Tips for Saving Food after a Storm

12/6/2022 (Permalink)

Few things are as scary and unpredictable as natural disasters.  While all emergencies are terrifying, there's something about the uncontrollable nature of these disasters that make them especially frightening. 

While it's impossible to know what exactly will result after one of these disasters, it always pays off to have some practical knowledge on hand, from the biggest issues to the smallest inconveniences.

When it comes to said inconveniences, nothing is as annoying as trying to guess whether your food has gone bad or not.  Often during a huge storm, electricity tends to get blown out, which means that your refrigerator has probably died and left your food to spoil.  One of two things will happen: the food will defrost, go bad, then maybe refreeze OR it will stay frozen or refreeze in time to keep the food edible.

We can feel a little safer with this practical, simple tip:

DIRECTONS

Place a cup of water in your freezer.

Freeze the water until it is solid, and then put a quarter on top of the frozen water and return it to your freezer.

Leave it in your freezer.

You're probably asking yourself, what does this tip accomplish?

It helps you determine whether or not your food has gone bad , or whether it refroze or stayed frozen while you were away.

For instance, if you return after you have been evacuated and find the frozen water has melted and the quarter has fallen to the bottom of the cup, you know that all the food has defrosted and it should be thrown out.

However, if the quarter is either on the top of the frozen cup or in the middle of the cup, then your food may still be okay to eat.  The top tells you that the freezer was still in tact the whole time - the middle tells you that your food might have defrosted, but later re-frosted when electricity returned.

Most importantly, as a general rule, if you feel your food is no longer safe, simply throw it out.  Safety is the utmost priority and eating food that may have spoiled can have numerous negative health consequences.

Call SERVPRO of Clifton if your Home or Business is Damaged by a Storm

12/2/2022 (Permalink)

Our Experts Are Here To Help After A Disaster In Clifton

While we have some of the most awe-inspiring recreational areas like the Garret Mountain Reservation, Clifton’s thousands of residents also have seen their fair share of disasters over the years. From fire and water losses to destructive storms and mold growth, we have trained technicians and licensed residential and commercial contractors capable of helping. With our fast response to these emergencies, we can get to work quickly on making losses, “Like it never even happened.”

Fire

Scoping out a fire loss incident involves more than just determining how damaged your Clifton property has become. For our SERVPRO team, this initial evaluation helps to determine the pre-existing conditions of your home, the expectations of the customer, and the necessary equipment and personnel to meet these goals. Also, this preliminary assessment helps our professionals to interact with your insurance adjuster to determine their expectations and needs for damage claim approval to get work started on your home as soon as possible.

Cleaning soot from your home can be one of the many ways that the environment can get made safer and present fewer health hazards to those exposed. Microscopic particles of soot can be a threatening presence to a respiratory system, not to mention the damage that it can do as a residue on many surfaces given its acidic nature. Our professionals have multiple strategies to clean up soot, including both soda blasting for surface cleaning and the use of air scrubbers and other filtration tools throughout your Clifton residence.

Deodorizing after a fire loss can also be a challenge for even our experienced restoration professionals. By utilizing advanced tools like thermal foggers or hydroxyl generators, we can neutralize harsh lingering smoke odors, even those trapped in structural elements and contents of your Clifton property. Removing odors is one of the final steps that our technicians take before we take the final walkthrough with our customers.

Water

Water losses can be more familiar to the city of Clifton than you might have thought. With more than 85,000 residents in the municipality alone, water losses continue to be one of the most common threats that these residences face. From burst pipes to leaking faucets, managing water emergencies can be the key to reducing the time and cost of restoration services. This management begins with a fast response at the first notification of a loss incident, and our SERVPRO team can rollout fast with pre-stocked water loss production vehicles and trucks.

Extracting water from materials is often more prevalent than surface water removal for your Clifton home, and this involves several advanced tools and technologies used by our professionals. With carpets being a magnet for absorbing pooling water, it is crucial to remove the majority of this trapped moisture to allow later drying techniques to be more productive. Weighted extraction tools, both ride-on and stationary, can press layers of carpeting and padding against the subflooring material and force moisture to the surface for collection.

Drying out damaged areas of your Clifton residence also involves a blend of advanced tools in our inventory, with air movers and dehumidifiers being at the heart of nearly every one of these tasks. In addition to the evaporation that air movers can allow, specialty tools can also help to manage trapped moisture in structural cavities and wood materials like plank flooring, including:

    •    Floor Mat Drying Systems
    •    Positive Pressure Systems
    •    Negative Pressure Systems

Storm

Severe weather threats like heavy snowfall or hurricane-strength torrential rains can be a destructive natural disaster for Clifton homes and businesses. Addressing structural concerns as well as the secondary effects like flooding does not have to fall to multiple contractors and restoration professionals, however. Our SERVPRO team has both reputable and knowledgeable water restoration and biohazard cleaning professionals to work alongside our in-house residential and commercial contractors.

Stopping flooding means slowing the penetration of water through structural breaches in your Clifton home. Our emergency response team can get to work on both tarping and board up services to prevent further damage to the structural elements and contents of your household. Other emergency services that we can offer during these disasters is content management, tree removal, and muck-out cleaning to remove flood debris on the floors of your residence.

Extraction and drying are vital elements of flood recovery for Clifton properties. Accomplishing either of these objectives involves the use of premier tools in our inventory, including powerful extractors and vacuums or high-velocity air movers and desiccant dehumidifiers. Remaining structural elements and contents can get cleaned and disinfected appropriately once drying has completed.

Mold

Higher humidity levels and unresolved water loss incidents can both be common contributing factors to mold threats in Clifton homes and businesses. When the organism can grow and spread for several days before discovery, it can be a challenging obstacle for even our experienced Applied Microbial Remediation Technicians (AMRT) to face. Remediating active colonization requires specific approaches tailored to the severity of the disaster, the area of the damage, and the materials affected.

Containment is often one of the priorities of our responding technicians, as colonies can emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and there is a higher concentration of potentially hazardous mold spores. Containment is instrumental in preventing the continued spread of the organism and helps to more easily regulate environmental conditions to make them less favorable to mold growth. Physical barriers in a Clifton home can get constructed with wood and thick poly sheeting, while non-physical barrier equipment like negative air chambers reduces spores and VOCs by pulling compromised air through a HEPA filter.

With its proximity to the Hudson River and Upper Bay, Clifton and the rest of Passaic County remain at nearly constant risk of meeting the conditions necessary for mold growth when humidity hovers above sixty percent. Our SERVPRO team stays prepared for these threats with pre-stocked trailers and production vehicles that can roll out quickly after the first notice of loss.

No matter what emergency you face, We’re Faster to Any Size Disaster. Give our SERVPRO of Clifton team a call today at (973) 928-3705.

https://www.cliftonnj.org/

Will My Insurance Cover Fire Damage?

12/2/2022 (Permalink)

Fire damage can derail your daily routine, and it can create a flurry of phone calls to your insurance, to a professional cleaning service, and to other contractors necessary to finalize repairs. Each case is unique, and your insurance claims adjuster will guide you through their process. However, SERVPRO can be a resource to restore your home after fire damage and to liaise with other relevant parties until the goal of restoration is met.

Our SERVPRO team is specialized and certified by The Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) to handle the most stringent fire cleanup efforts in Clifton. Our industry knowledge and expertise prepare us to come into your home, assess the situation, and make recommendations for the next steps. Throughout the process, we document our actions and provide any information you may need from us to file your insurance claim.

What are the steps to clean fire damage?
Fire damage is complex because it often entails the effects of the flames as well as the residue left behind by extinguishers and sprinkler systems. When our SERVPRO team comes in, we first ensure the safety of all present and then prioritize the tasks at hand. As we use pumps and other equipment to extract and evaporate the water in your home, we may place furniture on risers, so it no longer soaks water. Once humidity levels are back to normal, we concentrate on the smoke and soot itself. Our technicians take into consideration the following when making their action plan:

    •    The path of the fire- we follow its path to assess how widespread it is. Air vents are part of our consideration when evaluating the presence of smoke in other rooms in your home.
    •    The composition of burnt material- organic materials leaves a fine residue on the surfaces of your home, while man-made objects leave a stickier remnant.
    •    The smell in your home- as necessary, we apply air purifying techniques such as ozone generators and thermal fogging to get rid of the foul smell left behind by the flames.

Fire damage is our area of expertise at SERVPRO of Clifton. Call us today at (973) 928-3705!

For more about Clifton click here.

How Does Building Structure Affect the Water Restoration Process??

12/2/2022 (Permalink)

Rely on the Building Knowledge and Expertise of SERVPRO to Perform the Water Cleanup in Your Clifton Commercial Building

Many variables must be accounted for when performing water cleanup in a commercial building. These include the shape of the structure, the building materials, the movement of moisture, and so on. A thorough knowledge of how these variables work is an important part of an effective cleanup.

How Do Restorers Use This Knowledge in a Water Cleanup?
SERVPRO professionals performing a commercial water cleanup in Clifton implement their knowledge of different variables to formulate an inspection plan, and the variables are also part of the water removal and cleanup procedures.

What are some of the specific variables of a given commercial building?

    •    Building structure and materials
    •    Mechanical systems
    •    Airflow and water flow

How does water flow and moisture movement affect a water cleanup?

SERVPRO professionals understand the path water will take in a commercial building, and this path is used to determine many of the specifics of a cleaning and drying strategy as well as the equipment to be used.

What materials and structures are evaluated as part of the cleanup?

    •    Structural wood
    •    Ceiling, floor and wall assemblies
    •    Windows, doors and other openings

How do the specifics of materials and structures become part of a water cleanup?
SERVPRO professionals know that moisture and water have different effects on different materials. This information is used to help restore these materials as water is removed, and it also helps them determine the best way to dry the building.

What other issues must be accounted for in a commercial water cleanup?
Unanticipated problems are common in this kind of cleanup, but SERVPRO professionals have the expertise to minimize or eliminate these. Simply put, the expertise of the restorer is critical to get the job done right.

Rely on SERVPRO of Clifton for a comprehensive water cleanup of your commercial building. Call us at (973) 928-3705 to get an inspection and an estimate.

For more about Clifton click here.

Can I Clean Mold on My Own?

12/2/2022 (Permalink)

If You Suspect Mold, Professional Mold Remediation Ensures Safety and Thorough Cleaning of Your Clifton Home

Although you may have some products and cleaning implements in your home to handle specific tasks, special care is paramount when it comes to mold and mildew. Mold growth in the house brings the potential for harmful health effects, so calling in skilled mold remediation technicians to your Clifton home is the best way to safely and efficiently get the job done.

Why is SERVPRO the Best Team for the Job?

When it comes to mold remediation in Clifton, you need to know that mold spores rapidly spread when disturbed. This allows them to travel fast to other areas of your home. SERVPRO follows detailed guidelines for handling all mold projects, and we always have the right personal protective equipment (PPE) to ensure safety, such as:

• Full-body covering suits
• Disposable shoe and hair coverings
• Protective gloves
• Safety goggles
• Air-purifying respirators

Why is Your Equipment Superior?

We have access to the best tools and equipment in the restoration industry. When called for mold cleanup, our Green Fleet comes fully-equipped with:

• Moisture probes, moisture meters, thermal imaging cameras, and thermal hygrometers allow us to locate all hidden moisture areas.
• Fans, portable heaters, air movers, and dehumidifiers will enable us to regulate drying and relative humidity within your Clifton home.
• HEPA filtration, which pulls mold spores out of the air, keeping them from recirculating throughout your interior.
• Blasting technology that allows us to address mold colonies in attics, crawl spaces, and basements.
• Odor-eater pellets, fogging machines, and air scrubbers, which help us to eliminate musty odors.

SERVPRO is the best team to have by your side when you have areas of troublesome mold within your home. Once we finish with the project, your home is Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned to give you added peace of mind.

Call SERVPRO of Clifton whenever you need a team for prompt, reliable, and efficient mold remediation. You can reach our staff 24/7 by calling (973) 928-3705.

What To Do With Your Belongings After a Fire

11/29/2022 (Permalink)

Fire damage, including smoke and soot, affects not only the structure of your house but also your belongings. SERVPRO of Clifton Professionals understand your family’s furniture, clothing, keepsakes, and other belongings are the very things that make a house a home.

Contents Restoration

SERVPRO of Clifton professionals specialize in restoring contents damaged by water, fire, or mold. Their expertise and “restore” versus “replace” mentality can help you save money while preserving precious keepsakes that can’t be replaced. They pretest your belongings to determine what items they can restore to pre-fire condition. They use several methods of cleaning your contents, including:

• Dry Cleaning - Used for cleaning light residues or to pre-clean prior to wet cleaning.
• Wet Cleaning - An effective cleaning method for removing moderate to heavy residues.
• Spray and Wipe -Effective for items that can’t withstand wet cleaning.
• Foam Cleaning - Used for upholstery fabrics that might shrink or bleed if wet cleaned.
• Abrasive Cleaning - Involves agitation of the surface being cleaned.
• Immersion Cleaning - Contents are dipped into a bath of the cleaning product.

Move-Outs/Pack-Outs

If your home requires extensive restoration or cleaning due to fire damage, SERVPRO of Clifton Professionals can conduct an organized, efficient move-out of the affected area. A move-out has several benefits, including:

• A quicker remodeling process
• Protecting items from potential damage
• Protecting contents from further on-site damage

When restoration is completed, they will work with you to coordinate the move-in according to your needs. The services offered upon move-in may depend on your insurance coverage. 

Electronic Cleanup

Fire-damaged electronics can present a serious hazard. Do not attempt to turn on or operate any electrical device that you suspect has been damaged by fire. Smoke residues can contain acids that corrode metal surfaces. If the residues are not removed, corrosion causes electronic failure in the device. A SERVPRO of Clifton will coordinate the restoration of your electronics, including:

• Television sets
• DVD players
• Computers
• And more

The key to restoring electronics is taking prompt action to prevent further damage. Electronics will be cleaned and inspected by a qualified electronics technician.

Document / Photograph Drying

When your valuable documents, including photographs, are damaged by water or fire, extreme caution should be taken to help ensure the fire damage does not destroy the document. Although some documents may not be restored to pre-fire damage condition, SERVPRO of Clifton Professionals can save a great deal and help minimize additional damage. Learn more about our document restoration services.

Depending on the type of documents and the level of fire, smoke, or soot damage, they have five options for the restoration of documents:

1. Air Drying
2. Dehumidification
3. Freezer Drying
4. Vacuum Freeze Drying
5. Vacuum Thermal Drying

Contents Claim Inventory Service

When a fire emergency strikes, the damage can often feel overwhelming. SERVPRO of Clifton Professionals can help ease the worry and confusion during the recovery process by offering our Contents Claim Inventory Service (CCIS), which provides a detailed and accurate list of your belongings. They take a room-by-room inventory of your contents, including digital photos, and in some instances, bar coding. Learn more about the Contents Claim Inventory Service.

Our Contents Claim Inventory Service:

• Pre-loss list and value of contents
• Detailed and accurate report
• Better information to settle claims quicker
• Assistance with burden of proof for claims
• Peace of mind when you need it most!

If You Have Questions or Need Help, Call SERVPRO of Clifton Today

973-928-3705

Is Your Vehicle Ready for Winter?

11/29/2022 (Permalink)

Vehicle safety is important during winter weather conditions, especially if you have to drive on icy or snowy road. 

• Practice your winter driving skills
• Change your wiper blades
• Fill wiper fluid
• Check tire pressure
• Track your tire tread
• If necessary, change to winter tires
• Check battery and change oil
• Keep coolant fresh
• Check you brakes
• Pack and emergency kit (see suggested items below)

Be Prepared this winter by stocking your vehicle with life saving items in case of emergency.

Winter Emergency Preparedness Kit

1. Blankets
2. Tire Chains
3. First Aid Kit
4. Battery Powered Radio
5. Maps
6. Flashlight (With extra batteries)
7. Jumper cables
8. Sand or kitty litter

My Property Sustained Damage after a Storm- What Should I Do Next?

11/7/2022 (Permalink)

Call SERVPRO Technicians in Little Falls to Handle the Storm Flood Damage in Your Residence.

As a homeowner, you need to know what to do after a storm causes flooding in your residence. An experienced flood damage mitigation company such as SERVPRO can help you to restore your Little Falls home to its pre-incident state.

What can happen in my house after it floods?

Floodwater can weaken or completely ruin flooring, walls, and ceilings, among other structures. Do not hesitate to contact restorers to mitigate the storm flood damage in your Little Falls home. If you wait long before hiring a restoration firm, there is a chance for mold and other secondary damage occurring.

What can I expect from your flood remediation services?

When you contact SERVPRO technicians to perform flood damage cleanup and remediation, our team can come to your residence ready to start working right away. We usually begin the flood remediation process with a damage assessment to determine the extent of the destruction.

When inspecting a home, we consider how many materials are contaminated, if the materials are non-porous or porous and if it is possible to ventilate the area. Our technicians also consider if it is necessary to perform containment and if we can decontaminate and restore the affected materials. It may be impossible to restore some materials like carpets. In that case, we can remove and replace them. We offer an estimate that outlines the cost of our repair and restoration services.

What does flood restoration involve?

Flood remediation and restoration services depend on the severity of the damage. Generally, they involve the following:

Debris removal

Water removal

Water damage repair

Disinfection

Deodorization

We have trained our technicians to clean up and repair flood-damaged properties to their preloss condition. We can mitigate the damage and rebuild the affected areas, enabling you to save time and money. We are fully equipped with industrial-strength water removal and drying equipment such as:

Self-priming trash pumps

Centrifugal air movers

Refrigerant dehumidifiers

Should I turn off the equipment?

The restoration equipment we use can run for days without being turned off. It does not overheat. Unless our technicians advise you otherwise, you should let it remain running until we complete the restoration process. Our technicians monitor the equipment and job progress daily, adjusting, and moving the equipment as necessary.

Flooding can lead to extensive secondary damage if you delay the restoration process. Call SERVPRO of Clifton at (973) 928-3705 for efficient flood restoration services. We’re Faster To Any Size Disaster.

Find more information about Little Falls.

Emergency Prep Kit

8/23/2022 (Permalink)

Have you ever wondered about emergencies? Some people don't care to prepare a kit until after the disaster has happened, also known as too little too late.  With this sample checklist you can quickly create your own emergency disaster kit that could keep you alive and comfortable for 3 days.

• Container for the kit, such as a plastic tote or a wearable duffle bag

• 1 gallon of water per person/day

• Portable tent

• Small tarp

• Poncho

• 2,000 calories of healthy food per person/day (nuts, grains, food bars, canned food etc.)

• Compact sleeping bag and bedroll

• Hygiene Products
  
  
  • Toilet Paper
  
  
  • Baby Wipes
  
  
  • Deodorant
  
  
  • Bandana
  
  
  • Soap
  
  
  • Dust Mask
  
  
  • Potty bags
  
  
  • Latex gloves
  
  
  • Toothbrush and toothpaste
  
  
  • Feminine products

• First aid kit
  
  
  • Roll of gauze
  
  
  • Medical tape
  
  
  • Alcohol wipes
  
  
  • Blood coagulant
  
  
  • Gauze pads
  
  
  • Painkillers
  
  
  • Burn/wound cream
  
  
  • Petroleum jelly or other lubricant/moisturizer

• Tools
  
  
  • Pocket knife
  
  
  • Whistle
  
  
  • Hand warmes
  
  
  • Duct tape
  
  
  • Small rope
  
  
  • Wire saw
  
  
  • Matches
• Self powered flashlight

• Self powered radio

• List of doctors and family contacts

• Spare cash

• Pet supplies

Give us a call to learn more. SERVPRO of Clifton 973-928-3705

Taking the First Steps after a Fire

8/23/2022 (Permalink)

For Fire Damage Restoration Inside Your Woodland Park Home Call SERVPRO.

Depending on the severity of the blaze that burned inside your Woodland Park house, you and your family may be able to stay living in your home during the restoration process. For example, if the blaze was small and the building is still safe to be occupied, then you can live in sections that did not get affected.

What safety steps do you take when we can stay in or house during restoration?

During some fire damage restoration projects in Woodland Park, your insurance adjuster may ask that a professional company like SERVPRO conduct emergency cleaning procedures to make part of your home livable. In some cases where strong odors exist from protein-based residues, we can perform deodorization procedures. We can also clean areas of your home needed, such as your bathrooms or kitchen, as well as any clothing you need. We can establish a containment chamber to keep contaminants from the affected portions of your house getting into your living area.

What precautions can you take when I cannot stay in my home?

When the damage proves to be excessive, you may have to move out of your house because it is not safe to be occupied. When this occurs, we can do several things to secure your home, such as boarding it up and making sure the power and heat work. We can also prevent structural issues by doing things like reinforcing your floor joists.

How can you board up and secure my home?

Cover Over- One method we can use is to cover over the opening by attaching a piece of plywood to the surfaces surrounding the opening.

Insert. We can insert plywood inside the opening, which provides more security than covering over.

Bolt with Tension- The most secure way to board up an opening is to bolt the wood by nailing 2 x 4's around the piece of plywood.

If you ever notice that your structural components got burned during a fire, call SERVPRO of Clifton at (973) 928-3705 24/7.

More about Woodland Park.