No home or business owner ever wants to deal with fire damage if they can avoid it. While you can’t prevent every fire, there are several things you can do to help reduce the likelihood of one. Check out these 4 tips to help prevent damage from a fire in your space.
1. Working Smoke Alarms
The top thing that you can do to reduce or prevent fire damage is to have working smoke alarms. These will alert you when there is smoke, so it may not stop the fire. However, it could significantly improve your safety and reduce damage. You should have working smoke alarms throughout the home. It’s also critical that you regularly test these alarms to make sure they are working.
Smoke alarms are affordable; you just have to be responsible for purchasing and maintaining them. Many local fire departments will actually provide some for free. Most will also come and inspect your fire alarms as well.
2. Be Mindful of Flammable Items
That gas can that you left sitting out is flammable. Things like grass clippings, aerosol cans, fireworks, cooking materials, nail polish, and more can all be flammable. If these end up too close to heat or an open flame, the results could be bad.
Take note of these items and store them properly to help keep your home safe. The majority of items simply need to be kept away from open flame or stored in a cool, dry location to prevent a fire from occurring.
3. Electrical Wiring & Use
There are a lot of home fires that start because there is bad wiring or plug-ins being used improperly. This is one issue that you can prevent by being proactive. We recommend having your electrical system maintained and inspected occasionally. If you ever smell smoke or something hot, take action right away.
Wires hidden in the attic or around the home can be chewed on by hidden pests without you knowing until there is a problem. Always use a professional to handle electrical elements like these. Ensure that your appliances and surge protectors are all being utilized and plugged in properly.
4. Don’t Leave Flames Unattended
Think about the last time you cooked something on the stove. Did you walk away from the stove and leave a pot unattended? Even just walking away for a few seconds is a risk. It’s too easy to get distracted or for something to happen while your back is turned.
It’s the same concept for any type of open flame. If you’re operating a grill near the home, it needs to be monitored. If you have a bonfire, fire pit, fireplace, or anything like that, all of these should be attended when in use. Fires should be put out or turned off before you walk away and leave them.
Fire Damage Restoration
If you or someone you know does face fire damage, we’re here to help. Semper Fi Cleaning and Restoration can work with you to restore your home or office when a fire occurs. The best thing is to prevent fires if you can. However, when they happen, we’re here for you.
When it comes to dealing with mold removal, most people think it’s a DIY project. However, it’s really far better to bring in a professional to help with the process. There are several details to be aware of. And there are things you need to be sure to do in order to protect the structure from mold damage.
Check out these top tips.
Containment is Vital
Don’t underestimate mold’s ability to spread. Just because it’s attached to sheetrock or some other material doesn’t mean it will stay there. When you start working on a space, that space should be contained.
In order to prevent the mold from spreading, you should be working in a closed-off location so that any mold spores that break loose can’t escape. It’s easy to mistakenly allow mold spores to get away and never even notice them. Suddenly, you find mold in new places and have new problems to deal with.
The truth is that mold can spread very easily. Carrying something infested with mold through the home could cause those spores to spread and leave a trail everywhere you walk. Contain the mold by containing the working space.
The Air You Breathe
The next thing to keep in mind during mold removal is breathing clean air. When you bring in a team, they first contain the space. Then, they set up appropriate air filtration. In some cases, they may even wear respirators, depending on the mold that is growing.
Some molds can be harmful to breathe in. There are toxic molds that can lead to major health and respiratory issues. That’s not a chance that you want to take. Not only does air purification and filtration need to be in place, but you have to be careful about breathing in mold spores.
Unless you are a trained professional, this might be something you don’t know. Proper breathing and air filtration is vital for safety during the mold removal process.
Proper Disposal
When removing moldy products such as drywall, insulation, flooring, and anything else, proper disposal is required. You don’t want to risk any type of contamination or sharing that mold where it shouldn’t be.
There are specific disposal process to use to ensure the mold is kept contained and that it doesn’t put anyone or anything else at risk. Disposal safety occurs from the moment you start handling the mold and materials.
Missing Spots
Finally, using a professional is best to ensure you don’t miss mold. If you don’t get it all, you will be facing this issue again all too soon. Don’t take the risk of missing mold. It can camouflage and it can hide itself.
You might not always be able to see every last bit of mold. This is critical. Mold removal and remediation does no good if mold gets left behind.
Professional Mold Removal
The best way to handle mold is through a professional team that is trained and certified. At Semper Fi, we have the expertise and the certification to help you safely and effectively handle mold. Keep it safe and give us a call!
When you notice water damage in your home, it’s important to take action immediately. While it might just seem like you have some discoloration, damage can leave behind far more than your eyes notice at first sight. Take a look at some of these ways that water can affect your home negatively.
Structural Damage
One of the most common elements of damage from water is damage to the structure. Your structure includes anything that creates the framework or supporting features of your property. For example, the roof, walls, and floor can all be lumped into this category.
Things like framework around the walls can experience rot from water. Insulation, drywall, and other materials can all be ruined or rotted from water as well. This doesn’t even get into the details about potential mold. We will talk about that in a moment.
No matter what type of materials are in your structure, they can be affected by water and potentially even impact your safety.
Personal Belongings
When water damage strikes, your personal belongings can also be affected. This can be anything from your large furniture to your curtains to collectibles and even toys and clothing. How damaged these items are will depend on the water and the extent of the damage. You will find that some things can be cleaned, restored, and saved. However, there will also be items that cannot be salvaged.
With any luck, you won’t have to toss out any family heirlooms, but just be aware that water can cause irreparable damage to just about anything if given the opportunity. Some companies offer a pack-out process in which they will work to restore personal items as much as possible.
Mold Risks
One of the things that people often don’t realize is how quickly mold can grow. You might think that it will take weeks or months for mold to be a risk, but this actually isn’t true. If mold spores are present and the environment is right, it can begin to grow within the first 24 hours of water damage.
This is one reason you need to take immediate action when you notice or experience water damage. The longer you leave the damage untreated, the more susceptible it is to mold, which will only make your problems worse.
Health Risks
At times, there could be health risks related to the water that has damaged your structure. This is true if mold begins to grow, but also true depending on the type of water. Clean water will likely not cause health risks unless it comes into contact with something risky.
However, damages caused by sewage, floodwater, and other unclean water sources could be a risk to your health. These need to be handled very carefully and with every bit of safety in mind to prevent exposure to harmful bacteria and toxins.
Call in the Professionals
When you experience water damage at your home or business, you need to get a professional in fast to get it taken care of. Don’t risk the health of your home or family. Semper Fi Floor Care & Restoration is here to help. Our teams are skilled in taking care of damage from water and other sources as well. Let us help get your home safe again.
While we certainly never wish for trauma services to be needed, it does happen. Situations can arise in which blood, bodily fluids, and other matter are located at a scene. This generally happens after some sort of traumatic event. The individuals involved likely have enough to worry about without having to clean up a mess and make sure it’s done safely and effectively.
Here is a quick overview of what trauma services include.
What are Trauma Services?
The definition of trauma is a deeply distressing or disturbing experience. This includes things like crime, unattended deaths, biohazardous material, injuries, and other similar experiences. These things are considered unsafe to clean in a traditional way. Anyone cleaning up the aftermath needs to be certified to do so. They must have the appropriate training and equipment to understand how to do it right.
Below, you will find some examples of cleaning in these situations.
Crime Scene
One of the most common forms of trauma cleanup is a crime scene. Crime scenes have a lot to unpack. You have the scene itself to contend with as well as your own emotional wellbeing. On top of that, there are law enforcement needs and investigation aspects as well.
The scene could include some of the following.
Blood
Vomit
Body matter
Body fluids
Damaged items and belongings
This cleanup would involve safely cleaning up the biohazardous materials. It also would cover taking care of the repairs, damaged spaces, and any other types of damage left behind from the crime in question.
Unattended Death
An unattended death is another type of trauma. In this case, it could be the effects of a suicide or perhaps even someone who passed away peacefully in their home but they were alone. In these cases, a death occurred and there are likely bodily fluids and potential trauma that will need to be cleaned up.
Whether violence was involved or not, the cleaning requirements will still be a biohazard. The people left behind will be dealing with their own feelings and other arrangements. A professional cleaning team certified for the job should be brought in.
Hoarding Cleanup
Hoarding is a type of trauma. It typically stems from a mental disorder. It could lead to injury or death, and the cleaning process can be traumatic for the individual as well. This is another hazardous cleaning condition. It requires specialized training and equipment to handle.
Trauma Cleanup Needs
Any time there are things like bodily fluids, chemicals, biohazardous materials, fecal matter, and unsafe substances, trauma cleanup should be used. Remember that all of these things are considered to be biohazards and require special processes. You must clean and disinfect in these cases.
Know Who To Call
Know when to bring in help for the task. If you are facing trauma or any type of biohazardous cleaning condition, Semper Fi Yuma can help! Our teams are trained and certified to handle your cleaning needs. We practice utmost discretion and understand this is likely already a trying time for you and your family.
Taking care of your carpets requires being proactive with a few simple tasks. You don’t have to spend a lot of time or money keeping them perfect. But if you want the best carpet care, you should stay on top of the basics.
Check out these 3 tips for your overall carpet care needs.
1. Frequent Vacuuming
One of the most important rules to follow is frequent vacuuming. Some experts would recommend you vacuum daily, and that’s a great suggestion! If you can’t quite commit to daily, considering vacuuming at least once or twice a week.
The more that you can vacuum, the less dirt will make its way down in the depths of your carpet to accumulate and leave behind much deeper issues. While vacuuming won’t get everything every time, it will certainly help. It could also improve your health by keeping dust and pet dander at bay.
2. Don’t Ignore Spills
Accidents are simply a part of life. Your carpet is bound to see its fair share of them. The key is to not allow those accidents to remain untreated. When a spill happens, try to handle it immediately if at all possible. This is particularly important for dark or colored liquids that spill.
Regardless of what spilled, cleaning it up quickly will help reduce the appearance of the stain and make it much easier to get out. You may need to spot treat a stain to get it out. When stains are given time to rest, they can take root deep beneath the top layer of carpet and be impossible to get rid of.
3. Reduce Dirt as Much as Possible
Finally, the last tip is to do small things to help reduce the dirt that builds up in your carpet. You want to live comfortably and be able to use your home, but small changes can make a difference. Try these quick tips for reducing dirt build-up:
Use mats at all doors and entryways
Have people remove their shoes at the door
Encourage pets to lie down on beds or area rugs
These small and seemingly insignificant things can add up and make a difference. This can help reduce your need for deep cleaning.
Professional Carpet Care is Important
Never forget the value of professional cleaning and carpet care over time. It is typically recommended that you have deep cleaning done at least once a year. If you have pets, children, or heavy foot traffic, twice a year may be more suitable.
Deep cleaning your carpets can make a huge difference in their cleanliness and visual appeal. You might even find that your carpet lasts longer overall when you have professional deep cleaning completed regularly.
When you need your carpets cleaned, Semper Fi Floor Care & Restoration can help! Head to our website to book online or give us a call with any questions. Our customers are our top priority and your home and carpets deserve the very best!
