-Water damage happens for many reasons such as extinguishing a fire, flooding from storms or burst water pipes, and long-term undiscovered leaks. Mark Powers, owner of SERVPRO of Santa Maria believes that, overall, people feel more comforted when they understand the SERVPRO process that is going to restore their home or business to the best condition.
“The first thing that happens,” says Powers, “is that we show up to help.” Make that call as soon as possible, even while the fire department is putting out the fire. As soon as the building is cleared for safe entry, SERVPRO is there to assess the work that needs to be done and put a plan in place.
When SERVPRO arrives, here’s what to expect:
Inspection, assessment, and protection
On the initial walk-through, the team inspects the premises, assesses the damage, and performs critical property protection operations. These operations can include identifying and shutting off the water source, boarding up, or tarping the building if it was damaged by fire or other disasters, installing security fencing, and protecting the contents of the building from further damage by water, mold, or soot.
Other inspection tasks include identifying the type of water. Black water is especially hazardous and anything that has come in contact with black water needs special handling. As soon as the assessment is completed the team creates a plan for recovering and restoring items in the building such as furnishing and personal possessions and remediating the damage.
Water removal and extraction
As soon as the inspection and assessment are completed, the Santa Maria water damage team begins extracting and removing excess water. If the home or business requires extensive deep cleaning and restoration, the team conducts an efficient move-out to protect belongings from further damage.
Using powerful pumps and truck-mounted vacuum units, the team can remove thousands of gallons of water from the property. Equipment includes:
- Infrared cameras locate water in spaces that are not easy, or even safe, for humans to get into, such as behind walls and in crawl spaces.
- Sophisticated moisture-detecting equipment that measures saturation levels.
Once water is removed the carpets and pads are inspected to determine if they can be dried or if they need to be removed to protect the flooring.
Removing water and drying moisture is critical to preventing further damage and deterioration and mold.
Drying and dehumidifying
Removing water, while important, does not guarantee everything is dry. Water soaks into just about everything, leaving moisture and mold spores behind. Retained moisture can cause further damage as well as mold growth. The team uses industrial-level equipment to dehumidify the premises and monitor the progress until everything is completely dry.
Cleaning and sanitizing
Along with cleaning the walls, floors, ceiling, cabinets, and other elements that were in contact with the water, the SERVPRO of Santa Maria water damage team cleans all furniture including the upholstery, clothing, rugs, drapes, and any other items that can be restored. The team’s “restore versus replace” mindset means that more items that most people realize can be restored through dry cleaning, wet cleaning, spray and wiping, foam cleaning, abrasive cleaning when needed, immersion cleaning, and odor removal. Even books and documents can be cleaned.
Depending on the circumstances antimicrobial/antibacterial treatments and sanitizing/disinfecting treatments may also be applied.
SERVPRO can also dispose of items that cannot be cleaned according to your wishes and your insurance company’s guidance.
Restoration
The final step is the process of making any repairs or reconstruction, including installing new carpet, that may be needed to restore the building to its pre-damage condition.
Rely on the experts
Every situation is unique and requires a tailored solution, but the overall process is designed to deliver the best results as quickly as possible. Additionally, SERVPRO of Santa Maria works closely with insurance companies to file and monitor the claims process, taking one more worry off the shoulders of the property owners and residents.
SERVPRO of Santa Maria is a locally-owned business that serves local communities with the best possible cleanup and restoration services for damage caused by water, storm damage, fire, and more. The team’s goal is to get their clients back home and back to work “Like it never even happened.”
SERVPRO of Santa Maria
1279 W. Stowell Road, Suite C
Santa Maria CA 93458
(805) 922-5457
