Archived Cleaning Blog Posts
Is hoarding affecting your property?
2/27/2019 (Permalink)
Is your property affected by a hoarding situation? We can help!
If you’ve had a rental or family property impacted by hoarding, you’re familiar with the piles upon piles of objects that can accumulate. But how much do you know about the dangers?
Hoarding is an obsessive disorder that causes people to hang on to possessions. Hoarding is a serious issue that increases the risk of fires, mold, and any number of other household hazards.
As objects pile up in the home, they present fire hazards and can hide pests or mold growth. All of those effects of hoarding could render a property unusable.
So if you’ve discovered that one of your properties has been used for hoarding, call in professionals, like the team at SERVPRO of Greater Northern Charleston who can clean up the space and ensure the area is safely rehabilitated for future use.
What’s Involved in the Clean-up Process
A professional team will provide a comprehensive clean-up plan to mitigate any safety hazards that have been created due to objects and trash building up over time
Removal of Dangerous Substances
Because hoarding leads to piles of clutter and other objects, it can conceal dangerous hazards, including toxic mold, insects, and rodents.
To ensure you are safely cleaning the space, partner with professionals who are educated about best practices for removal and outfitted in the appropriate safety gear.
Removal of Items
This is likely the part of clean-up that comes to mind first. During this stage, the space is cleared of all affected items, furniture, clutter, including items like newspapers and even trash.
Complete Cleaning
Once everything is removed and the space is cleared entirely, a professional team will then deep clean the property. During this phase, they’ll take steps to remove all residue and mitigate any odors.
This will help restore the property to its habitable status again.
In need of a team to help restore a space where hoarding has been an issue? Contact our team at SERVPRO® of Greater Northern Charleston, and we’ll make it like it never even happened.
Contact us 24/7 at 843.552.1226 or on our Contact Us page on the web. We are always here to help!
Got Pollen??
2/23/2018 (Permalink)
Pollen can be a pest in the Charleston area this time of year!
With Spring waking up and covering the Lowcountry with the dreaded annual pollen blanket, we feel it’s the perfect time to remind you that we at SERVPRO of Greater Northern Charleston offer HVAC duct cleaning! As allergies explode and everything gathers a faint yellow layer of dust, just remember relief is only a few weeks away!
Our duct cleaning process is eco-friendly and helps to eliminate pollen, dust, dirt, odors, and other air contaminates from your HVAC system... and in turn your home!
Changing the filter every month is without a doubt the most important thing you can do in order to prevent contaminates from making it into the duct work and air handler. While some filters are certainly better than others, build up still happens over the course of time. (Here’s a link from ConsumerReports.org to help you choose the best filter for your system during this year’s pollen season.)
Give us a call to reserve your spot for a duct cleaning this spring. (843) 552-1226 or use our website’s Contact Us page. We are always here to help and look forward to hearing from you!
Air Filters and the Quality of YOUR Air
4/30/2014 (Permalink)
Questions about improving your air quality? Call us anytime! (843) 552-1226
As we close out Air Quality Week we wanted to share an extremely useful article by Bryan McElveen, Charelston’s EcoRealtor. Bryan is committed to sustainable communities and high performance homes. We have partnered with Bryan on several non-profit events in the Charleston area and look forward to hearing more from him in the future.
The following is an excerpt from his “Indoor Air Quality of Homes” article. This addresses specifically air filters, including a link to a clear comparison of different types of filters. We encourage you to read the whole article for more of his thoughts on action you can take to ensure the quality of the air in your home or business.
“Filter and Freshen - The sources of pollutants can never be totally eliminated, so it is important to filter and replenish the air in the home.
The air conditioning and heating system in your home has a system filter that all the circulated air passes through. This filter not only cleans particulates from the air, but also prevents the settling of dust and mold in the ventilation ducts. Not all filters are made the same, and there are varying degrees of quality from useless to overkill – read HERE for an easy guide (some sizes can be difficult to find, email me for help). Filters should be changed regularly, depending on use. There are often set periods such as 30 or 90 days, but it’s best to be subjective – observe the filter each month and if it looks filthy, change it.
Your central system should have a “Fan” setting that allows you to change from “auto” to “on” or something similar. The automatic setting runs the fan only when the system is actively cooling or heating, whereas “on” will run the fan and circulate the air regardless of system mode. Be mindful of how much the system is running – during temperate times of year (like right now in April or later in October), your system may go for a few days without turning on. If that’s the case, then flip the switch to “on” every now and then so that the air in your home can be circulated and filtered.”
SERVPRO of Greater Northern Charleston takes the air quality in your home and office seriously. If you feel you have a mold, mildew, or HVAC issue possibly contributing to health or comfort issues in your home or business… We can help.
We are available 24/7 at (843) 552-1226 or for non-emergent needs you can reach us via our Contact Us page.
Green Means Clean
4/23/2014 (Permalink)
Safely cleaning the Charleston area.
SERVPRO® Industries, Inc. is a member of the EPA’s Design for Environment (EPA/DFE) initiative. As a member company, SERVPRO® can access the listing known formally as CleanGredients. The EPA/DFE has established a set of criteria for formulating environmentally friendly cleaning products. With the assistance of larger chemical companies the EPA/DFE has put together a listing of safe cleaning components that can be used in Green cleaning formulations.
From the listing a formulation can be derived that incorporates “green” chemistry. The initiative is designed to allow chemical formulators a resource to formulate environmentally friendly cleaning products using environmentally friendly raw materials. We have formulated three Green Cleaning Products that allow us to finish any cleaning project in an environmentally sound way.
Carpet & Upholstery Green Clean #251 is a product designed for cleaning both carpet and upholstery. It is truly a “one product does all” in that it can be used as a spotter, pre-spray, in-line cleaner for both truck mount and portable equipment, and in low-moisture bonnet cleaning. The product is pH neutral, biodegradable, contains no phosphates, solvents, dyes or fragrances.
All Surface Green Clean #250 is an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional surface cleaners. It is pH neutral, contains no dyes or fragrances. All components are safe, non-toxic, phosphate free, Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) compliant and rapidly biodegradable. The product is designed as a one product cleans all for surfaces that can be wiped or mopped. It can safely be used on walls, ceilings, countertops, floors, etc. The exclusive formulation contains both ionic and non-ionic surfactants that are naturally derived and provide excellent multi-functional cleaning.
Window Green Clean #249 is an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional glass cleaners. It is pH neutral, contains no dyes or fragrances. All components are safe, non-toxic, phosphate free, VOC-compliant and rapidly biodegradable. The product comes ready to use and is formulated with soft water to eliminate spotting and streaking.
SERVPRO takes great care in providing safe, effective, and environmentally friendly cleaning products for use in your home or business. We know the disruption that accompanies fire or water damage and take great pride in knowing you can be confident that your family, pets, or employees will not be exposed to unnecessary or harmful toxins during the restoration process.
SERVPRO of Greater Northern Charleston is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to SAFELY make your fire or water damage “Like it Never Even Happened.”
(843) 747-8750
Our "Gross" 2013!
1/15/2014 (Permalink)
A look at some of what we cleaned up in the Charleston area in 2013!
We love our technicians! We even go so far as to call them Heroes!
Click the link below for a glance at the water, fire and mold damages our guys took care of in 2013. We are looking forward to an even messier 2014!
The Tech Files. Vol. 2 - Snapshots of 2013!
Don't forget to save our contact information in your phone, just in case you come home to a loss like this in your home!
We are available to you 24/7 ~ (843) 747-8750