An emergency can strike even the most prepared of homeowners. From flooding to fires, any water left behind soaks into the carpets, walls, and even furniture, creating the perfect environment for mold and bacteria growth. Knowing what types of property restoration services are available to you allows you to have a plan in place before your home suffers damage.
Mold Testing After an Emergency
Mold needs just three things to grow and thrive: oxygen, food, and water. A structure becomes susceptible to mold after a flood because the standing water attracts the spores. Whether you close off your home or leave it open, the mold will grow with time. It’s also important to note that mold spores also thrive in humid climates when your home is too warm and muggy. While any mold can affect your breathing, black mold is the most toxic and dangerous.
Some of the common places to find mold and bacterial growth include:
- Basements
- Carpets
- Ceiling tiles
- Drywall
- Ducts
You may see some discoloration or have mold growing in places you cannot see, which is why mold testing is so important. Professional testing identifies spaces where mold grows and the type of mold, which is one of the first steps in the remediation process. Consider testing before you buy a new home or sell your current property, too.
Mold Remediation
Mold remediation is the process of removing mold from your home and ensuring the property is safe. Finding the source of the problem is the first step. This requires determining where the mold spores originated. Once a mold remediation specialist knows where the problem started, they can create a plan for removing it and restoring your home.
A thorough and complete cleaning is the next step. Any remaining spores will cause the problem to recur. Cleaners usually wear masks, gloves, and jumpsuits to protect themselves. They use products that ordinary homeowners cannot buy to clean and scrub walls, floors, ceilings, ducts, and anywhere else they suspect mold exists. It takes mere hours for mold spores to spread through your whole home after an emergency.
Carpet Restoration
When a fire breaks out, it can quickly spread to nearby rooms and through your whole home. Firefighters use hoses that shoot a high-pressure stream of water inside. While the water may put out the fire, it can also damage your carpets. As the water soaks into the fibers, they swell and create a good environment for mold. You may also discover that your carpets smell musty or dirty once they dry.
Carpet restoration is a popular service available for homeowners. It’s not always possible to save your old carpets and rugs. Depending on how much water soaked through, its pile, and its material, some carpets need a thorough cleaning to restore them. Working with the right team ensures you save as much of your carpets as possible. If the carpets are not salvageable, we’ll arrange for their removal.
Smoke Odor Elimination
Odor elimination is essential after a house fire. Fire produces a thick and dark odor that settles onto and into any surface it touches. The odor even clings to clothing you stored in closets and dressers. While washing them at a laundromat will help, you cannot handle all the smoke odors yourself.
Professional odor elimination focuses on three key areas: textiles, furniture, and structures. Textiles refer to clothing, bedding, and other fabrics around the house. Sanitization is usually required after thoroughly cleaning them. Furniture is much harder to clean because it’s bulky and heavy. Professionals have the tools and machines needed to clean them without removing them from your home and sanitizing them. It’s equally important to treat the overall structure of your home, including the walls and floors. Some homeowners even find they need to primer and paint the walls to get rid of smoke odors.
Eliminating Other Odors
It’s not just fire or smoke odors that affect homes. A skunk that gets inside and sprays your couch or wall before animal control arrives is a minor emergency. Though some claim tomato juice works well at removing skunk spray scents, it can worsen the odor. Hire a crew as soon as possible to tackle the odor. The sooner you call for help, the easier it is for them to remove the scent.
You may also need help removing odors caused by cigarette smoking, mold, or mildew. Even if you stop others from smoking in your home, the smoke can waft inside through open windows or doors. It also adheres to your clothing, skin, and hair when you’re around smoke and can rub off on your furniture and anything you touch. Mold and mildew leave behind strong odors as well, especially when you see signs of them but ignore the problem. We have the skills necessary to remove and eliminate any bad odors in your home.
Ultraviolet Sanitization
Ultraviolet sanitization is one of the safest ways to thoroughly clean your home after any type of emergency. It does not use the chemicals that other methods do, which can cling to your furniture and other surfaces. Some of the other benefits of ultraviolet sanitization include:
- It does not require you to remove any heavy furniture or bulky items from your home.
- You only need to stay out of your home for as long as the process takes and the time it takes to air out the property.
- Ultraviolet sanitization reaches areas you normally cannot reach on your own, including your ceilings and ducts.
- Ultraviolet sanitization is safe for homes with kids and/or pets.
More Restoration Services
The restoration services that a property needs will vary based on the type of property and the emergency type. Schools, apartment buildings, offices, college dorms, and warehouses often benefit from the same services that homes do. Restoration services can include drywall removal and painting.
Drywall removal is quite common when you have a leak. A roof leak can grow big enough that it breaks through the ceiling and leaves water damage behind on your walls. Repairs are a good choice if the wall is in good condition and if there is enough drywall left behind. Removing all or a portion of the drywall is necessary when the damage is large and/or weakens the wall’s integrity.
In many cases, painting goes hand in hand with drywall repair and removal. If we need to repair the existing drywall or add a new piece, we can paint it to watch the surrounding walls. While emergency services do not include painting your entire home, painting smaller areas is usually included.
Equipment rentals are another of the other available services. To air out your home quickly and stop the spread of mold, consider renting one or more large fans. You usually need a minimum of one fan per room, which you run with the windows open to create a cross breeze. Dehumidifier rentals let you rent a unit for a day or longer without spending a lot of money to buy one.
Take Care of Your Property After an Emergency
Taking care of a home or another property after an emergency requires a lot of time and can lead to mistakes that attract and spread mold spores. If you live in parts of Florida, Texas, Wisconsin, or Chicago and need mold remediation or testing, Pur360 can help. Our other restoration services include ultraviolet sanitization, odor removal, drywall repair and removal, carpet restoration, and equipment rentals. Call Pur360 today to for all your property restoration needs.
