How to be Flood Safe and Savvy
One of the worst times for many when it comes to the possibility of a flooded home is during springtime, when the ground is thawing, snow is melting, and then relentless rain starts pounding down. Hopefully, your roof is leakproof, your foundation is up to the task, and your sump pump (if you need one) is chugging along faithfully. Water is intrusive and can find the weakest spot in your home and create all types of damage and costly repairs. There are ways to be flood safe and even flood savvy by paying attention to advice and guidance from the experts. The first thing to do is logical and you are probably already doing it: Watch the weather. Monitor your favorite news source for weather alerts and updates, especially when you know a storm may be brewing and coming your way. You can set automatic alerts easily. And understand weather event terminology. There’s a big difference between a flood watch and a flood warning. A watch means flooding may occur. A warning means weather conditions are prime to create flooding. You can prepare your home for possible flooding. While you should always vacate your home and find a safe place if severe and dangerous weather is coming your way, most weather issues won’t dictate evacuation. But all weather-related issues should prompt preparedness, which may include checking all doors, windows, openings to your home, and checking your basement or first floor areas for items that can easily be damaged in a flood. Put them up high — just in case. Going through and picking up soggy items that could have been safely put on a shelf is not a task you have to face if you think ahead. Be prepared for power outages. Have plenty of fresh food and water on hand in the event you have to wait out the storm. Remember, floods are the most common natural disaster that affects the most people. They can be caused by a variety of events, including hurricanes, heavy rain, high winds combined with rain, and even thawing snow. Just a small amount of water in your home where it doesn’t belong can cost thousands of dollars in damage. Make sure your homeowner’s insurance policy covers flooding that could possibly occur in your area. Don’t assume you have flood insurance as part of a normal insurance policy. If the unthinkable does occur and you suffer from a flooded home, do the right thing. Call your favorite disaster restoration company. After all, it pays to call a pro! Does Carpet Cleaning Kill Fleas?
With spring weather comes all types of pests, from those emerging from hibernation to those who thrive in warm weather. And some of them end up where they don’t belong: In your home. One pest that tends to really stick around when it invades your home is the flea. The world has some 2,000 types of fleas, and they are found virtually everywhere. And when you spot one, you might notice how fast they are. They are said to have an acceleration rate some 50 times faster than a rocket. They seem to fly, but they are really jumping, and more than a foot in distance at times. Fleas live by consuming blood, as their main meal. If you have a dog or cat, which is a flea’s best friend and food source, and your pets go outside, odds are you will face a flea in your home from time to time. And even if you have no pets, they can attach to you when you venture outside and come back in. The big question is, how do you get rid of fleas? Many feel that laundering items and deep cleaning the home will do the trick. And since your pets lay on the carpet, a good carpet cleaning should kill fleas. That’s not entirely true. Fleas are tough. If you try to submerge one in water and let it go, it will pop out and survive. If you clean a surface, normal soap and water won’t kill them, either. While steam cleaning a carpet may kill some fleas, there is no guarantee that the entire flea infestation will be handled. You must remember that, depending on the state, province, or area you live in, killing fleas falls under the pesticide umbrella. A licensed pest control expert is the best qualified professional to handle a flea infestation issue. That doesn’t mean there isn’t value in having your carpet cleaned, especially by a professional. A thorough, professional deep cleaning of your carpet will physically remove many contaminants, from soils to bacteria and even fleas and their larvae. The hot water, detergent, and physical action of cleaning flushes them out. What you have remaining is a nice, fresh, clean carpet. And don’t forget to launder other items that may have fleas. It's especially important to have your home cleaned after the pest control expert has done his work. Do the right thing. Call your favorite cleaning company with any questions. After all, it pays to call a pro! The Devastation of Ice Dams
As temperatures change, water freezes, then melts, and refreezes against. Often, as water moves down a surface, you see icicles form. While icicles might be beautiful to look at, when they are hanging from your roof or gutters, they can cause devastation inside your home. What you see might be the start of an ice dam, which can be the root cause of a water damage. How does it happen? After all, don’t most water damages occur from broken pipes or sudden heavy rain? Not always. How ice dams form In the winter, where temperatures drop below freezing, snow melts and then the water runs down the roof and then hits the cold roof eaves and gutters and freezes into ice dams. These tear off gutters, loosen shingles, and cause melting water to work its way under the shingles, and into your home—instead of off the roof like it normally should. This can damage interior walls, insulation, woodwork, ceilings… it can warp your floors and even lead to mold forming inside your home, where it does not belong. But all of this can be prevented with a little planning. Preventing ice dams In the short term, you can put some ice melt products (calcium chloride), much like you would put on the sidewalk, on areas where ice may build up. You can sprinkle these liberally on the eaves and in the gutters. Some recommend putting the ice melt products in socks or pantyhose and laying them up on the roof, so it crosses over the eaves and gutter. No matter what you do, think safety first and be very careful on ladders or when accessing anything high. In the long term, insulating your attic should be a priority. Have it inspected to ensure you have the right type and amount of insulation materials. If you can keep the entire roof the same temperature as the eaves, you stop the formation of ice dams. You do this by increasing ventilation in the attic and plugging every possible air leak that might warm the roof, which melts the snow. We all know everything must melt, but premature melting is the issue here. But when and if water damage happens, you need help before things go from bad to worse. Do the right thing and call your favorite disaster restoration company. After all, it pays to call a pro! Dust Control Made Easy
The amount of dust that builds up in a home varies greatly from one house to the next. Even the most fastidious of homeowners will have dust somewhere in the house. Dust itself is complicated because it can come from many different sources. It can be skin cells, pet dander, fibers, soot from your furnace, pollen, even particles known to be carcinogens depending on the air quality where you live. Think about this: Every time you cook something, you put particles in the air, and it has to land somewhere. Dust. You can’t avoid it. But you can remove it. Here are a few tips to create a dust-free home (well, almost dust-free). Top to bottom Most of the time, the best, efficient method to clean is from the top down. It’s how the pros do it and it is a good way to avoid having to clean surfaces twice. Let gravity be your friend. Using quality cloths also traps dust and particles so that will help in the cleaning process as well. Reaching really high surfaces, such as on the top of cabinets or the top of ceiling fan blades, requires special extension tools. You can always grab a ladder, but think safety first. Using a tool to reach high areas is safer and works great. Stuff you need Besides extension tools and quality cloths, using microfiber cloths work well for most because the cloth itself grabs soil and dust and holds onto it. The construction of microfiber cloths positively charges them, which attracts the negatively charged dust. Think magnets. It works! Plus, you can wash microfiber cloths and use them over and over again. Some prefer natural materials, such as lambswool dusters or cotton cloths. That’s fine, they all work, it just depends on what you want to use. Compressed air may be necessary to reach into crevices where a cloth or tool just won’t work. A good vacuum is another tool that helps. With special attachments, vacuuming surfaces picks up dust and collects it all in the vacuum bag. Keep it dust-free When you are done, you can also rub a dryer sheet onto surfaces to keep dust from sticking. Many do this with their baseboards, which are very susceptible to dust since they are close to the ground. And don’t forget, when you need cleaning done right, do the right thing. Call your favorite cleaning company. After all, it pays to call a pro! |