Cleaning is Half The Battle in CAMARILLO, CA

6/13/2022 (Permalink)

Water damage refers to the destruction caused by the presence of water in places that it shouldn’t be for a period of time. It can range from minor water spots that affect the appearance of a surface to major destruction such as burst pipes and flooding, resulting in the rot of materials, mold growth, and property loss. Water damage falls under one of three categories, ranging from clean water to black water. Let’s take a closer look at these categories.

Exploring Category 1, Category 2, and Category 3

The three major categories for damage are as follows:

Category 1:

Water in this category usually comes from a source such as a broken water supply line or overflow of a tub or sink. Also known as clean water damage, category 1 water damage is the least severe as the water is free of toxins and sewage. It’s also implied that the places impacted by this damage are also clean.

Category 2:

Known as grey water, this water likely contains some contaminants and should be cleaned immediately. Sources of grey water include toilets, dishwashers, washing machines, and sump pump backups. Clean water that has not been cleaned or dried in 48 hours can become Category 2 water.

Category 3:

The most severe of damage, this category of water is also known as black water. This water contains bacteria, fungi, and other organisms. Sources include toilets containing feces, sewage backup, seawater, groundwater, and flooding. Grey water that has not been removed in 48 hours should be treated as the most severe water damage.

Cleanup of water damage differs significantly between the various categories, but each category can lead to more serious problems, including mold growth and spread. SERVPRO Franchise Professionals in Camarillo, CA, are equipped and ready to fully clean and restore water damage in any category.

Handling Water Damage Cleanup

Severe water problems require approaches that are more advanced and beyond the ability of a DIY solution, such as sewage cleanup. Disinfection and sophisticated drying techniques are necessary for the most severe of damage. Restoration professionals assess the damage, determining the class of damage accordingly:

Class 1: This applies when less than 5% of a space is impacted, evaporation is slow, and little moisture has been absorbed.

Class 2: A faster rate of evaporation is noted for this class, and between 5 and 40% of the space is affected, especially the entire carpet and upholstery.

Class 3: This class is used for the fastest rate of evaporation in a room with over 40% of the area affected. Typically water damage comes from overhead.

Class 4: This applies specialty drying for surfaces such as wood, concrete, plaster, and other materials.

Involving the pros is not just about the level of water damage, but also the best approaches for cleanup and drying.

Water can be a destructive force on your property based on different factors, primarily the source, the level of contamination, and whether it’s been left to sit. Black water represents the most severe category of damage. Cleanup is best left to damage restoration professionals not only to return your place to pre-damage conditions but also to determine the best way to accomplish this.

Can You Clean Your Camarillo Business After a Fire?

7/7/2021 (Permalink)

CALL SERVPRO of Camarillo at 805-484-5009 to make it "Like it never even happened."

Fire Damage Restoration in Your Camarillo Retail Store

One of the most devastating things to happen to your retail store in Camarillo is a fire. Without the proper fire protection systems in place, your business can suffer downtime and a significant loss. There are also several hazards and risks that are present in your retail store. Being aware of them can help you to prevent a fire.

When a fire has already occurred in your building, you need the help of professional fire damage remediation specialists in Camarillo. SERVPRO staff is trained to handle all fire damage situations, and we also understand that as a business, you cannot afford to lose much business. If the fire requires you to shut your doors for a time, we make sure to work quickly but efficiently so you can reopen as fast as possible.

Electrical equipment can pose some of the most significant hazards for your store. These include sound systems, lighting, refrigeration, cash registers, and other aspects of your business which require electrical wiring. Any malfunctions with these areas can spark a fire if not properly maintained.

Once SERVPRO techs have restored the fire damage in your building, we need to clean surfaces which were affected. Different surface techniques stop the material we are cleaning from being saturated with a cleaning product. Surface techniques avoid over wetting materials and letting the surface dry fast by limiting how much cleaning product we use.

Using the spray and wipe technique, we lightly spray or mist the cleaning product onto the surface being cleaned, then wipe it with a dry-cleaning towel. The technique can be used on hard-surface furniture and contents. Foam cleaning is used for cleaning materials which might be damaged by excessive moisture from cleaning products. By using foam, we can use less moisture on the surface than with cleaning with a liquid cleaning product.

It is essential that you take some precautions and have some defense against fires in your structure. Fire sprinklers are your first good defense from fires. The heads of the sprinklers disperse water over the flames and keep them from spreading until your local fire department can get there. Fire alarms are essential for alerting your customers; there is an emergency. Keep your system maintained so you can count on being able to get customers and staff to safety if a fire begins.

You should also have several fire extinguishers around your store, making sure to place one or two near any flammable products or displays of lit candles. ABC extinguishers are the most versatile ones since they can put fires out from electrical equipment, flammable liquids, and burning plastic or paper.

SERVPRO of Camarillo can restore your business building in Camarillo or the surrounding areas after a fire of any size. Call us at (805) 484-5009 immediately after the fire is out so we can help your business look “Like it never even happened.”

Click here for more about Camarillo.

Flash Flood in Camarillo? Call Our Experts!

6/14/2021 (Permalink)

After A Flash Flood in Camarillo, Your Hardwood Floors May Have to Be Dried Out

Severe storms in Camarillo can sometimes prove to be very destructive. For example, if enough rain comes in a short period, you may have to deal with flash flood conditions. Once the water starts to get deep outside your property, moisture could start entering your residence from the ground or vulnerable places in your structure like lower door seals. Whenever your flooring starts to get wet, a professional restoration company such as SERVPRO can help.

If a flash flood ever hits Camarillo, your hardwood floors inside your home could get negatively affected. Excessive moisture can cause damage to wood flooring, and in extreme cases, the flooring must be removed and replaced. Hardwood floors can hold more moisture than softer woods because they are denser. The nature of hardwoods makes them much more difficult to restore once they have retained moisture. Luckily, our SERVPRO technicians have specialized equipment designed specifically for drying out hardwood floors.

When drying out hardwood floors, we focus on preventing issues like warping, buckling, or cupping from becoming permanent. Hardwood floors should also be dried out promptly so that mold does not have a chance to grow. Once any buckling, warping, or cupping stays after the floor is dry, refinishing or removal could have to be done. In minor cases, the problems with the floor can be restored by sanding down the imperfections and refinishing the floor. In cases where the buckling or cupping is severe, the flooring could have to be torn out then replaced.

When drying hardwood floors, one common technique is to use air movers and dehumidifiers. We use dehumidifiers to lower the affected area's relative humidity to between 30% and 45%. We then set up air movers above and below the flooring, if possible, to push airflow on both sides of the wood flooring material.

We also can implement equipment that can push air underneath the hardwood floor to push air underneath it. Sometimes drying can be more effective if done from the bottom up. In other scenarios, we can use specialized drying mats that help focus the air and push it deep into the hardwood flooring material.

After a flood, the results can be devastating. For help from the professionals, call SERVPRO of Camarillo at (805) 484-5009 24/7 because We’re Faster to Any Size Disaster.

For more about Camarillo click here.

Cleaning Frequency...Don't let it be a Guessing Game Camarillo!

7/14/2020 (Permalink)

Back in 1993, professional cleaners were surprised to see that Dr. Michael Berry, in his book Protecting the Built Environment: Cleaning for Health, said that the principle of cleaning for health recommended residential cleaning as often as every three months if there were children and pets in the home.

In the 2002 revision of the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) S100 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Carpet Cleaning, there is a residential cleaning frequency chart that suggests professional cleaning every 12 to 18 months for heavy use areas and every two years for the remainder of carpet in the home when light soiling conditions prevail.

Normal soiling increases the frequency to 6 to 12 month intervals for heavily used areas and annually for other carpeted areas in the Camarillo home.

Special conditions, such as families with pets, occupants who smoke and homes with large families, all merit cleaning in traffic lanes as often as every two months and entire house cleaning four times a year.

On the commercial side, Dr. Berry's book suggested commercial carpet cleaning schedules that ranged from annually to as often as daily! The daily recommendation was for daycare carpet during time of epidemic. Weekly or monthly cleaning was indicated for many businesses. Charts used in our industry advise interim and restorative cleaning frequencies from weekly to semi-annually, depending upon traffic level.

When communicating with carpet mills regarding cleaning frequency, there is a distinction between what is required to comply with the warranty and ideals of how often they would prefer carpet to be cleaned.

A statement from Shaw says this: “Our requirement is that carpet be cleaned at least once every two years in order to maintain warranties. Ideally, a carpet should be cleaned every 12 to 18 months, depending on the family and home.”

Click Here to read the full article.

Credit: Scott Warrington

Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned – a defensive cleaning program

6/2/2020 (Permalink)

Our defensive cleaning program gives your business a way forward by providing your employees and customers ongoing safety and assuredness.

Let us help Camarillo, CA get back to business

As our communities re-open, we’re all moving back toward a new kind of normal. The expectations of visitors, customers, and employees who come into our establishments have evolved, and staying safe and well is a top concern. The global COVID-19 pandemic has changed what it means to be clean, and we’ve developed a program to help your business meet the new higher standard of clean that is now expected.

Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned is a defensive cleaning program we’re offering to businesses and commercial locations to address the current COVID-19 pandemic. This proactive viral pathogen cleaning program goes well beyond janitorial or carpet cleaning. By choosing Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned, you, your employees, your customers, and your community can rest assured that you’ve selected a higher cleaning standard – you are Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned.

Extensive training and specialized products

As the #1 choice in cleanup and restoration*, we stand on more than 50 years of experience and expertise to help your business become Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned.  Beyond fire & water, SERVPRO professionals are trained and experienced in biohazard decontamination and chemical spills – always adhering to the cleaning and decontamination standards set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local authorities. 

From formulating and creating our proprietary cleaning products, like SERVPROXIDE, at our headquarters in Gallatin, TN, to taking the utmost care while disinfecting, we will ensure you and your business are set up to inspire consumer confidence as the economy continues to reopen.

3 C’s – Consult, Clean, and Certify

When the stakes are this high, you want a partner who has developed an industry leading, proprietary training program, cleaning solutions, and remediation processes over decades. We’ve cleaned up some of the most challenging biohazards imaginable. Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned reflects our unique experiences and capabilities. The program is grounded with our unique 3 C’s: Consult, Clean, and Certify.

• Consult – Every business is different, which is why you’ll be assigned a Cleaning Protocol Consultant who understands your business and will create a cleaning program to meet your specific needs. This program will be developed based on your business type, size of space, amount of high frequency touch-points, foot traffic and congestion points.
• Clean – Based on your specific business needs, your location will undergo a thorough, deep clean, using exclusive cleaning products, according to protocols set forth by the CDC. Our employees have years of experience, and we will go beyond the scope of work that regular janitorial staff perform. Cleanup procedures generally include cleaning of porous and non-porous surfaces, disinfecting of non-porous surfaces, cleaning and disinfecting of equipment, tools, and/or supplies used for cleanup process, and disposal of hazardous materials.  In the event of a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 event, we will be there cleaning within 24 hours to ensure you get back to business as quickly as possible. 
• Certify - Once your business location has been Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned, you will gain access to proprietary signage, digital emblems, and other collateral that communicates that you’ve selected a higher standard of clean available to help protect your employees and customers. And because we add the day, month, and year to that proprietary stamp of clean, your guests will know that not only did you choose Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned, but that your location is being cleaned regularly at this standard.

Call today for a Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned consultation

We’re Here to Help – 24 hours a day, seven days a week – until life is back to normal in the communities we all call home.

Call SERVPRO of Camarillo today at 805-484-5009 for your Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned consultation.

* #1 Choice in cleanup & restoration based Commercial Attitude & Usage Tracking study. Polling 816 commercial business decision makers on first choice for future needs related to cleanup & restoration work. Study conducted by C&R Research: October 2019

Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned means professionally trained SERVPRO franchises perform the requested cleaning, sanitizing and disinfection services according to proprietary SERVPRO protocols and recognized industry and CDC standards with EPA approved cleaning products to deliver a SERVPRO certified cleaning experience.  Each SERVPRO franchise is independently owned and operated.

The lazy homeowners best weapon in the fall

10/31/2016 (Permalink)

Debris Blockage

Read more at: The Lazy Homeowner's Best Weapon in the Fall

Impossible cigarette smoke? SERVPRO can handle the impossible!

10/3/2016 (Permalink)

"

For the news “junkies” among us, you know that the big news of Sept. 25, 2015, was that John Boehner was stepping down as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. What you might not know, and of interest to restoration professionals, was that his replacement, Congressman Paul Ryan, said when he moved into Boehner’s prestige office…it reeked. 

Apparently the former Speaker was, as he described himself, an “unapologetic smoker,” and was frequently found smoking in his office and in other areas of the Congressional building. This did not sit well with Ryan who is well-known for being a fitness- and health-conscious congressman, so he decided one of his first acts as Speaker was to rid the office of smoke odors.

What Ryan discovered, as do many restoration professionals along with their customers, was that eliminating smoke odors, as well as many other types of building odors, is no easy task. What would you do if you were called in to address this smoky problem?"

Read more at First Order of Business: Smoke Odor Removal

4 incredibly smart reasons to make your own cleaning products

7/13/2016 (Permalink)

"Sure, your favorite cleaning products get things squeaky clean and make your house smell awfully nice, but they could actually be creating more harm than you think.

In my time running my food and wellness site Root + Revel, I've learned that all it takes to green your home scene are a few basic (and cheap!) products available at every grocery store. While the reasons to go green are endless, here are my top four tips for creating easy, DIY cleaners:

It's cheaper

One of the best reasons to DIY your own cleaning products is to save money. Who doesn't love that?! In fact, most DIY cleaners cost less than $1 to make. Compare that to $5-$15 per bottle for most store-bought products, and you'll quickly find that you really can't afford to not make your own cleaning products."

Read more at 4 Incredibly Smart Reasons to Make Your Own Cleaning Products