Quality Carpet Cleaning & Restoration, Inc.

The fires out. Now what?

Soot is a fire-related residue.  Depending on the materials that combusted, soot may contain acetic acid, formic acid and hydrochloric acid.  Wood smoke has more than 100 chemicals in common with cigarette smoke.  Soot is a potential health hazard and is a job best left to a professional.

What are some of the advantages of hiring a professional?

We have the chemicals, tools and training to restore the home to its original pre-fire condition in a relatively short period of time.  For example consider the following:

• Board-up.  If windows and/or doors were broken, the home needs secured.
• Winterization.  Emergency heat and/or antifreezing may be needed in cold weather.
• Loss Mitigation.  Stopping or limiting further damage.
• Water Damage.  Drying to avoid or limit secondary damage.
• Furnace Damage.  Make sure furnace & air ducts are cleaned to avoid spreading soot.
• Preliminary Detoxification.  Improve air quality by suppressing smoke odors.
• Thermal Fogging.  Reproduce bad smell with good smell the same particle size as smoke.
• Ozone.  Effective odor removal for smoke.
• Demolition.  Structure or contents beyond restoration need to be removed a.s.a.p.
• Cleaning.  Structure and contents cleaning from top to bottom, inside and out.
• Dry and Wet Cleaning.  Some structure and contents require use of non-water cleaning methods while others require water.
• Hepa vacuuming.  Hepa filtration means soot will be captured in the vacuum.
• Flame Retardant.  Reapplied to mattresses after cleaning.

I have water damage.  How do I get it dry?

Drying out a water damaged structure is best left to a professional.  Why? Drying a structure effectively and efficiently is a science.  Consider the following:

• Ability to absorb, pump and vacuum with a truckmount.
• Weighted tools combined with extreme suction to remove water from padding and carpet.
• Turbodryers.  These aid in causing moisture at the surface to suspend in the air.
• Dehumidifiers.  These pull the moisture out of the air, lowering relative and specific humidity.
• Temperature Control.  We use a psychrometric chart to determine the best possible temperature during each stage of drying.
• Moisture Sensor and Detector.  These tell us exactly what is wet and to what extent.  They help us monitor the drying process so we know when we have reached our drying goal.

Why can't I just turn on the furnace or air conditioner and use my own equipment?

Did you know that by raising or lowering the temperature under certain conditions can actually make the damage worse?  You could actually cause moisture to condense on walls and contents causing much more secondary damage.  Also, we use turbodryers and dehumidifiers that are rated to handle the excess moisture.  Most homeowners do not have the proper size and/or amount of equipment needed to dry the structure in the 1-3 days that is desired. 

My basement smells musty.  What can I do about it?

The number one reason that a basement smells musty on a normal basis is too high of humidity.  You would do well to invest in a dehumidifier in the 70 pint and above range.  The extra cost of the larger pint size will save you in the long run.  The dehumidifier will run less, saving electricity and working more efficiently.  Most dehumidifiers are low temperature so they work better in basements than they did years ago.  Also, consider running the water produced by the dehumidifier to a floor drain because most people do not empty the bucket as often as they should.  A dehumidifier needs to run as much as necessary so that the humidity is around 45% during the late spring and summer months.  Also buy a reputable brand in case service or parts are necessary down the road.

 thermal fogger                     dehumidifier                       flood tool                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

   ozone machine                  hepa vacuum          dry cleaning sponge