How To Recover Documents From a Flood

5/5/2022 (Permalink)

Document Restoration

If your business in Bayard, FL, experiences a flood, you may think that your documents are lost forever. Fortunately, document restoration is possible. SERVPRO can dry, sterilize and even digitize your damaged documents.

Document Types

SERVPRO, a document damage restoration service in Bayard, FL, can recover all kinds of documents:

• Photographs
  
• Papers
  
• Books
  
• Parchment
  
• Files
  
  

Their innovative methods of restoration can accommodate nearly all paper types. No matter what types of documents were affected, you should contact a professional as quickly as possible to minimize the damage.

Damage
Flooding can damage documents in several ways:

• Water damage
  
• Chemical exposure
  
• Contamination by bacteria or viruses
  
  

Document drying and sterilization can repair structural damage to the documents and remove any harmful substances.

Freeze Drying

Freeze drying is a method of document restoration that dries the item without harming it. The documents are frozen in a special vacuum that converts the water straight from its solid to a gaseous state, meaning the documents don't get wet in the process. This method is a safe and effective method of document drying that can be used on many different types of items.

Cleaning

Flood water can contain harmful substances that can contaminate documents. These documents can be cleaned using gamma radiation. This removes chemicals and kills microorganisms without damaging the documents.

Digitizing

Technicians can help you digitize your documents during the restoration process. This ensures that you have backup copies of important papers that are accessible virtually. This will also help you get rid of unnecessary clutter and organize all the documents you need.
Whether you lost photos, papers, books, files or other items, SERVPRO understands that your documents are important to you and your business. They use advanced document restoration techniques, including freeze-drying and sanitizing with gamma radiation, to help you minimize losses. They can even create digital copies of all of your documents so you never have to worry about losing them again.

The Dangers of Chemical Drain Cleaners

4/15/2022 (Permalink)

Chemical Drain Cleaners Can Be Harmful

Many commercial building owners use a chemical cleaner to fix a clogged drain. However, this could just cause more harm to the premises. Here are some reasons your clients should only use chemical products as a last resort. These cleaners can actually cause harm in several ways.

1. They Can Hurt Pipes
The heat produced by chemical cleaners can harm certain pipes. Older metal or plastic pipes are particularly prone to damage from chemicals.

2. They Can Hurt the Environment
The chemicals from drain cleaners do not stay in pipes forever. They eventually end up in landfills, lakes and rivers, where they could poison various animals.

3. They Can Hurt People
Cleaners can even cause adverse effects to humans. Simply breathing them in while trying to clear a clogged drain could irritate the throat and eyes.
Since chemical drain cleaners can be dangerous, your clients should first try to clear the clog with mechanical options such as an auger or plunger. If that does not work, they can use non-toxic cleaners that use bacteria or enzymes to eat the clog. These cleaners work best on clogs that result from organic materials such as soap, hair or grease.

To prevent damage to your clients' Bayard, FL, buildings, you should tell them to avoid pouring chemicals down a clogged drain. An auger or enzymatic cleaner can safely remove the clog without harming the pipes.

If a broken or deteriorating pipe does harm your client's property, you will need to call sewage cleaning specialists to dry the premises and remove any mold. SERVPRO franchise professionals will respond quickly to the emergency and do what they can to thoroughly restore the property while keeping costs down. The franchises have the corporate resources to tackle big projects yet remain locally operated and owned.

SERVPRO is thus a preferred vendor for numerous insurance providers. Whether your client's water loss resulted from a chemical drain cleaner or a frozen pipe, SERVPRO can assist with the repairs.

Why Insurance Agents Should Work With Storm Restoration Services

3/19/2022 (Permalink)

Storm damaged office in Pine Forest, FL.

Why Should Insurance Agents Work With Storm Restoration Companies?

Property damage after a storm can be catastrophic and costly. If a storm strikes your area in Pine Forest, FL, you will likely be flooded with calls from insurance clients looking for help. Working with reliable storm restoration professionals can help ease the process and ensure that all of your clients have their needs met.

1. Quick Response

A storm response needs to be quick in order to be as effective as possible. Returning a structure to a physically stable state, removing flood water, and cleaning the debris left behind should all happen quickly in order to establish safety and prevent mold growth from starting. If mold is prevented, this lessens additional damage and lowers the cost of cleanup. Restoration specialists like SERVPRO pride themselves on their quick response to every type of disaster.

2. Trained Professionals

Storm restoration specialists are trained in responding to every type of storm. Whether it's a hurricane, flood, snowstorm, or tornado, they know how to deal with the damage. After a storm, there is rarely just one type of damage to a structure. There might be wind damage to the siding and water damage from flooding in the basement. These damages require different types of cleaning and repairs. Restoration specialists know how to catalogue and deal with wind damage, flood damage, and more simultaneously. This eliminates the need for multiple specialists working on the same restoration.

3. A Network of Resources

Working with a restoration specialist with a corporate system in place like SERVPRO connects you and your clients with a large national network. Disaster response teams located throughout the country can mobilize and help where and when they are needed. With many clients in the same area needing assistance at the same time, having a large network to draw from after a storm can be highly beneficial.
Recovery from storm damage involves specialized cleaning, repairs, and often rebuilding. Undertaking these tasks in a timely manner is extremely important to help prevent further damage. A storm restoration specialist like SERVPRO can help speed up the claims process and help your clients recover every step of the way.

Is Mold Testing Really Necessary?

1/30/2022 (Permalink)

Is it Really Necessary to Test for Mold?

When mold gets discussed in the media, it is often dramatic and involves a worst-case scenario of some poor homeowner who had a life-changing event occur because of the mold problem reported. However, when most people run into a colony of the fungi in their Jacksonville, FL, home, their first instinct is to grab some bleach water and wipe the spots away. When the spots return, it is probably time for a professional mold assessment to determine what type of fungus is attacking the building.

What Does a Mold Test Look For?

A mold test is typically done to locate the species of mold and contamination levels within a particular area inside the home. These tests can include, but are not limited to the following:

• Stachybotrys, or toxic black mold
  
• Aspergillus, or a group of 200 dangerous molds
  
• Contamination, or the levels of spores in the air
  
• Mildew, or an innocuous type of fungus
  
  

What Happens After a Mold Test?

Since the majority of mold lurks inside walls, it can be important to know where the mold is, what type it is and how large the contaminated area really is. A professional assessment team can do just that; in fact, the certified mold assessment professionals at SERVPRO of Jacksonville, FL, are Here to Help anytime mold is found. The team can locate the source, remove the polluting fungi and repair the area impacted by the mold.

Attacking the surface mold with a cleaning solution can do little more than stall the problem because mold colonies hide inside and under the surface. Letting a professional mold removal team locate the problem and remove it can save time and money. Why not defend your home and alleviate the situation with a mold assessment test before and after repairs to assure there is no longer a mold issue in your home?