Month: December 2021

Basement flooding is an emergency property damage situation that requires an immediate response. The question is, where do you begin? Reducing the damage is key, but so is removing items from the affected area. With the right steps, you can control this sort of disaster and respond to it effectively.

Establishing Safety Precautions

A core step of defeating flood damage is to start off focused on safety. The failure to plan and establish safety precautions can lead to further damage and expenses. We’ll start with an inspection to establish the situation and the best approach. Soil-Away technicians use organized methods to mark the worst areas of flooding and to begin the effort of saving personal belongings and the structure itself. Flood damage cleanup is no easy process, but with the right approach, we can restore a basement to its previous state.

Recovery Steps

In order for basement flooding recovery to be successful, the proper course of action is a combination of equipment and ingenuity. Soil-Away uses state-of-the-art tools to kick the recovery process into high gear. For example, our truck-mounted pumps ensure that the basement surface is sufficiently dried until there are no standing pools left inside your property. 

Even with heavy flooding scenarios brought on by weather or burst pipes, our moisture-sensing equipment detects moisture pockets that affect hidden areas like behind walls and under floorboards. These areas are prone to microbial infestations. Excessive moisture can quickly halt the recovery process. Our restoration/remediation techs use focus and experience to chip away at all the issues that come with basement flooding.

Relocation and Documentation

Since we tend to use basements for storage areas, it makes sense that basement flooding can have mass casualties when it comes to personal belongings. An integral course of action is to relocate and document each item for cleaning or disposal once the excess water is pumped from the basement. Soft goods like heavy clothing, sports gear, and bedding can also be salvageable with quick thinking.

Soil-Away moves wet and damaged items to a safe location to sort them. This process sometimes includes area rug cleaning alongside clothing items. While not every item will survive being submerged, our technicians have a high rate of success. 

Comprehensive Drying after Basement Flooding 

Following a flooding extraction, the next course of action is to clean and treat the area against microbial growth issues. These infestations stand a chance of returning and creating health hazards for occupants. By using dehumidifiers and air movers, our tech specialists fully dry the basement to pre-loss conditions. While flooding requires a quick response, there must be time to future-proof basements once we secure everything.

Best Course of Action with Soil-Away Services

Soil-Away uses proven methods to give our customers the best outcome. When Mother Nature sends heavy rains and storms, you need professionals to ensure complete recovery. We work with homeowners, major corporations, and property management to ensure that basement flooding recovery efforts go as planned. Call us now at (603) 641-6555 or stop by our website for more information.

Fire damage occurs during situations where lives are often in danger. Due to such stressful situations, thinking on your feet is not an easy thing to do, because getting out alive is obviously the priority. Belongings will be damaged when a home or commercial building is ablaze, and there is nothing to do but pick up the pieces afterwards. Once the flames are extinguished, one must mitigate the losses and salvage whatever suffered the least amount of damage.

In order to do this, a professional fire damage restoration service must be brought in. There are too many mistakes to be made when dealing with fire after-effects, as well as more danger. For example, trapped water can create a hazardous atmosphere that may affect you. Soil-Away can salvage your belongings from the leftover water needed to extinguish the flames. With our truck-mounted extraction units, we can eliminate standing water from interiors so the rebuilding can begin.

Our Cleaning Process for Fire Damage

Salvaging belongings from fire damage requires a strict process in order to properly address both seen and unseen damage. On the surface, there are soot spots and the pungent smell of burning that is almost inescapable. Soot can be difficult to remove because contaminants can hide inside walls and go undetected for some time. With so many issues to deal with all at once, it is necessary to remove foundational sections and items that are too far gone. Basically, everything needs to be processed before the property can be re-inhabited. 

Once we process everything, we can return all salvaged and restored contents. Soil-Away will remove or replace damaged structural and flooring components because soot often aligns with moisture pockets and settles in for further damages. These areas can be a breeding ground for mold and toxic particles thanks to oxygen and excess moisture. Our cleaning process takes care of each unsavory element, with a high chance of returning belongings and locations to pre-fire conditions.

How Does This Damage Occur on a Large Scale?

We have all heard and seen examples of fire damage. However, it is easy to assume that large-scale fires are rare. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. Storm-prone locations can create and spread fires when lightning strikes outside structures or nearby trees. 

Nature also brings wind and water damages, both of which can lead to electricity-sparked fires that develop into a full blaze. While you can take precautions to halt these effects, it is impossible to be 100% protected against Mother Nature. On the man-made side of things, common space heaters can lead to major fires in a home or office. Make no mistake: you need a gameplan just in case a fire occurs. Soil-Away offers an easy-to-book service that can step in and rescue your belongings from larger fires.

Lingering Effects of Fire Damage

Smoke and soot can affect certain appliances within your structure, creating a hazardous property. Fire damage will linger long after the fire department extinguishes the blaze. In order to be 100% sure of your family’s safety, a professional needs to assess and eradicate the damages. Otherwise, these issues will continue to plague your property. Soil-Away works with insurance carriers, property management companies, major corporations, and homeowners on each case. Our experts can mitigate damages and restore belongings despite various contaminations.

Beat Fire Damage with Soil-Away Restoration

Ask us about our commercial loss restoration services. We have solutions to salvage fixtures, carpets, and your prized belongings. With Soil-Away your items have a chance to return to at least equal to or better than pre-loss status. Call us at (603) 641-6555 or visit our website today if fire damages hit where you live or work.

Deep cleaning is the only way to remove surface damages that are associated with an out-of-control blaze. Fires can result in the displacement of building occupants, from homeowners to apartment tenants, who must relocate due to unsafe conditions. Soot marks the home or office that survives a fire. Attempting to do a half-cleaning job will not fix the problem, nor will it allow you to return to the way of life prior to the fire. 

In such cases, hire a professional cleaning company to erase those marks. A DIY cleaning job will only leave your dwelling place looking worse. Contaminations will stay where they are without professional cleaning equipment.

Contamination Requires Deep Cleaning

Fire damages are deadly during and after an event. Contamination can linger due to the potency of smoke and soot, not to mention the toxic possibilities of water left over from the fire department’s visit. Contamination requires deep cleaning because there is no easy way to remove these biohazards – at least not by yourself.

In fact, irreversible damage is an unfortunate side effect of fires. You should never attempt to scrub painted walls or decor following fire damages. Carpet and furniture cannot simply be washed. Cleaning products that are inappropriate to the situation leads to additional destruction, often making it impossible to fully salvage items or areas of the building.

Deep Cleaning Soot

Soot-covered items require special attention. Home appliances can become permanently stained if soot is rubbed into the surface by uninformed attempts to clean. An authorized repair service uses high-tech equipment to deal with soot thoroughly. Our vacuums are built to remove loose particles from every surface without redistributing it into the air to continue causing damage. 

With a combination of hard work and special training, our technicians can deep clean both residential and commercial properties. We make it our job to mitigate the pervasive, noxious (sometimes toxic or corrosive) odors left over by a fire. Our staff is fully bonded and insured for the removal of smoky odors and soot damage. With Soil-Away on your side, you’ll know we got rid of all the toxins.

The Aftermath of a Fire: Who to Call

While there are ways to spot-wash minor soot stains from the household walls, attempting to remove soot and other fire-made marks can be dangerous. Without professional services, you can risk your well-being–and the well-being of the people around you–and worsen the situation. In case of a fire, the best thing to do is move on as quickly as possible, which means letting the pros do the work.

Soil-Away deals with any fire, water, and storm aftermath by using speed and precision. This way you can get back to business as usual. As traumatic as a fire can be, there is no need to experience more problems during the clean-up. Contact us now and we can determine the level of damage you have experienced. While each scenario is different, we guarantee a response that can salvage your prized belongings. Our cleaning experts are ready to gear up and make your property look like there was no fire in the first place.