Recent Cleaning Posts

Preparing Your Indian River County Home and Property for Hurricane Season

5/19/2020 (Permalink)

Graphic image of a home with several tips on how to prepare your home as a hurricane approaches. Here’s some extra steps you can take to prepare your home as an active hurricane approaches.

For residents of Indian River County spring is not only a great time to deep clean but, it is also a critical time to prepare for hurricane season. Below are a few tips to help get your home ready:  

  • Prune and Manicure Your Landscaping Prune shrubbery and trim any branches that can easily break during the next storm.
  • Inspect Your Roof                             Inspect your roof for any missing tiles, cracks, or holes. Even minor flaws can be exacerbated during a storm.
  • Organize Storage Areas.                 Organize garage to make storing any outside patio furniture much easier.
  • Check Your Vents and Rain Gutters. Clogged gutters can lead to an overflow of rain. Also check vents for any damage, missing screens, or any other issues.

Preparing for hurricane season before it hits will help in mitigating damage and hopefully keep your home from sustaining damage from heavy storms.

SERVPRO of Vero Beach

www.SERVPROverobeach.com

772-770-0501

What is Floor Buffing?

5/16/2020 (Permalink)

Man using professional grade floor buffer to buff tile floors in a salon. Our Crew Chief, Greg, is seen here buffing floors at Sur Le Mar. A locally owned Vero Beach Salon & Spa.

Floor buffing is a process that “exfoliates” the top layer of your floor to reveal its original beauty and shine. Most hard floor types can be buffed like vinyl, wood, laminate, tile, and concrete. There are two main types: buffing spray or dry buffing. Spray Buffing uses a liquid to remove the dirt and grime. It uses a chemical solution in combination with the physical action of the buffer pad. Dry buffing uses machines with a higher RPM and relies solely on the mechanical action of the buffer to smooth and remove marks. Ideally, floors with regular to high traffic levels should be buffed monthly. However, the more often you buff the better your floors will appear and the longer they will last. Upon request by a client, SERVPRO of Vero Beach can strip and reapply the floor wax. Floor wax is quite long-lasting and does not need to be removed and reapplied each time the floor is buffed. Dependent on the amount of traffic the floor undergoes, the usual time frame for floor wax stripping is six months to one year. If you are interested in having your floors buffed or have any questions, please, give our office a call at 772-770-0501. We are here to help!

SERVPRO of Vero Beach

www.SERVPROverobeach.com

772-770-0501

How a Clean Home Can Help You Sell Faster!

5/16/2020 (Permalink)

White two story home in the background with a for sale sing marked “sold” in the foreground. Survey suggests that every 7 out of 10 people say that they have no time available to clean their properties. Let us help alleviate some stress!

One thing a seller should keep in mind when selling is to give their property a thorough cleaning. Along other advice, seasoned realtors will encourage their clients to keep their home in immaculate condition to increase market value and reduce “list to sale” conversion times. 

Realtors commonly hear the response, “But I’m very tidy, clean my home all the time.”. While that may be true, a professional deep cleaning can go way further than most people would imagine. F

For example, a prospective buyer loves the look of a home, but is allergic to pet dander and dust in the air ducts making it necessary to do a deep cleaning.  Fortunately, SERVPRO of Vero Beach offers comprehensive cleaning solutions to make your sale quick and clean. Give our office a buzz at 772-770-0501 to discuss how we can help get your home sold faster!

SERVPRO of Vero Beach

www.SERVPROverobeach.com

772-770-0501

SERVPRO of Vero Beach Can Help with Your Hoarding Clean-up!

5/12/2020 (Permalink)

Graphic of disheveled home overflowing with inanimate objects. Cleaning a hoard can be a daunting task. Our team is always equipped and ready to help make it “Like it never even happened.”

Hoarding can lead to homes being filled with extreme clutter from years of accumulation. This usually leads to dangerous and unsanitary living conditions-bugs, fleas, rats and other vermin may be present. At times, hoarding may spread to the yard, garage, even storage facilities. SERVPRO of Vero Beach mitigates hoarding situations in a couple of different ways. The first is when we have been called out for a fire or water loss, often discovering the hoard upon arrival. In this case, we will communicate with the home owner and insurance company regarding their options. Upon approval, salvageable contents can be packed, cleaned, and stored in our temporary storage warehouse so work on the fire or water loss can begin. Another way SERVPRO of Vero Beach encounters hoarding jobs is through calls from landlords, real estate agents, case workers, or family members. In these situations, the crew will confer with hoarder and requesting party to devise and execute an efficient hoard mitigation. Hoarding clean-ups are often sensitive situations, but SERVPRO of Vero Beach is here to help make it “Like it never even happened.” If you have any questions regarding hoarding cleanups do not hesitate to call our office at 772-770-0501.

SERVPRO of Vero Beach

www.SERVPROverobeach.com

772-770-0501

What is Ozone Deodorization?

5/10/2020 (Permalink)

Diagram of ozone molecule destroying odor and bacteria molecules through oxidation. The above diagram shows the process of oxidation via Ozone.

Ozone is an inorganic molecule with chemical formula O3. It occurs naturally in the earth’s atmosphere and can be created by Ozone Generators. Ozone generators produce ozone by breaking apart oxygen (O2) molecules into single atoms, which then attach to other oxygen molecules in the air to form ozone (O3). They accomplish this in one of two ways

Silent corona discharge: These machines use electric discharge to produce ozone by splitting the normal oxygen molecules in the air into single atoms. These atoms then attach to other O2 molecules in the air to form ozone (O3).

Ultraviolet radiation: This process of ozone generation is similar to how the sun’s ultraviolet radiation splits O2 to form individual oxygen atoms. According to InterNACHI, this process is considered to be less efficient than corona discharge.

Ozone is very effective in eliminating odors including tobacco smoke, human and pet odors, food odors, mold and mildew odors, garbage odors, renovation odors and much more. It is not a re-odorant; meaning, it does not mask an unpleasant odor with a “more pleasant” fragrance.  It totally destroys the offending gases that are the source of everything we smell. If you have been combating foul or unusual odors with no success consider giving our office a call at, 772-770-0501 to see if Ozoning is a good solution for you!

Dryer Vent Cleaning

5/5/2020 (Permalink)

Before (on left) and After (on right) photos of a dirty dryer vent and a clean dryer vent. Dryer fires cause around 51 deaths, 380 injuries, and $236 million in property loss yearly.

Remember the last time you had your dryer vent cleaned? No? That’s okay, it’s never too late! Rule of thumb is to have your dryer vent cleaned at least every two years. If you use your dryer often you may want to clean it more frequently. A clean dry vent will not only improve the efficiency of your dryer, it will prevent fires, decrease allergens in your home, and even decrease the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. When our technician comes out to clean your dryer vent, here’s what you can expect:

We will use a long brush that has the ability to rotate and flex in order to reach all of the areas in your dryer vent. This will remove the dust, debris, and lint that could be building up and circulating out into your home. We will also examine the vent to look for anything that could be misaligned or broken to reduce the fire risk and ensure maximum efficacy.

If it’s time to have your dryer ducts cleaned give our office a call at, 772-770-0501 to schedule your appointment.

SERVPRO of Vero Beach

www.SERVPROverobeach.com

772-770-0501

The Impact of Your Carpet on Indoor Air Quality

4/29/2020 (Permalink)

Poor indoor air quality can be caused by many different sources of pollutants. This can lead to adverse effect on your health and general well-being. One of the most common sources of pollutants in a home are the carpets. Older carpets can contain many impurities including: dust mites, pet dander, cockroach allergens, mold, and dirt. These toxins can become airborne during vacuuming, renovations, walking, and sitting. Regularly scheduled professional carpet cleanings can help manage the amount of pollutants that build up on your carpet. Surprisingly, new carpets can, also, pose a threat to your indoor air quality. This is because they contain volatile organic compounds (VOC’s). Often people find themselves experiencing health problems after installing new carpets in their homes because of the amount of VOC’s released. However, this can be minimized by:

  • Purchasing a non-toxic carpet or a carpet with low VOC’s
  • Request that the carpet be unrolled and aired out either outdoors on in a well-ventilated warehouse prior to installation.
  • Leave the home during installation.
  • Open windows and turn on fans upon arrival. Do this for at least 3 days after installation.
  • Adhere to the manufacturer’s recommendation on cleaning and maintain your carpet.

Call us at 772-770-0501 to schedule an appointment if your carpet needs a deep cleaning. Let the professionals at SERVPRO of Vero Beach get you on the right track to maintaining optimal indoor air quality in your business or home!

Levels of Decontamination

4/24/2020 (Permalink)

Three SERVPRO employees cleaning a room in a home. Two are moving furniture, the third is cleaning the carpet. We are available with a full range of equipment and products for all your cleaning needs.

Decontamination is the process of cleansing a surface to remove contaminates such as micro-organisms or hazardous materials (chemicals, radioactive substances, and infectious disease). There are three main types of decontamination- sanitizing, disinfecting, and sterilizing.

Sanitizing-the process of reducing the number of bacterial contaminants to safer levels. Sanitizing is the least invasive form of decontamination because it is only reducing the number of bacterial contaminates-not killing

Disinfecting-a process that eliminates many or all pathogenic microorganisms, except bacterial spores.

Sterilization-a process that destroys or eliminates all forms of microbial live and is carried out in a health-care facility or chemical methods. This is the highest form of decontamination.

If you need any cleaning services give us a call at 772-770-0501. We utilize a full range of cleaning products than can handle anything from a simple coffee stain on your carpet to full biohazardous clean ups.

SERVPRO of Vero Beach

772-770-0501

www.SERVPROverobeach.com

Benefits of Cleaning Your Air Ducts

4/20/2020 (Permalink)

Before shot of dust built up on air duct with an after photo of a clean air duct below. To the right there are snapshots of m Did you know dust buildup can lead to microbial growth? Always change your HVAC filters to reduce buildup.

Air Duct Cleaning refers to the removal of dust and contaminates that settle in your HVAC ducts and registers over time. The two main benefits of cleaning your air ducts are:

  • Indoor Air Quality- It is important to maintain good indoor air quality to reduce the amount of dust, allergens, and pollutants you are inhaling. It can also help tremendously with reducing odors in your home.
  • Energy Efficiency- When your ducts and registers accumulate heavy build up it may cause your HVAC system to run inefficiently. This means 25-40 percent used for heating and cooling is wasted, according to the US Department of Energy The more efficient your system runs, the more money you save in energy costs.

If you believe it’s time to have your ducts cleaned, please give us a call at 772-770-0501 to schedule an appointment. If you’re not sure whether it’s time to clean your air ducts, give us a call anyway we’d love to answer your questions and help you figure it out!

SERVPRO of Vero Beach

www.SERVPROverobeach.com