Archived Cleaning Blog Posts
Fall Cleaning Checklist
9/27/2016 (Permalink)
As leaves start to fly, revisit your spring cleaning list and add a few seasonal extras to prepare your house for the winter. (9/29)
The new season should always begin with a fresh start, especially in your home. Is your home ready for the beautiful autumn weather in Upstate NY? We've done our research and with a bit of help from Real Simple, we can help you get through your fall cleaning checklist!
Check out your wooden floors are they scuffed up? See if they need to be sanded or refurbished.
Test all of your home smoke and carbon monoxide detectors; especially as you go through the months with more active fireplaces and with your heat turned up.
Replace Furnace Filters. If you changed your furnace filter in the last three months, now is a good time to do it!
Don't forget the outside of your home too!
Check and clean the gutters before the red and orange leaves fall!
Time to drain and store your garden hoses, don't let them freeze when the first snow falls.
Touch up the paint on your home
Check out the full checklist here! http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/fall-cleaning-checklist
And if you need an expert to come but to make sure you have your full checklist covered, give SERVPRO of Broome, Tompkins, and Tioga Counties a call. We'll give you and your family a free estimate! (607) 722-2262!
Professional Equipment and Products
6/23/2016 (Permalink)
For those of you who may be unfamiliar with certain equipment and products that are used in fire, water and mold cleanup services, trust us, you’re not the only ones!! We’ve had some questions asked about these products and wanted to give you a look into what and why we use certain products.
For many water damage restoration cases we often used a product called Benefect Botanical Disinfectant. This product works wonders for disinfecting any hard surface that may have had damage from contaminated water. It is also great for deodorizing surfaces such as carpeting so you don’t have to worry about any smelly surfaces!
You may also find us using the Phoenix Guardian HEPA System. This may be a mouthful but this machine is a great piece of equipment for fire, water and mold restoration purposes. It will easily remove airborne biological contaminants that are present in all of the possible damages to your home.
For more information about the products used during our restoration services, give us a call! (607) 722-2262
Commercial Clean Up
5/6/2016 (Permalink)
SERVPRO of Broome County and of Tompkins & Tioga Counties specializes in the cleanup and restoration of residential and commercial property after a fire, smoke or water damage.
Our staff is highly trained in property damage restoration. From initial and ongoing training at SERVPRO’s corporate training facility to regular IICRC-industry certification, rest assured our staff is equipped with the knowledge to restore your property. With a nationwide system of qualified franchises, no damage is too large or too small for SERVPRO!
Our team of highly trained specialists utilize the most state of the art technology available. SERVPRO of Broome, Tompkins & Tioga Counties has a local state of the art facility, featuring a full contents and electronics restoration center, along with an Esporta laundering center. Our facility allows for on-site content storage in our surveillance, temperature controlled, secured facility. We use advanced equipment to restore your property back to their pre-loss condition, removing airborne odors, flood water, and harmful micro-organisms. SERVPRO of Broome, Tompkins & Tioga Counties has over 23 years of experience in the industry and can restore your residential or commercial space to the state it should be. Our staff of over 40 employees is available 24 hours a day, so give SERVPRO a call and get your business back up and running.
Air Quality and Health - HVAC Cleaning Benefits.
4/27/2016 (Permalink)
Sneezing like crazy? Coughing uncontrollably? Maybe the air you’re breathing in your home isn’t as clean as you thought. Ever wonder? Believe it or not ventilation systems are often the biggest culprit in poor indoor air quality. But have no fear - the SERVPRO team is here!
If your HVAC system has been running for a while without any attention it could be circulating dust, pollen, odors, dirt, debris and more. “If no one in your household suffers from allergies or unexplained symptoms or illnesses and if, after a visual inspection of the inside of the ducts, you see no indication that your air ducts are contaminated with large deposits of dust or mold... having your air ducts cleaned is probably unnecessary. It is normal for the return registers to get dusty as dust-laden air is pulled through the grate. This does not indicate that your air ducts are contaminated with heavy deposits of dust or debris; the registers can be easily vacuumed or removed and cleaned.
On the other hand, if family members are experiencing unusual or unexplained symptoms or illnesses that you think might be related to your home environment, you should discuss the situation with your doctor. EPA has published the following publications for guidance on identifying possible indoor air quality problems and ways to prevent or fix them.
You may consider having your air ducts cleaned simply because it seems logical that air ducts will get dirty over time and should occasionally be cleaned. While the debate about the value of periodic duct cleaning continues, no evidence suggests that such cleaning would be detrimental, provided that it is done properly.” That’s where our team comes in!
So learn a little more about HVAC cleaning here: https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/should-you-have-air-ducts-your-home-cleaned
And if you want the job done, or free estimate for services give us a call - 607-722-2262.
SERVPRO: Green Means Clean!
3/23/2016 (Permalink)
Spring Cleaning
Spring is finally here! With the warmer weather and pollination comes the dreaded spring cleaning. Spring Cleaning does not have to be an activity you avoid. Check out these Spring Cleaning Tips to maximize your cleaning efficiency for a cleaner home!
- Organize your closets. Donate used clothing and accessories. Reorganize what you want to keep by color or style and you will have an aesthetically pleasing, clean closet!
- Clean all your fabrics. Wash pillows, pillow coverings, mattress pads, bath mats, shower curtains and liners!
- Collect your rugs and other dust collectors. Take them outside, shake them and let them air out on a sunny day.
- Revamp your refrigerator. Dispose of old leftovers and clear the fridge to scrub the shelves and bins.
- Check your fire safety equipment. Change the batteries in smoke detectors and clear them of dust. Review fire escape plans with your family.
- Dust, Dust, Dust! Take every item of your shelves and dust. The crevice tool on your vacuum can also help with this task. Don’t forget lighting fixtures and window casings. Remember, dust first and then vacuum!
- Make your house shine. Wash your windows inside and out, wipe down the walls and lighting accessories, vacuum and mop the floors. When your house is clean you will see and smell the difference!
Spring cleaning isn’t a walk in the park, but once your home is clean you will be able to enjoy the beauty of spring! And don’t forget, if you want to do an even deeper clean call your friends at SERVPRO of Broome, Tompkins and Tioga Counties!
The One Thing Standing Between You and Perfect Home
3/4/2016 (Permalink)
Odor
No matter how nice the view, how large the bedroom’s, or pretty the landscaping, there is no distraction worse than a lingering smell.
Lingering smells in a beautiful home are the clouds to a sunny summer day; full of promise, yet deeply dissatisfying. SERVPRO of Broome, Tompkins and Tioga Counties is here to make the sun shine year round!
Whether the smell be pet related, tobacco related, food related, ‘not me’ related, or ‘I got it this way’ related SERVPRO uses the most innovative and scientific approaches to attack and eliminate your odor for good!
In addition to everyday home odor elimination needs, we use some of the same processes in eliminating odors of smoke, soot, and musty smells.
Here are only a few of our Deodorization Methods:
Ozone Machines: Ozone machines use natural oxygen to break down smells to their chemical composition and eliminate them for good. Click below for descriptive video on this process.
https://youtu.be/UpF8NNXaP_g?t=41s
Negative Air Machines:
A negative air machine uses ducting to remove contaminated air from a sealed containment area. The filtered air is exhausted outside of the containment area. This creates negative air pressure (a vacuum effect), which helps limit the spread of contaminants to other areas inside the structure.
Glade and Febreze are solutions for a college dorm room… SERVPRO is the solution for you!
Restore, Don’t Replace!
3/4/2016 (Permalink)
Esporta
When it comes to restoration, many people focus on the structure of the house or building itself. Browse around our website for even 15 seconds and you can rest easy knowing that this is our specialty. However, after the initial panic of fire and water damage has eased, your next natural question is probably, “but what about all of my stuff?”
Meet our Esporta Wash System. By teaming with Esporta Technologies we have been able to make the restoration process effortless and stress free from start to finish (Even for “your stuff”.)
Traditional Dry Cleaners typically can restore: 40% of soft contents
The Esporta Machines used by SERVPRO typically can restore: 85% of soft contents
Using an advanced system of hydraulic action our machines can force both organic and inorganic contaminants out of all your valuable personal belongings.
So what can be restored you ask? You name it! Purses, comforters, couch cushions, sports gear, boots, high school letterman jackets, clothing, linens, valentine’s day teddy bears, and even your favorite pair of socks with the sharks on them.
In the past these items typically ended up in the landfill, but today this technology has literally revolutionized life after an emergency. We have saved our clients time, money and peace of mind after a loss.
Check out how it all works:
https://youtu.be/V9kDie-ta3c?t=13s
SERVPRO IICRC Certified.
1/29/2016 (Permalink)
Cleaning
SERVPRO of Broome, Tompkins & Tioga Counties is IICRC Certified!
Do you need another reason to consider bringing the SERVPRO team into your home of office for a thorough cleaning or restoration? We’ve got more than one, but let’s break it down for you. The staff at SERVPRO of Broome, Tompkins and Tioga Counties is highly trained in property damage restoration. All Production employees and office staff members are trained in the most up to date standards and techniques according to the IICRC, which stands for the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification. You’ll sleep like a baby knowing our staff is equipped with the knowledge to restore your property, just like new!
Why do we do it? To be the BEST in the Industry! “The IICRC certification helps customers to immediately identify the cleaning, restoration and inspection industry's MOST skilled and dedicated technicians and businesses.” You won’t have to look to far to find the SERVPRO of Broome, Tompkins and Tioga Counties team. According to the IICRC’s website, certification benefits customers because “consumers know that, when they hire IICRC certified technicians or firms, they have hired experts who will ensure that the services will be completed in accordance with the industry’s highest standards.” Our team has the knowledge and confidence to ensure that when we come into your home or business, we will clean and restore your property the right way, the first time. Even better, it will be completed and restored to the highest standards in the industry.
As a home or business owner you have more than enough to worry about. So let us take care of the aftermath when emergency strikes. Call SERVPRO of Broome, Tompkins and Tioga Counties: 722-2262!
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