Understanding the Aftermath: Soot and Smoke Damage in Fires

3/29/2024 (Permalink)

When a fire strikes, the immediate damage from flames is evident and often devastating. However, what many homeowners and business owners may not realize is that the aftermath of a fire extends far beyond just the visible destruction.

Soot and smoke damage can wreak havoc on properties, causing lingering odors, discoloration, and corrosion if not addressed promptly and effectively.Soot and smoke damage occur when the byproducts of combustion, including soot, ash, and smoke particles, settle on surfaces throughout the affected area. Even areas untouched by flames can suffer from sit and smoke damage, leading to further deterioration over time if left untreated. Here's a closer look at the potential consequences of sit and smoke damage:

Lingering Odors: Smoke odors can permeate walls, furniture, fabrics, and even HVAC systems, creating an unpleasant and persistent smell that lingers long after the fire has been extinguished. These odors can be challenging to eliminate without professional intervention.

Discoloration and Staining: Soot and smoke residue can leave behind unsightly stains and discoloration on walls, ceilings, and surfaces throughout the property. Over time, this can diminish the aesthetic appeal of the space and necessitate extensive cleaning and restoration efforts.

Corrosion and Deterioration: The acidic nature of smoke residue can lead to corrosion and deterioration of various materials, including metals, plastics, and electronics. Without prompt remediation, this corrosion can cause irreversible damage and compromise the structural integrity of the property.At SERVPRO, we understand the complexities of sit and smoke damage and the importance of swift and thorough remediation. With our expertise, experience, and state-of-the-art equipment, we're equipped to tackle even the most challenging fire damage scenarios. Here's how we can help you get back to "Like it never even happened":

Rapid Response: Our team is available 24/7 to respond to fire damage emergencies promptly. We'll assess the extent of the damage and develop a customized remediation plan tailored to your specific needs.Comprehensive Cleaning: Using advanced cleaning techniques and specialized equipment, we'll thoroughly clean and sanitize affected surfaces to remove soot, smoke residue, and odors. Our goal is to restore your property to its pre-fire condition while minimizing disruption to your life or business operations.

Odor Removal: We employ industry-leading deodorization methods to neutralize smoke odors at their source, leaving your property smelling fresh and clean. Our techniques target odor molecules embedded in porous materials, ensuring long-lasting results.

Restoration and Reconstruction: In addition to cleaning and deodorizing, we offer comprehensive restoration and reconstruction services to repair any structural damage caused by the fire. From minor repairs to full-scale renovations, we'll work diligently to restore your property to its preloss condition.

Don't let sit and smoke damage prolong the recovery process after a fire. Trust the experts at SERVPRO to provide prompt, professional, and thorough fire damage restoration services. With our proven track record of excellence and commitment to customer satisfaction, we're here to help you navigate the restoration process with confidence. Contact us today to learn more about our fire damage restoration services and how we can assist you in getting back to "Like it never even happened."

Protecting Your Property: The Importance of Water Damage Restoration for Flooring in Florida

3/29/2024 (Permalink)

Living in Florida offers many advantages, but it also comes with the risk of water damage, especially during hurricane season or due to plumbing issues. When water infiltrates your property, one of the most vulnerable elements is your flooring. Whether it's hardwood, carpet, tile, or laminate, water damage can wreak havoc on your floors if not addressed promptly and effectively. Here's why water damage restoration is crucial for preserving the integrity of your flooring in Florida:

Preventing Structural Damage: Water can seep into the subflooring and weaken the structural integrity of your floors. Over time, this moisture exposure can lead to warping, buckling, and even collapse. Prompt water damage restoration helps prevent further structural damage, preserving the stability of your property.

Minimizing Mold Growth: Moisture from water damage creates an ideal environment for mold and mildew to thrive, especially in the porous materials commonly found in flooring. Mold growth not only compromises indoor air quality but can also cause extensive damage to your flooring and pose health risks to occupants. Professional water damage restoration includes thorough drying and dehumidification to inhibit mold growth and prevent its spread.

Preserving Flooring Materials: Different types of flooring materials react differently to water damage. Hardwood floors may warp or cup, while carpeting can become saturated and harbor mold and bacteria. Proper water damage restoration techniques tailored to each flooring type help salvage and preserve these materials, minimizing the need for costly replacements.

Restoring Aesthetic Appeal: Water damage can leave unsightly stains, discoloration, and odors on your flooring, detracting from the overall aesthetic appeal of your property. Professional restoration services include thorough cleaning, sanitization, and deodorization to restore your flooring's appearance and freshness.

Protecting Property Value: Water damage can significantly diminish the value of your property if left untreated. Stained, warped, or mold-infested flooring can deter potential buyers and reduce resale value. Investing in water damage restoration demonstrates your commitment to maintaining your property and helps preserve its value over time.At SERVPRO, we understand the unique challenges posed by water damage to flooring in Florida. Our team of certified professionals is equipped with the expertise, experience, and state-of-the-art equipment necessary to tackle even the most severe water damage scenarios. Whether it's extracting standing water, drying saturated materials, or restoring damaged flooring, we're here to help you restore your property to its preloss condition.Don't let water damage compromise the integrity of your flooring.

Trust the experts at SERVPRO to provide prompt, professional water damage restoration services tailored to your specific needs. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you protect your property and preserve the beauty of your flooring in the face of water damage challenges.

Professional Fire Damage Restoration Services for Daytona Homeowners

6/8/2023 (Permalink)

Call SERVPRO as soon as the fire is out to minimize the loss and damage to your home and personal belongings.

Quick and Efficient Services Result in Less Loss

Your home can be quite a mess after the fire goes out. If the flames did not get to it, smoke, soot, and ash residues quickly make work of many materials found in your home. We understand how devastating these experiences can be and use several years of experience to return your Daytona home to normal.

If you are currently experiencing fire damage in your Daytona area property, contact us as soon as possible for emergency services with consistently fast, efficient, quality standards that help you make the best choices during difficult situations. Our goal is to get you back up and running as quickly as possible, avoiding any hazards or secondary damages that may develop. 

In the event of a fire loss, many of your personal belongings receive slight damage that makes it necessary to relocate damaged items to a clean, safe facility. SERVPRO calls these move or pack-out services, where we take salvageable items to a secure location to ensure a more effective, efficient restoration. We use an advanced inventory system to keep track of your belongings and treat each with specific methods designed to receive higher quality results. 

Moving your belongings also makes it easier for SERVPRO technicians to perform structure cleaning in your home. Even with the fire out, damage continues, causing further harm to your furniture, flooring, carpeting, and other surfaces. After only a few days, severe chemical reactions cause items to go from restorable, to unsalvageable. Our technicians use a variety of cleaning and deodorization methods to remove soot from at-risk items effectively, helping you avoid additional expenses. 

The faster you act, the more likely you are to receive the results you desire. Our IICRC-certified technicians understand how to restore brass, aluminum, chrome, marble, tile, porcelain, as well as many upholstery items found in the home. Our wide range of deodorization equipment such as air scrubbers and thermal foggers give us the ability to remove a broad variety of odors. 

We can also help you handle the paperwork for your insurance claim. However, most importantly, we take the time to explain our services in their entirety, helping you regain control, giving you the peace of mind knowing that professionals are on your side.

Contact SERVPRO of South Daytona Beach/Port Orange to begin your fire damage restoration as soon as possible. We service the entire area, including Port Orange and deliver quality services you can count on, call today. (386) 788-0358

Flood Damage and Your Daytona Home's Floors

4/24/2023 (Permalink)

Flooding after a storm can be overwhelming. When you and your family are safe, call SERVPRO to dry out and remediate the damage.

Team SERVPRO Understands the Resounding Need to Help Prevent Possible Secondary Damages After Flooding

The rooms inside your Daytona home all gain a significant portion of their personality from their flooring. Each flooring type's different strengths and weaknesses affect how well they fare in a disaster. During the restoration process, many homeowners choose to replace damaged flooring types with those that suffer less damage in a similar tragedy.
 
When our area experiences severe weather, flood damage in Daytona can affect the entire city. Homeowners need reliable professionals. SERVPRO sends out technicians who are well-trained, certified, experienced and carry the necessary tools to perform all the restoration work a flooded house requires. We can restore your home back to pre-disaster condition, “Like it never even happened.”
 
The bacterial load carried into a house primes that house for further destruction in the future from microbial infestation and overgrowth. These microbes, as well as significant amounts of moisture, become trapped in tight spaces, including under the visible part of your flooring.
 
While your flooring may seem nearly impervious to the effects of water, standing water that remains for days or weeks can penetrate into spaces that otherwise would stand up to large spills. Water that seeps under linoleum dissolves glue while microbial activity produces gas that creates bubbled areas, forcing the linoleum to stretch. Wood laminate flooring can quickly disintegrate into pieces, causing a huge mess of a once-beautiful floor.
 
SERVPRO technicians have experience in removing individual boards in hardwood floors to prevent any damaging effects caused by the widening that wet boards experience. Giving boards the temporary space they need can eliminate permanent damage. It can also make our drying techniques much more efficient.
 
Removing tile from floors allows us to get the sub-floor to the moisture levels recommended by the manufacturer of the new flooring materials. Installing materials over too-damp underlay or concrete can cause your new flooring to fail, and possibly void any warranty related to your new flooring. Correctly installing your new floor gets the rest of your home ready for re-installation of shelving, cabinets, and other features that your family needs.
 
SERVPRO of South Daytona Beach/Port Orange, is always ready to help those in Allandale, Harbor Oaks, and nearby cities whenever flood damage ruins your home. The restoration work your home needs in such situations begins with a call from you to: (386) 788-0358, our 24-hour emergency line.

Why Speed And Professional Help Is Crucial For Daytona Fire Damage

3/27/2023 (Permalink)

SERVPRO Is the Solution Provider for Fire and Smoke Damage and Odor Cleanup in Daytona

SERVPRO Explains the Need for Professional Grade Odor Removal After a House Fire

Residents of Daytona count themselves fortunate if they never need to react to a fire in their home. Because this type of disaster is not a common occurrence homeowners may not know how important it is to respond promptly even to what seems like minor fire damage. We stand by you ready to help day or night.
 
Many fire damage scenarios in Daytona begin in the kitchen. A pot boils dry or oil spills and ignites. If the cook is nearby and the home is equipped with a charged fire extinguisher, the crisis seems averted. With an application of a little elbow grease all traces of the fire are gone, or so it seems. Days or weeks later the homeowner may notice what we know is progressive smoke and soot damage. Odors linger. Fabrics and paint yellow. Metals tarnish, and glass etches.
 
Unfortunately for a committed do-it-yourselfer, fire damage restoration can become very tricky. If you use forced air heat or cooling and a vent was open during the fire, smoke and soot migrate far from the kitchen into bedrooms, living and dining areas, and other spaces in your home. The residue from fire damage is acidic and begins to attack items and surfaces within minutes. When it is not cleaned away properly, soot continues to destroy materials. SERVPRO technicians possess the knowledge and skills to stop the damage fire residues, and the sooner we are on the scene working to halt the harm the better.
 
SERVPRO fire damage remediation work crews evaluate every space in your home for evidence of soot and smoke infiltration. Healthy IAQ indoor air quality is crucial. We match the type of residue to tools and products that clear the residues permanently. Loose coatings vacuum or dry sponge away. Protein-based soot may need solvents as they form a lacquer-like coating. Slow burns create dark, sticky deposits that can require agitation or abrasive cleaners or equipment. Intricate objects like chandeliers might need immersion cleaning or even an ultrasonic treatment.
 
Fire damage is the precursor to tenacious smoky odors. Because they were launched into the air during combustion, the odiferous particles are tiny and often extremely unpleasant. Smells from charred wood and melted plastic stick around even after the damaged structures and objects are discarded. No effective household solution exists that rids your indoor atmosphere of the particles. Sprays and solid deodorizers are ineffective. SERVPRO employs cutting-edge technologies like thermal foggers and hydroxyl generators to seek out and neutralize the molecules causing the odor. Whether in the air or buried deeply into furnishings when they are found and disarmed by innovative odor removal devices the smell is gone forever.
 
Give SERVPRO of South Daytona Beach/Port Orange, a call at (386) 788-0358 after any fire event in your home. Our experienced fire damage technicians bring years of fire damage remediation success and new but proven solutions to your home, making it, "Like it never even happened".

Dependable, Reliable, Mold Remediation Services Available in Daytona Beach

3/24/2023 (Permalink)

Mold growth can spread quickly when the right conditions exist. If you see or smell mold, contact SERVPRO for remediation services

Our Technicians Determine the Cause of the Mold Infestation Before Remediation

Depending on the kind of material mold takes hold of, various types exist. In other words, the mold that develops on the concrete or masonry surfaces on your Daytona Beach property is an entirely different species than the mold that forms on your walls, plastic, or metallic surfaces. 

However, regardless of the amount or type that creates mold damage in your Daytona Beach area home, treatment remains the same. A qualified mold remediation specialist never looks at the species of mold in your home. They should instead, be looking for ways to make your home safe for you to live in again. 

Mold only needs three factors present to grow, water, food, and air. When even one is missing, mold can sit dormant for weeks, waiting for the right conditions exist. With that said, a qualified mold remediation company, like SERVPRO, is likely to look for the source of water intrusion causing the problem, before attempting to mitigate any damage that might exist. 

After locating the source causing the problem, SERVPRO technicians perform any necessary repairs and then move on to contain the spread. We use plastic sheeting to contain the infected area and position negative airflow machines to help capture airborne spores. Any saturated materials removed during your remediation process are placed in sealed bags while transporting and disposing of these materials is based on local, state, and federal guidelines.  

SERVPRO technicians clean and disinfect the entire area before installing new, making sure to maintain a clean, safe environment for anyone entering or exiting the area. We use personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves, boots, and full-body suits if necessary. It depends on the amount of exposure present and how large the affected area is. 

As we move into the final stages of your remediation, everything is cleaned and sanitized again to ensure cleanliness before finishing touches are made to return your home to normal. We check the air for spores several times throughout the process and even give you various tips on how to prevent future problems. 

Contact SERVPRO of South Daytona Beach/Port Orange, for professional mold remediation services you can trust. Call today. (386) 788-0358.

What Secondary Issues Can Result From Water Damage to Your Daytona Home?

7/5/2022 (Permalink)

Storms happen in Florida. Call SERVPRO for all of your water damage restoration needs

Daytona Beach's Flood Damage Technicians Talk About Testing Instruments

Severe weather can strike your Daytona Beach neighborhood and create conditions that ruin your building materials and structural components. High-speed winds can blow landscaping rocks or break tree branches off and throw them into your exterior walls or windows and cause excessive flood damage to take place inside your dwelling. Holes created in one of your walls or windows can allow moisture to enter your home and ruin your contents or building materials. When structural components get wet, they can lose their structural integrity and weaken. If organic substances inside your home stay wet for more than 48 hours, then your flood damage situation can turn into a scenario where mold is present.  

It is wise to call in a professional company like SERVPRO to prevent secondary problems like mold growth or issues caused by excessive humidity. We have experience in dealing with a wide variety of flood damage problems in Daytona Beach. Our highly trained team is good at diagnosing even the problems that may not be noticeable to the plain eye at first. As soon as we show up at your residence, we begin the inspection phase. We first inspect the affected areas of your house and make sure that there are not any potential safety hazards. After we deem the working area safe, we begin inspecting your contents and building materials for water-related issues to see what items got affected and how bad the issues got.  

To test where moisture went, our SERVPRO technicians use moisture sensors and specialized meters. We always use the most advanced technology during the restoration process starting with the testing phase. When testing for the presence of moisture in carpet, we use a sensor that beeps and lights up when it's probe sense water. When we test moisture in wood or drywall, we use a meter that works by hammering metal probes into the material, which gives a percentage or parts per million reading that we use to determine what drying equipment to set up.  

If you ever need fast 24/7 service after a storm, call SERVPRO of South Daytona Beach/Port Orange, at (386) 788-0358 immediately.

What If Storm Water Enters Your Home Or Business?

6/21/2022 (Permalink)

During a recent hurricane, over 12 inches of storm water entered this building, requiring the removal of all flooring and contents.

One type of job that SERVPRO South Daytona Beach / Port Orange deals with on a regular basis has been storm surge or flooding from rising water. The effects from storm surge or flooding can lead to severe mitigation work that needs to be completed. Storm surge or flood water that enters your home or business is categorized as Category 3, in total there is 3 types of water losses in the restoration industry.

• Category 1 - Water originates from a sanitary water source and does not pose a substantial risk from dermal, ingestion or inhalation exposure. Examples of category 1 water sources can include, but are not limited to: Broken supply lines, tub or sink overflows with no contaminates, appliance malfunctions, melting ice, broken toilet tanks.

• Category 2 - Water contains significant contaminates and has the potential to cause discomfort or sickness if contacted or consumed by humans. Category 2 water can contain potentially unsafe levels of unsafe microorganisms or nutrients. Examples of category 2 water are but not limited to: Broken aquariums, waterbeds, water from the toilet bowl, discharge from dishwashers, washing machines.

• Category 3 - Water is grossly contaminated and can contain pathogenic, toxins or other harmful agents. Examples of Category 3 water sources can include but not limited to: Sewage, all forms of flooding from seawater, ground surface water, rising water from rivers or streams; such water sources may contain silt, organic matter, pesticides and heavy metals.

If storm surge or flooding affects your home or business do not attempt to remove or clean up the water yourself, this can lead to exposing yourself to potentially harmful contaminants. Contacting a professional like SERVPRO of South Daytona Beach/Port Orange, for these services is the safest course of action. 

Flooded Motorcycle Shop

6/13/2022 (Permalink)

It's never fun when you walk into your business and see water on the ground.

As everyone should know, Motorcycles and Daytona Beach go hand in hand. Unfortunately, for this business owner, a slab leak caused his showroom floor to be covered with 3" of water. The owner immediately called SERVPRO Daytona Beach and we were there within 20 minutes to start extracting water. In less than 2 hours, all of the standing water was extracted and fans and dehumidifiers were setup to finish drying the building. 3 days later the showroom was completely dry and no motorcycles were harmed in the process! SERVPRO of Daytona Beach/Port Orange, works hard for your business to ensure that you can keep your doors open and keep your schedule as normal as possible. If you need us we'll be there 24hrs a day. Call today to we can make it "Like it never even happened." 

24 Hour Emergency Water Damage Service

6/6/2022 (Permalink)

Here 24/7 for you.

SERVPRO of Daytona Beach is available 24 hours a day for water emergencies, large or small. When you are dealing with water damage, immediate action is crucial. A delay of just a few hours can greatly increase the severity of the water damage.

We Answer the Phone Ready to Help
Call Today - 386-255-6243

We understand that when you call us, you may be feeling confused, stressed, and vulnerable. You need an expert to guide you through this crisis. SERVPRO of South Daytona Beach/Port Orange, has the specific water damage training and experience to help you through this tough time. We specialize in water damage restoration—in fact, it's the cornerstone of our business.

What to Expect

When you call, we will ask several questions regarding your water damage emergency. These questions will help us determine what equipment and resources to bring, including how many trained SERVPRO Professionals may be needed.

Our SERVPRO Representative will ask several questions:

• Your name and contact information
• Your insurance information (if applicable)
• The street address of the water-damaged home or business
• When did the flooding or water damage occur?
• What caused the water damage (if known)?
• Is there electricity available (on-site)?