Recent Posts
Humidity: Mold's Best Friend
1/27/2023 (Permalink)
An example of a severe mold infestation caused by humidity.
We often think of mold growth in a residential or commercial property happening by way of overt and direct water damage. Maybe a pipe bursts, a washing machine water supply line breaks, or a hole in the roof lets in water. Then that water feeds any mold spores, thus growing a full colony.
However, a less overt but just as damaging cause of mold growth comes from humidity in the air.
A humidity of 70% or higher is sure to cause mold growth, so many experts recommend keeping the humidity in your home between 60% and as low as 30%.
If you have mold in your home, contact us right away for any mold mitigation services you may need.
Water Damage in the Home: Areas, Causes, Signs
1/23/2023 (Permalink)
Sinks are a common area for water damage to originate.
Homeowners should always be prepared for a water damage event, and one way to do this is by knowing about some of the common areas to check for water damage, and some of the common causes or signs. The following information is by no means comprehensive or finite - there is an abundance of water damage related information. But hopefully these lists will act as starter information to homeowners so that
Areas to Check Around the Home
- Washer and Dryer - when the water supply line to the washer leaks (or bursts) this can spell big trouble. Checking this frequently used area often can save you trouble by always knowing the condition it's in.
- In and around sinks and bathtubs - these areas are inundated with water all of the time, and often show signs of water damage first. The pipes will leak, which is a sure sign water damage has either already happen, or will happen soon. Discolored caulking is another sign for sinks and bathtubs - if it's discolored, it's had enough time to grow mold from water damage.
- Walls - walls will show hidden moisture damage by becoming discolored, changing in texture or looking warped, or even growing mold.
These are only a few areas you can check for water damage - but there are so many more. Additional research may help you with your homecare journey.
Causes of Water Damage
- Extreme weather of any kind, though cold weather in particular, can lead to water damage. By freezing in pipes, water expands and often disturbs the alignment or strength of the plumbing and causes a rupture. When the ice begins to thaw, the water will seep through the rupture. This is where the trouble begins - and water damage like this can be vast.
- Clogged gutters. This can damage a roof and let in water, or it can allow water to run excessively on the siding of the home. This can lead to damage, erosion, and eventually spread.
- Leaking pipes or blocked drains. Sometimes pipes, fittings, and other integral parts of plumbing become worn out with time and age. This is normal, and plumbing in the home requires routine care. However, leaks often start small and are barely noticeable. By the time you do notice them, the water damage to your home has begun. Blocked drains can add extra pressure to your plumbing, which can accelerate any age related issues and lead to a burst pipe.
It's never too early or late to begin routine maintenance on your home to prevent water damage. And should you ever experience any, we will be here to help you with any restoration or mitigation services you may need.
Top Reasons to Hire Professionals for Fire Damage Restoration
12/9/2022 (Permalink)
Fires can come from decorations, cooking, electrical issues, and more.
Fires of any size, large or small, can leave behind extensive damage. When fires of any size happen, it is important to bring in professional help to clean and restore any affected areas. Here are the top 5 reasons why.
- Smoke and soot can be toxic. Inhaling smoke or soot can lead to both short term and long term health conditions, ranging anywhere from asthma and bronchitis to coronary heart disease and even cancer. Our highly trained professionals have the proper equipment and knowledge to safely clean structures affected by fire damage.
- Attempting to clean smoke or soot with the wrong cleaning agents or methods could worsen the damage to a structure or any objects affected within. Our highly trained professionals are provided with the best tools, cleaning agents, and training in the industry to ensure the smoke or soot is fully removed from your property and belongings.
- Cleaning the aftermath of a fire yourself adds to your stress. Fires can be traumatizing and scary. Cleaning up after the fire by yourself can be a lot to take on, but calling in professionals can take one more thing off your plate during a very stressful time.
- Our technicians can assess the full damage on your property after a fire. Fires damage your property not just with smoke and soot, but also with water from any sprinklers, and also electrically and structurally. This can lead to an abundance of hazards in the structure that should be assessed by a professional.
- Fire damage can leave a structure vulnerable to the elements. That is why, as a part of our fire restoration plan that is tailored to each unique structure affected by fire, we offer immediate board-up and roof-tarping services.
Top Places Mold Will Grow
11/30/2022 (Permalink)
Kitchen sinks, and anywhere water is frequently used can be a hub for mold growth.
Mold is probably one of the last things you want to find in your home. It smells, can discolor and warp different materials, and can have a negative impact on your health. If you're wondering if you have mold, or just want to know where to look out for in your home, here's a list of the top 5 places mold loves in your home.
- Roofs. If your roof has, or previously had, a leak, mold can begin to grow that way.
- Windows. Sometimes windows need to be resealed, and if they aren't they will let the moisture in that keeps mold growing.
- Areas affected by previous water damage. Any previous water damage, from years ago or yesterday, can create perfect conditions for mold to grow.
- Caulking around sinks. Sometimes it seems like no matter how often you wipe it down, the caulk around the sink never looks clean. That is probably mold, not dirt, and requires specialty cleaning products to remove.
- Pipes. In some circumstances, mold can grow in an around pipes.
If you notice mold growth in your home, we are here to help. Mold should never be removed with bleach as it is not effective on most surfaces, and may not completely eliminate the growth. Contact us if you are concerned about a mold growth in your home or office.
Top Places Mold Will Grow
11/30/2022 (Permalink)
Kitchen sinks, and anywhere water is frequently used can be a hub for mold growth.
Mold is probably one of the last things you want to find in your home. It smells, can discolor and warp different materials, and can have a negative impact on your health. If you're wondering if you have mold, or just want to know where to look out for in your home, here's a list of the top 5 places mold loves in your home.
- Roofs. If your roof has, or previously had, a leak, mold can begin to grow that way.
- Windows. Sometimes windows need to be resealed, and if they aren't they will let the moisture in that keeps mold growing.
- Areas affected by previous water damage. Any previous water damage, from years ago or yesterday, can create perfect conditions for mold to grow.
- Caulking around sinks. Sometimes it seems like no matter how often you wipe it down, the caulk around the sink never looks clean. That is probably mold, not dirt, and requires specialty cleaning products to remove.
- Pipes. In some circumstances, mold can grow in an around pipes.
If you notice mold growth in your home, we are here to help. Mold should never be removed with bleach as it is not effective on most surfaces, and may not completely eliminate the growth. Contact us if you are concerned about a mold growth in your home or office.
Top Places Mold Will Grow
11/30/2022 (Permalink)
Kitchen sinks, and anywhere water is frequently used can be a hub for mold growth.
Mold is probably one of the last things you want to find in your home. It smells, can discolor and warp different materials, and can have a negative impact on your health. If you're wondering if you have mold, or just want to know where to look out for in your home, here's a list of the top 5 places mold loves in your home.
- Roofs. If your roof has, or previously had, a leak, mold can begin to grow that way.
- Windows. Sometimes windows need to be resealed, and if they aren't they will let the moisture in that keeps mold growing.
- Areas affected by previous water damage. Any previous water damage, from years ago or yesterday, can create perfect conditions for mold to grow.
- Caulking around sinks. Sometimes it seems like no matter how often you wipe it down, the caulk around the sink never looks clean. That is probably mold, not dirt, and requires specialty cleaning products to remove.
- Pipes. In some circumstances, mold can grow in an around pipes.
If you notice mold growth in your home, we are here to help. Mold should never be removed with bleach as it is not effective on most surfaces, and may not completely eliminate the growth. Contact us if you are concerned about a mold growth in your home or office.
Top Places Mold Will Grow
11/30/2022 (Permalink)
Kitchen sinks, and anywhere water is frequently used can be a hub for mold growth.
Mold is probably one of the last things you want to find in your home. It smells, can discolor and warp different materials, and can have a negative impact on your health. If you're wondering if you have mold, or just want to know where to look out for in your home, here's a list of the top 5 places mold loves in your home.
- Roofs. If your roof has, or previously had, a leak, mold can begin to grow that way.
- Windows. Sometimes windows need to be resealed, and if they aren't they will let the moisture in that keeps mold growing.
- Areas affected by previous water damage. Any previous water damage, from years ago or yesterday, can create perfect conditions for mold to grow.
- Caulking around sinks. Sometimes it seems like no matter how often you wipe it down, the caulk around the sink never looks clean. That is probably mold, not dirt, and requires specialty cleaning products to remove.
- Pipes. In some circumstances, mold can grow in an around pipes.
If you notice mold growth in your home, we are here to help. Mold should never be removed with bleach as it is not effective on most surfaces, and may not completely eliminate the growth. Contact us if you are concerned about a mold growth in your home or office.
Top Places Mold Will Grow
11/30/2022 (Permalink)
Kitchen sinks, and anywhere water is frequently used can be a hub for mold growth.
Mold is probably one of the last things you want to find in your home. It smells, can discolor and warp different materials, and can have a negative impact on your health. If you're wondering if you have mold, or just want to know where to look out for in your home, here's a list of the top 5 places mold loves in your home.
- Roofs. If your roof has, or previously had, a leak, mold can begin to grow that way.
- Windows. Sometimes windows need to be resealed, and if they aren't they will let the moisture in that keeps mold growing.
- Areas affected by previous water damage. Any previous water damage, from years ago or yesterday, can create perfect conditions for mold to grow.
- Caulking around sinks. Sometimes it seems like no matter how often you wipe it down, the caulk around the sink never looks clean. That is probably mold, not dirt, and requires specialty cleaning products to remove.
- Pipes. In some circumstances, mold can grow in an around pipes.
If you notice mold growth in your home, we are here to help. Mold should never be removed with bleach as it is not effective on most surfaces, and may not completely eliminate the growth. Contact us if you are concerned about a mold growth in your home or office.
Top Places Mold Will Grow
11/30/2022 (Permalink)
Kitchen sinks, and anywhere water is frequently used can be a hub for mold growth.
Mold is probably one of the last things you want to find in your home. It smells, can discolor and warp different materials, and can have a negative impact on your health. If you're wondering if you have mold, or just want to know where to look out for in your home, here's a list of the top 5 places mold loves in your home.
- Roofs. If your roof has, or previously had, a leak, mold can begin to grow that way.
- Windows. Sometimes windows need to be resealed, and if they aren't they will let the moisture in that keeps mold growing.
- Areas affected by previous water damage. Any previous water damage, from years ago or yesterday, can create perfect conditions for mold to grow.
- Caulking around sinks. Sometimes it seems like no matter how often you wipe it down, the caulk around the sink never looks clean. That is probably mold, not dirt, and requires specialty cleaning products to remove.
- Pipes. In some circumstances, mold can grow in an around pipes.
If you notice mold growth in your home, we are here to help. Mold should never be removed with bleach as it is not effective on most surfaces, and may not completely eliminate the growth. Contact us if you are concerned about a mold growth in your home or office.
Objectives of Federal Way Water Damage Cleanup
9/20/2022 (Permalink)
SERVPRO's skilled technicians have the tools and experience to put an end to water damage in your Federal Way home.
SERVPRO Helps with Efficient Water Damage Recovery
As one of the growing communities of the Greater Seattle area, our SERVPRO of Federal Way team frequently is called to mitigate and restore water disasters in homes and businesses. Because the type of damage can vary considerably from one property to the next, our technicians must be prepared for different triggers and impacted areas of households. Some common causes include:
- Leaks
- Spills
- Overflows
- Burst pipes
- Flooding
- Broken fixtures
Reaching Federal Way water damage disasters quickly is the best way to ensure that we can sufficiently mitigate damages and do more to protect the structure. After 48 hours of exposure, many saturation concerns and standing water have caused irreparable damage to the residence, so we mobilize fast to have boots on the ground and get to work within the earliest hours after the first notice of loss.
The Focus of Water Damage Restoration
We have specific goals to protect your home after a disaster. With a population nearing 100,000 in Federal Way alone, we must have a fast and efficient system to manage pressing concerns and prevent more significant harm to the residence while restoration gets underway. We prioritize a few specific objectives when our WRT-Certified technicians arrive:
- Mitigating Damage – This focus means preventing the situation from worsening and making the house safer for responding technicians to work.
- Protecting Contents – With the impact on personal belongings, furniture, and soft materials, it is critical to have an effective and direct solution to recover these belongings when disasters occur.
- Cleaning the Structure – we have several wet cleaning products to clear residual damage and soil deposits from surfaces and carpeting after absorption.
- Repairing the Damage – Using our contractor license, our team can provide repairs, reconstruction, demolition, and plumbing replacement as required.
Emergency Services Mitigate Damage
We’re Faster To Any Size Disaster – but what are we doing when we get there? Emergency services provide the most direct path to protecting a property and its contents. Between the contractors on our roster that can manage actions like controlled demolition to services like water removal and content management, SERVPRO professionals help in every way possible as early as we can.
Content Relocation and Cleaning
Personal belongings become a significant victim of the water damage your home can face after disasters. Because your contents exist in every living space, standing water and moisture concerns adversely affect many items. Without fast relocation services, we need to address the level of cleaning and restoration that personal belongings require to avoid more significant and costlier damages for the customer.
Surface Cleaning Solutions
Between minerals and chemicals that could exist in standing water or moisture damage in your household, residues are one of the obstacles that our responding team must overcome. Surface cleaning strategies, especially wet cleaning with phenolics or green products, allow us to eliminate soil deposits and residual film without ruining the underlying affected material.
Licensed General Contractors to Help
Having a general contractor license, our professionals can also remove damaged structural elements, offer temporary construction solutions, and repair portions of the property after water damage. Our capabilities in this regard allow us to remain a one-stop-shop for restoration and reconstruction, saving a customer time and money on the recovery efforts their residence requires.
Federal Way water damage incidents are rapidly forming and widespread in many cases, making it crucial to have a team of accredited and experienced restoration specialists to help. Our SERVPRO of Federal Way team stays ready to mobilize when disasters strike. Call our restorers anytime at (253) 838-8999.
24/7 Emergency Service