Why Gaithersburg Locals Choose SERVPRO for Their Restoration Services

11/6/2019 (Permalink)

You won’t be sorry you let us help for any of your disasters in Gaithersburg.

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Accidents, appliance failures, and bad weather all contribute to different types of damage for Gaithersburg property owners. No matter if the residence receives fire damage, water loss, flooding, or has a mold infestation, it is vital to engage a professional restoration services company. Failing to do so leaves the property open for additional damages from secondary issues. 

Why SERVPRO?

When damage threatens your property and contents, it is vital to work with a company that understands, some items may have no dollar value, but the sentimental value is priceless. SERVPRO technicians bring not only extensive training to each job site but also compassion for the people they help through their knowledge of the restoration sciences for limiting loss every single day. 

Fast Water Cleanup is Crucial

When a bathtub overflows, toilet backs up, or the washing machine decides to drain water on the floor rather than the drain in a Gaithersburg home, the timer starts ticking for unrecoverable water damage to the structure. SERVPRO technicians arrive within an hour of the initial call and bring every single piece of equipment they require for the job on their green service vans. 

The complete extraction of water is crucial to complete drying, and they have numerous special attachments such as weighted extractor heads to pull deeply embedded water out of pile carpeting or other types of equipment designed to assist in water removal from upholstered furniture. As long as the water loss has not remained untouched for more than 24-hours, the highest restoration potential remains. After that time frame passes, less and less of the contents in the home have the possibility of recovery through drying and cleaning. 

Return from Fire Damage

When a property burns, the fire damage left behind in each Gaithersburg home is unique. There may be accompanying water damage, smoke odors, and numerous structural issues to address. SERVPRO technicians immediately scope the structure to ascertain safety issues, where mitigation needs to start and if there is water loss to handle. Another common action is the establishment of a security fence around the worksite to protect the property and contents from any intruders during the fire loss cleanup. 

The cleanup of smoke residue requires testing and knowledge or more damage to the structure has the potential to occur from incorrect cleaning methods. For example, dry smoke is a fine, powdery substance that lightly sits on surfaces. Technicians learn in their extensive training that this type of smoke residue does not react well to liquids, and this has the possibility of driving it deeper into surfaces. Instead, the technicians know the correct dry cleaning methods involve picking it up and moving the mitigation process forward. 

Odor removal is a large part of fire damage restoration. Technicians have a diverse selection of equipment and applications to neutralize residual smoke odors left by the fire. For light scents, time-release gel pellets may prove to be enough. More pungent odors may require the use of equipment such as hydroxyl generators that work as a neutralizing agent against airborne particulate matter. Another frequently used solvent-based method is thermal fogging, which also neutralizes odors at the molecular level, never to return. 

Storm Damage and Flooding 

Storm and flood damage in Gaithersburg homes receives handing from SERVPRO technicians much in the same manner as water damage resulting from a suddenly broken supply line, with one caveat, when it is groundwater, it is contaminated. 

When a tree limb falls on a roof or hail breaks a window and rainwater enters the property, that is still "clean" water, and it poses no real health issues as long as the cleanup begins within 24-hours. As water remains standing within a property, even clean water degrades and after 48-hours, requires handling as a class-three biohazard the same as groundwater.

Even a small amount of floodwater entering a home wicks rapidly into sheetrock, and it requires removal as it is absorbed and immediately begins weakening building materials. Damaged sheetrock buckles and warps and has no restoration potential. SERVPRO technicians learn controlled demolition techniques as part of their certification and skillfully perform flood cuts to save as much of the sheetrock as possible by removing only the damaged portions and halting any further absorption of the water.

Disinfection and the application of antimicrobial products are a standard part of flood damage mitigation. Technicians ensure that the property is sanitized and ready for any reconstruction that needs to occur.

Technicians perform any temporary repairs needed such as tarping over holes in a roof or boarding up windows. Afterward, homeowners receive a list of the actions taken for both restoration services as well as repairs necessary to return the home to its pre-flood condition. 

Mold Remediation

Mold damage sometimes accompanies water and fire loss in Gaithersburg homes. Unlike those types of home disasters, mold infestations are often a symptom of another issue. When SERVPRO technicians scope a home for potential mold, they look for musty odors, water spots and collections of excessive moisture within wall cavities and under flooring. Poor ventilation is another common reason for mold growth in attics. Technicians diagnose both the locations of mold colonies and the cause for their establishment in the home. 

Technicians are very cautious during mold remediation about the potential for cross-contamination, and containment is a standard action. Using a simple barrier or more intensive negative air chamber setups to ensure airborne mold spores do not travel to any other part of the home. 

Careful drying and lowering of the ambient humidity cause the existing colonies to dry in place. Technicians carefully remove by gently hand-scraping or when infestations prove challenging to remove, they use methods such as soda blasting, a light abrasive that does not mar surfaces, making it ideal for wood or brick. 

SERVPRO of Gaithersburg / Germantown at (301) 963-8474 is ready to assist property owners 24/7 with any needed restoration services. The knowledgeable technicians have training and certification in water damage, fire damage, storm damage, and mold remediation to make the loss in your home, "Like it never even happened."

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