Month: September 2019
What You Should Know About Water Damage To Carpets And Upholstery
Types of Damage
Mold
The biggest risk of letting soggy carpets and upholstery sit untreated is that it can grow mold. Mold spores seep in from the water or float in on the outside air, and then wait to get wet. Once that happens, it only needs to be incubated in a warm environment for a day before it starts sprouting. It smells bad and it looks gross, but the worst part is that the spores get in people’s lungs, triggering allergies and asthma symptoms. This is especially bad for children.
Water Stains
Carpets and upholstery can acquire stains in a couple of ways, but the dark spots from water are some of the trickiest to remove. The stains come from the minerals in the water getting in the fibers.
First Steps To Cleaning Up Water Damage
Preventing water from sitting on your upholstery or carpet is the best way to keep stains and mold at bay. To do this, soak up extra water with towels and then turn on the air conditioner or run a fan. If the outside air is dry, open the windows to let air circulate over the carpet.
If mold or mildew has grown on the item, you can rub this off using a clean cloth and undiluted vinegar. You can then go over your carpet with a wet/dry vacuum and point a fan at the area.
Small water stains on upholstery can be eliminated too. First, vacuum the upholstery. Dab cool water on the stains with a clean cloth, then cover the stain with paper towels, folded to about an eighth of an inch thick. Point a fan at the papers or run a hair dryer set to ‘cool’ over it. If the stains remain, you can scrub it with rubbing alcohol.
When To Call A Professional
There are 3 categories of water damage, and what category you have comes from the type of water involved. Category 1 is from clean water, such as from a leaking sink. Category 2 is called gray water, and it might come from sources such as broken toilets. It might make people sick if they drink it. Category 3 is called black water and comes from a source such as a sewer. A water damage restoration company should be called as quickly as possible when your carpet and upholstery is flooded with gray or black water, or if the items are soaked through and the water is up to your ankles. If gray or black water was involved, the potential health risks will have to be mitigated, and the restoration company will have the tools to do that. They can also perform an inspection to make sure the rest of the house wasn’t damaged.
There are a couple of methods that a restoration company can use to prevent water stains and mold from growing on your upholstery and carpet. Steam cleaning, sometimes called a hot-water extraction method, comes highly recommended in many situations. Dehumidification techniques will have to be employed quickly to keep mold spores from growing and furniture from warping. High-speed air movers may be used to evaporate as much water as possible from the fibers. The professionals may leave a dehumidifier on for up to 3 days, depending on how much flooding occurred.
Satin Touch has dealt with water damaged carpets and upholstery for many years and would love to help you. If you would like more information about fighting water damage, please contact us.
Do You Need Twin Cities Fire Damage Restoration Services?
House fires happen far more frequently than most people realize. When you think of a house fire, you think of a destroyed home. But most of the time, the damage doesn’t even peel the paint. Little fires are incredibly common in the kitchen or from faulty outlets and appliances. These small flames caused by accidents and electrical shorts often do more smoke damage than anything else. In fact, most people don’t realize this, but homes that need extensive smoke damage restoration are far more common than actually burned walls, ceilings, or even furniture.
This is because modern home environments are made to be fire-resistant. The paint doesn’t burn, the carpets are fire retardant, and drywall has been specially formulated not to go up in flames if possible. If part of your home does burn, often it is a small section of one or two rooms and the rest of the home is fine. Except, of course, for a few scorches and a lot of staining soot.
Many people tackle cleaning up the soot themselves, but you may need fire damage restoration services to fully restore your home back to pristine un-scorched livability. Today, we’re highlighting four signs that you may need the help of professionals to get your home back into shape after a fire.
Kitchen Fires with Extensive Superficial Damage
Kitchen fires are the most common type of house fire, usually starting at the stove. A fire that begins with a grease fire or food catching alight can create a great deal of smoke but often does not spread much further than the stove and nearby wall. Once the fire is put out, your kitchen may look like a crime scene but try taking a sponge to the walls. If the walls aren’t scorched, what you mainly need is a professional smoke restoration service to help get rid of all the soot without staining anything else in the process. And a new stove, of course.
Burned Outlets and Electrical Wiring
Outlets are another cause of home fires, often related to either old or DIY wiring in the walls or plugging in a faulty appliance that does not handle electricity safely. If a spark causes a fire in your living room, bedroom, or kitchen then there may be some scorching of the all or outlet. In this case, you will need electrical repairs and potentially a few new panels of drywall but the damage is not unfixable. With a professional service, your home can be back to welcoming again in a few day’s time.
Reconstructing Partially Burned Rooms
Even if a portion of your room, or two adjacent rooms, is scorched and damaged by the fire, your home can be restored. New drywall is surprisingly easy to put up and new sections of carpet or flooring can be installed so that your home appears as if it was never burned in the first place. In fact, this is a great opportunity for you to do a little remodeling or take a look at what’s behind your walls. You can check for signs of mold, improve your insulation, or even add soundproofing between the rooms while your fire restoration service is reinstalling the portions of your home that were damaged and cleaning up all the smoke.
Getting Rid of the Lingering Smoke Smell
Finally, there’s the lingering smell. This is something only homeowners who have experienced a fire know, but the last thing to linger is the smell of soot long after all the visible black powder is gone. A professional fire restoration service can not only repair the visible and structural damage, they also know which chemicals and scents to use to fully get rid of the lingering smell of smoke in your home so that your residence is truly good as new.
Need Twin Cities Fire Damage Restoration? Call Us Today
If you need fire and smoke restoration services, contact us today! Our team will be happy to perform a consultation and build a plan to bring your home back to the place you love to live.
