Fire Safety

7/5/2024 (Permalink)

Fire Safety is very important

Fire can devastate homes and businesses. At SERVPRO of Breckinridge, Grayson, Meade & Hancock Counties, we understand the havoc it can cause. Let’s explore fire causes, prevention, and recovery, emphasizing SERVPRO's crucial role in restoration!

Common Causes of Fire

Fires stem from many sources: electrical faults, cooking mishaps, or natural disasters. Recognizing these triggers is vital for prevention. What is the main star of this blog is some of the things that we can do to work on preventing any fire mishaps.

Prevention Strategies

• Electrical Safety: Regular checks and proper usage prevent electrical fires.
• Kitchen Safety: Vigilance while cooking and smoke alarms enhance kitchen safety.
• Heating and Appliances: Maintenance and responsible use are key to preventing fire.
• Smoke Alarms and Extinguishers: Regular testing and accessible extinguishers are essential.

Recovery with SERVPRO of BGMH

SERVPRO offers swift, comprehensive fire damage restoration services:

• Assessment: Thorough evaluation of the damage.
• Cleaning and Restoration: Advanced techniques to restore items and eliminate odors.
• Structural Repairs: Skilled repairs to ensure safety.
• Mold Remediation: Remediation of mold growth.
• Insurance Support: Assistance with insurance claims.
• Compassionate Assistance: Emotional support throughout the process.

Prevention, awareness, and prompt action are vital in fire safety. SERVPRO of Decorah stands as a reliable partner in restoration, ensuring your home and peace of mind are restored swiftly and efficiently. Stay safe, stay prepared, and remember, SERVPRO is here to help you recover.

What should I do when Water Damage happens??

7/5/2024 (Permalink)

We can help with Water Damage

Water damage can be a homeowner’s worst nightmare. Whether it’s from a burst pipe, a leaky roof, or a natural disaster, water damage can cause significant destruction if not addressed promptly. Knowing what to do immediately after discovering water damage can make a big difference in minimizing the damage and starting the restoration process. Here’s a step-by-step guide on what you should do when you encounter water damage in your home.

Ensure Safety First

The first and most important step is to ensure the safety of everyone in the home. Water and electricity are a dangerous combination, so if water damage occurs near electrical appliances or outlets, it’s crucial to turn off the power to the affected areas. Avoid using electrical devices in wet areas, and if the water damage is extensive, it may be necessary to shut off the main power supply to the home.

Stop the Water Source

If possible, identify and stop the source of the water to prevent further damage. This might involve shutting off the main water supply valve or fixing a broken pipe. If the water damage is due to a natural disaster or severe weather, you may not be able to stop the water source, but taking this step can significantly reduce the amount of water entering your home.

Remove Valuable Items

Once the immediate danger is addressed, it’s time to move valuables and furniture away from the affected area. This will help prevent additional damage to your belongings. Items such as electronics, important documents, and sentimental items should be prioritized. If possible, move these items to a dry and safe location. For larger items like furniture, placing them on blocks or aluminum foil to keep them off the wet floor can help minimize damage.

Call Professionals

Contacting a professional water restoration service like SERVPRO of BGMH immediately is crucial. Water damage can worsen quickly, and mold can begin to grow within 48 hours. Professional restoration services have the expertise and equipment to handle the situation efficiently and effectively. At SERVPRO of BGMH, we respond quickly to water damage emergencies. Our team uses advanced equipment to remove water and dry out your property, preventing mold growth and further damage.

Document the Damage

While waiting for the professionals to arrive, it’s a good idea to document the damage for insurance purposes. Take photos and videos of the affected areas and any damaged items. This documentation will be helpful when filing an insurance claim and can help ensure you receive the compensation you deserve.

Begin the Drying Process

If it’s safe to do so, you can start the drying process while waiting for professional help to arrive. Use fans, dehumidifiers, and open windows to increase airflow and help dry out the affected areas. However, be cautious not to use electrical appliances in wet areas, and avoid using your HVAC system if the ducts are affected by water.

Work with Your Insurance Company

Contact your insurance company as soon as possible to report the water damage and begin the claims process. Provide them with the documentation you’ve collected and any information about the steps you’ve taken so far. Your insurance company may have specific requirements for the claims process, so it’s important to follow their instructions carefully.

Prevent Future Water Damage

Once the immediate water damage has been addressed, take steps to prevent future incidents. Regular maintenance of your home’s plumbing and roofing can help identify potential issues before they become major problems. Installing a sump pump, using water leak detectors, and ensuring proper drainage around your home can also reduce the risk of water damage.

Why Choose SERVPRO of BGMH?

We understand the urgency of water damage situations. Our team is trained to respond quickly and efficiently to minimize damage and restore your home. We use advanced equipment and techniques to ensure thorough water extraction and drying. Additionally, we offer comprehensive restoration services, including mold remediation and structural repairs.

If you’re facing water damage, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at 270-580-2200. We’re here to help you through every step of the restoration process, providing the support and expertise you need to get your home back to normal. Contact SERVPRO of BGMH today for prompt and professional water restoration services.

Smoke Detector basic maintenance tips

7/5/2024 (Permalink)

Smoke Alarm maintenance is needed.

Smoke alarms are essential to your home, and you may not realize it until the day comes when they save your life. While it is easy to forget about this tool when it isn’t beeping in your ears, you must keep it in order to keep everyone in your home safe.

Smoke alarms shouldn’t be ignored once they’re installed, and they’ll require your ongoing maintenance to stay in good working order. When flames finally appear, the work you put in to keep your alarms in working order could mean the difference between life and death!

Follow our recommendations for maintaining your smoke alarm and keeping your home free of fire for years to come:

What’s That Beeping Noise?

When you first hear a smoke alarm beep, it can make you panic and cause you to run around your house looking for a fire. If there is no smoke, that annoying chirping could indicate that your smoke alarm needs to be serviced.

Low batteries are the most common cause of a misbehaving smoke alarm. When the batteries in your alarm begin to fail, you’ll hear a chirping sound every now and then, indicating that it needs to be replaced.

Another common cause of beeping is that your alarm needs to be completely replaced. Replacing the batteries will not suffice in this case, and you will need to have a new model installed.

Keep Everything in Check

To protect your ears from that painful beeping when there’s no fire to be found, you’ll need to perform constant TLC! These actions will ensure your smoke alarms are on the job if flames were to break out.

You shouldn’t just check the batteries in your smoke alarms when the time changes, but at the end of each month! This will ensure all of your alarms are in good working order all year long.

With working batteries, smoke alarms can stay in working order for a long time, but they don’t last forever! Retire all of your alarms after 10 years and replace them with a new model.

You can contact SERVPRO of BGMH for any fire damage that happens.  Call us at 270-580-2200.

Do you know about flood cuts?

3/27/2023 (Permalink)

Flood cut

Has your home or business been affected by flooding?  The process of restoration can leave you feeling overwhelmed. As part of the restoration process, it's important to know a flood cut is sometimes needed after a home has been damaged by water. 

What Exactly Is a Flood Cut and How Is It Done?

The term ‘flood cut’ is a simplified term for a common practice that is sometimes required after a home has sustained water damage. A flood cut:

• Process of making a cut in a wall 12 inches above the flood lines on walls, specifically drywall. 
• Should be done once the home is free of hazards
• Requires specified equipment and tools to allow for a safe removal of drywall

Why Are Flood Cuts Used?

Flood cuts are generally used to:

• Remove damaged drywall and decrease the risk of contamination in the home
• Allow for an accurate analysis of structural damage that has occurred
• Allow for the restoration of structural damage

How Do I Know if My Home Needs a Flood Cut?

After flooding occurs, flood cuts are not always necessary. However, indicators that your home might need a flood cut can include:

• Having water in your home that is contaminated with potentially hazardous bacteria
• Having standing water in your home, even if it appears clean
• The interior of your home remained wet or damp for an extended period

Understanding what a flood cut is, why it is sometimes necessary and when it should be used after flooding occurs can help you better understand what is going on during your home’s restoration process. If your home has sustained water damage due to a flood, contact the flood damage restoration experts who can help you safely and effectively restore your home. 

New Construction Leaving a Big Mess? We Can Help!

2/21/2023 (Permalink)

Post Construction Cleaning:

Your long awaited new construction project is almost completed. Floors are installed, walls are placed. But who knew there would be such a mess to clean up afterwards! SERVPRO of Breckinridge, Grayson, Meade and Hancock Counties can provide the debris removal services to prepare the building for interior design.

Dehumidification and Drying:

During the construction phase, a building can trap moisture. Excessive moisture could result in mold growth. If you think one of your projects may have a moisture issue, rely on our professionals to provide the help you need eliminating moisture and preventing the potential for mold growth.

Final Cleaning:

You want the facility to look its best when the doors open. We can provide:

• Carpet, resilient and non-resilient floor prep, and finish.
• Ceiling, walls, and fixture cleaning.
• Air Duct Cleaning.
• Debris Removal (if necessary).
• Window Cleaning.

The last thing you need is a fire, water intrusion or mold growth slowing down or stopping the completion of one of your projects. We provide 24-hour emergency mitigation, cleanup, and schedule quickly. In addition to fast response, our crews utilize industrial grade equipment, training, and electronic communication to help ensure the job is done right the first time, saving your time and money.

Got the Ceiling Drips?

2/15/2023 (Permalink)

Water dripping from the ceiling is a serious, yet, common problem. Drips in the ceiling turns into water in a light fixture scenario, the situation can quickly become hazardous.  Electricity plus water equals a dangerous combination. To ensure your family’s safety, call in a water mitigation team. While you wait for the team to arrive, there are four steps you can take to help get the job done quickly.

1. Utilities

Make sure the electricity, gas and water are turned off to the area affected by the leak. Water can conduct electricity from an active electrical line, and that can become a very dangerous situation as the current flows through the metal parts of the light fixture.

2. Make Everyone Aware

Announce to everyone in your home that there is water in a light fixture. You should probably also let them know the gas, water, and electricity will be turned off for an unknown number of hours. 

3. Draining

Ceiling damage from water can sometimes pool and cause a protrusion in your ceiling. If that is true in your case, you may consider draining the area. With a bucket in hand, softly pierce the center of the sagging ceiling bulge with an item like a small wooden dowel. Be prepared for a flood of water from the tiny hole.

4. Cleaning

Not only is it important to remove the water from the floor, but you may find it necessary to keep additional water from hitting your newly cleaned surface. Use a bucket to catch the leaking water if it is still dripping, and place towels around as necessary.

If the leaking water in a light fixture fell onto the carpet, you can make a request that your water mitigation team handle the water removal and disinfecting of the flooring area. 

Not Pleasant, But We Can Do It

2/15/2023 (Permalink)

biohazard proceed with caution we know how to clean it

SERVPRO of Breckinridge, Grayson, Meade and Hancock Counties is trained and equipped to respond to any type of biohazard situation. We can clean up crime scenes, hoarding, animal and human waste, and unattended death. This is not the most charming part of our job, but it is critical that it is handled properly. Here are a few types of biohazards, with an explanation of what they entail.

Unattended Death:

When some one passes away, and is discovered after the fact, cleanup is necessary. This situation can be very stressful for friends and family of the deceased. Our team of technicians will respond to the job with compassion, and efficiently perform the necessary services. It is our goal to provide our cleanup services to try to alleviate some of the stress, you are facing. 

Hoarding:

Hoarding can often develop into a biohazard situation. Excessive household garbage and spoiled food are common in a hoarder house. This can attract insects and rodents, and dangerous bacteria can be present throughout the home.

Other Types of Biohazards:

Sewage backups, certain medical emergencies, and crime scenes are examples of other biohazards that require special attention. Bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens may be present. Special cleanup procedures and products are critical to ensure the health and safety of the occupants of the property.

If you have a biohazard problem that requires attention, call SERVPRO of Breckinridge, Grayson, Meade and Hancock Counties anytime. We can respond quickly, while handling the situation with dignity and respect.

Process of Cleaning Fire Damage

2/10/2023 (Permalink)

What would you do if you came home after a long work day, and your house is on fire? Or you were about lock up for the night and you smell something burning and the business is in flames in the back room? A call to the fire department is the first step, butwhat aboutall the damage and soot inside? SERVPRO of Breckinridge, Grayson, Meade, and Hancock Counties will take care of all your worries. We’re trained with all proper licenses to be able to handle fire.

For the best results, we should start as soon as we have approval from an adjuster. We have a “pack away” option for customers to have items packed up and cleaned to then returned to them at the end. We have non-salvageable sheets to make a listof what we think is not savable and with your permission, we can discard approved items. After everything has been removed from the house, we clean the ceiling with a fire sponge and that removes soot off ceilings. Then, the crew will over the affected walls and work together as a team. One willapply the first chemical treatment and then the second person will wipe the wall down with another chemical. The HVAC units in your home is cleaned to make sure all the soot, smoke, and any other debris in the system gets cleaned out. All the furniture that was in the home is cleaned, free of soot. Once, the inside is finished we mop all floors, if they didn’t get removed from damage. We will also provide one more specialized service at the end of cleaning process to get rid of any other smell that didn’t get completely out. If you have a fire in your home or business, let the professionals help you!

List of our Services

2/10/2023 (Permalink)

Restoration and cleaning services for commercial or residential property.  When the unexpected happens, you can count on us to make it "Like it never even happened."  

Restoration
• Fire, Smoke and Soot
• Water Removal & Dehumidification
• Mold Mitigation & Remediation
• Catastrophic Storm Response
• Move Outs & Contents Restoration
• Electronics & Equipment
• Document Drying
• Contents Claim Inventory Service
• Lead Abatement (RRP)

Cleaning:
• Air Ducts & HVAC
• Biohazard & Crime Scene
• Vandalism
• Carpet & Upholstery
• Drapes & Blinds
• Ceilings, Walls & Hard Floors
• Deodorization
• Dumpster & Debris Removal
• Dry-Cleaning
• Data Center Cleaning
• Vandalism & Graffiti
• Trauma & Crime Scene
• Sewage & Toilet Overflow

Whatever the restoration or cleaning needs are, you can count on SERVPRO of Breckinridge, Grayson, Meade & Hancock Counties to get things back into working order.  Give us a call today! 270-580-2200

Providing Customers The Best Technicians With Certified Training

10/24/2022 (Permalink)

IICRC Certified

SERVPRO of Breckinridge, Grayson, Meade & Hancock Counties is an IICRC firm. IICRC stands for the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification.

This organization sets the standards for the restoration industry and provides training and certification to restoration companies. Our technicians can receive certifications in specific cleaning, restoration, and inspection categories such as upholstery, wood flooring, stone and tile flooring, carpet cleaning, odor removal, mold remediation, water damage, fire damage restoration and more. 

Not only does our staff obtain IICRC certifications but our staff also has access to web-based training. This is a voluntary program and can be a helpful tool of knowledge towards restoration. Video presentations and support materials are followed by a knowledge test at the end of each module. This keeps not only our technicians but our office staff up to speed on industry standards and the professional quality you expect.

SERVPRO of Breckinridge, Grayson, Meade & Hancock Counties specializes in the cleanup and restoration of residential and commercial property after a fire, smoke or water damage event. From initial and ongoing training at SERVPRO's Corporate Training Facility to regular IICRC industry certifications, rest assure our staff is equipped with the knowledge to restore your property.