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Safe or Not Safe?

1/29/2015

Have you ever walked or drove down a road and came across a sign that declared, “Floodplain Zone!”

If it was near your home, you might have panicked. But if it was somewhere far from your home, you felt safe.

A floodplain can be dangerous because any home in or near one is subject to flooding. If you have a basement, you have more to worry about.

But did you know that even if you live outside a floodplain, there are flooding issues that you must be aware of?

That’s right. According to some expert sources, up to 1/3 of flood damage occurs outside designated flood areas. A flood in your home can occur from outside sources… or even inside sources.

What can you do right now to be safe?

1.    Ensure that your basement is moisture free. Ask for an inspection from an honest and reputable basement waterproofing company.

2.    Talk to your plumber about sewer backflow valves. These can really protect your home in the event of a sewer flooding event in your neighborhood.

3.    And while talking to your plumber, have him take a look at your sump pump. If that fails, you are in trouble!

4.    When you travel, consider turning off the main water supply to your entire home. But even if you don’t do that, be sure to turn off both hot and cold water supplies to your washing machine. For some reason, those break first!

Play it safe. Talk to the experts about how safe you really are and how healthy your current insurance plan is.

And keep your water damage professional on speed dial — just in case!

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Guilty! (but it will be OK)

1/27/2015

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DID YOU KNOW that the devastation of spilling something like grape juice, Kool-Aid and other fruit drinks doesn’t have to be that… devastating?

So you have kids, grandkids, or some other kids come over, and they want something to drink. They surely don’t want water from the tap. That’s pretty boring stuff. They want something fruity, sweet, and with lots of color. Like deep blues, or reds. You know, the stuff that can really stain a carpet or piece of furniture.

And the inevitable occurs. The kids enjoy what you give them, but after all, they are kids. So something gets spilled. For some weird reason, this never happens on a hard, tile floor. It happens right on the carpet.

What to do?

Step #1
First of all, don’t panic. Gather your senses and realize this isn’t the end of the world.

Step #2
Start blotting. You want to use white cotton or paper towels, with no print or dyes, and blot – blot – blot! Most of any spotting or staining substance will come right out because the towel you are using is more absorbent than the carpet the drink was spilled on.

Step #3
It may be appropriate, with some coaching from your carpet cleaning pro, to do some spotting. Use a spotting product, like a mild neutral detergent spotter, recommended by your carpet pro. Apply a small amount to the spot and keep blotting. Never rub or scrub. Scrubbing can damage the carpet fibers and you can’t fix that. Keep blotting.

Step #4
Did we say keep blotting? Keep it up! You may need to apply more approved mild detergent spotter. One thing you do not want to do is apply too much moisture, as that gets into the backing of the carpet and into the padding, creating additional problems.

Step #5
Once the spot is gone, it’s time to dry the carpet. How to do this? Keep blotting, of course! But also aim a fan on the spot and let the air current remove more moisture.

Is the spot still there? It may be a stain, very tough to remove. It is definitely now time to call your carpet cleaning pro!

Best case scenario
When anything happens, like spilling grape juice, red wine, mustard or other tough-to-remove substances, call your carpet and furniture cleaning professional. He has what it takes to get the job done right the first time.

Make that phone call especially for pet “accidents.” Your carpet cleaning pro knows exactly what you need to keep your home spot and stain free!

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Safe or Not Safe?

Guilty! (but it will be OK)

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