtub walls.

How can I safely inspect my house after fire damage?

Dangers may still exist even when the fire is extinguished. Do not endanger yourself or your family after a fire event. Keep children and pets away. Try to protect yourself and your family from stress, fatigue, and fire-related health hazards such as smoke and dust particles.

What are the best ways to secure my property after fire related damage?

Lock and secure your property when not occupied to prevent looting. Keep in mind that alarms may malfunction if the electricity or telephone service has been interrupted.

How can I estimate the extent of the damage?

Start with a closer inspection of the property to assess the damage to the exterior. Only if determined safe, walk around the building and lot to observe and gather information. Now enter the structure. Taking extreme precautions, start from the top and document the damage.

Do I have to throw away food after a fire?

No. however, you will have to be very careful when dealing with food. Throw food if it is burnt or if it has been exposed to heat, smoke or soot. In addition, do not use any canned foods if the can has bulged, is badly dented or has rusted.

You can keep refrigerated food if your refrigerator was not damaged in the fire. Your refrigerator will keep cold for 4 hours if it is well sealed. In case that the power was turned off during the fire and the refrigerator was turned off for more than 4 hours, discard the food.

Frozen food can be used if it still has ice crystals on it and if it still feels cold and hard. Whenever in doubt, discard the food.

What is so dangerous about mold?

Mold is mainly dangerous to your health as it may cause light allergic reactions to serious illness. It is more dangerous to infants, children, elderly people, pregnant women, and people with respiratory diseases, a weakened immune system, and those who suffer from allergies. The common reactions to mold are nasal stuffiness, eye irritation, shortness of breath, wheezing, and in rare cases, mold infections.

Will cleaning moldy areas stop the growth?

Cleaning is an important step when attempting to eliminate mold but it is not enough and will not stop mold growth. To stop mold you must remove the moisture source that promotes the growth. It is most recommended to keep the affected area dry and moisture free.

How can I tell if I have mold?

Active mold growth is slimy or fuzzy and is usually green, black, orange or purple. Inactive mold is dry and powdery and is usually white. In early stages, mold may look like a web while in full bloom it looks bushy. Another indicator for mold presence is odor. Mold has a musty, earthy smell that can indicate its presence even if it cannot be seen.

Where does mold grow?

Mold can be found everywhere, both indoors and outdoors. Usually, mold is found in damp areas, such as the basement or bathroom, as well as in the outdoor environment in grass, leaf piles, hay, and mulch.

Let us Professionally Clean Your Carpets

Top quality work with great and honest customer service is what make us different. We focus in your total satisfaction, because we deeply believe in long term relationships with our clients.

Our highly trained technicians specialize in helping you maintain the appearance of your home. At ServiClean Inc we understand how clean carpets and furniture can affect the look of your home. We use the latest technology and cleaning methods to assure you the best results.

Whether hosting a special event in your home or looking for regular carpet cleaning, we will clean your home thoroughly and safely every time. Your home is in good hands with ServiClean Inc, the cleaning Experts.

Important Tips:

Removal of dry soil Vacuuming is the most significant element in the maintenance of carpet and the overall appearance of the facility. Research has shown that 85% of the soil tracked into a building is dry, and the other 15% is oily. Vacuums are designed to control this dry soil. Frequent vacuuming removes particulate soil from the surface before it works down into the pile where it is more difficult to remove. Walking on the carpet accelerates the rate at which the particles get deep into the pile. Heavily trafficked areas, such as entrances and major corridors, should be vacuumed at least once a day.

Stains: Get at stains quickly, 99% of all stains can be removed by one cleaning agent or another if they are cleaned in the first few days. The longer a stain chemically reacts with the carpet the harder it will be to remove it. Never dig or brush spots. The proper procedure is to scrape the spot towards the middle and then tamp the spot into the white towel or cloth using a brush or other tamping devices. A meat tenderizer makes a great tamping tool.

Reduction of soiling The use of walk-off mats at transition areas from hard surface to carpet is important. Walk-off mats can greatly reduce the amount of soil entering a facility by normal traffic. They are also necessary at service entrances with direct contact to the outside.

Basic Pet Stain removal

Time is essential. You need to get to the stain as quickly as you can. When you do this, you are able to get most of the liquid out of the carpet or off the flooring before it sets into it. The first thing that you need to do then is to get clean, white paper towels and absorb as much of the mess from the carpet as possible. Liquid should be blotted out of the carpet until you can not get any more out. Do not scrub it!
After you do this, there may still be some stain that needs to be removed. You will then need to work on removing it. The first thing that you can do is to dilute vinegar in a bottle 50/50 with warm water. Spray this onto the stain and allow it to dry. This will neutralize the stain and it will not be noticeable.
Or, try a solution of vinegar, baking soda and water in a spray bottle. A few teaspoons of baking soda will cause a reaction with the chemical that will also help to remove that stain, even if it has been sitting there for a while.
To neutralize the smell of the urine, sprinkle baking soda dry onto the carpeting in the spot. Allow it to absorb the odors there and then vacuum it up.
In an emergency situation, you can treat the stain with club soda. Or, use seltzer water. Then, go back and treat it as you normally would.

How often should I have my carpets professionally cleaned?

That would depend on the number of adults, children and of course PETS, that live in your home. Every 3 to 12 months is the average. We recommend cleaning your Traffic Areas every six months.

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Let us Professionally Clean Your Upholstery:

Considering that people and sometimes pets sit on furniture, it is no wonder why it gets dirty. New upholstered furniture can be very expensive. If you have a sofa, chair, loveseat, or some other type of upholstered furniture that is in good condition but just dirty, what you need is our expertise and experience to make them look incredible. You will be amazed with the results

The key with upholstered furniture is choosing the appropriate type of cleaning method. For example, if you have an antique chair that is hand embroidered then it would require a different cleaning technique than a sofa that was store bought in this article.

For that reason let one of our professional staff members make an evaluation and give you a free estimate.

Do It Yourself Tips:
Getting the Upholstery Stains Out

Maintaining a clean home is part of having a happy home where people enjoy living. With furniture, upholstery is just one aspect but an important one. Think about all the times people have eaten on the sofa, dropping bits of food or drink that leave stains. Then you have the dirty feet, dirty clothing, and just everyday wear and tear that can leave upholstery looking dirty and drab. As you are about to discover, getting those stains out does not have to be painful.

The most important thing to remember when cleaning upholstery is to consider the fabric. If you are unsure, you can check with the manufacturer�s information. Then, before you start in cleaning a large stain, we recommend you work first on an inconspicuous area to ensure no discoloration or damage is done. With that done, the following are a few of the more common stains found on upholstery and methods for removing them.

Common Stains:

� The family sits around to watch a movie and in comes the hot, buttered popcorn. Although everyone is careful, pieces can fall and then you have a grease stain. For butter, the best option is to choose a dry cleaning solvent, which can be found at grocery and retail stores. Apply a little onto a clean, white cloth and blot at the stain, never rub. Next, mix one tablespoon of a mild, ph-balanced detergent with one cup of warm water. Again, blot at the stain. Next, using another towel, sponge the solvent and detergent off with clean, warm water and allow the spot to dry

� Cheese is another food product that is seen spilled on upholstery. Again, things like nachos are a favorite snack food but they leave stains. For cheese, mix one teaspoon of mild, ph-balanced detergent with one cup of warm water. With a clean, white towel, blot at the cheese stain. Then mix one tablespoon of regular ammonia with one-half cup of water, again blotting the stain. Finally, blot the stain with clean water to remove any detergent or ammonia and let the area dry.

� Sipping coffee on an upholstered chair or sofa is everyday occurrence. To get rid of a coffee stain, mix one teaspoon of a mild, ph-balanced detergent with one cup of warm water, then blot from the outside in. Follow this with blotting the stain with a mixture of one-third cup white vinegar with two-thirds cup water. When finished, use a clean, white towel to absorb any excess, allow the area to dry.

Upholstery cleaning tips are important since dust settles onto fabric more than hard surfaces. Therefore, regular cleaning to keep your upholstery looking and smelling clean is essential. In fact, we recommend you clean your upholstery furniture once every two months. Typically, you can use your regular vacuum cleaner with the appropriate attachment to keep it clean. Just keeping the dust off will help your furniture last much longer. Then when necessary, use the above tips for removing stains. With this, you can enjoy your favorite sofa or chair without having to spend hard-earned money on new furniture.

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