How to Handle Water Damage in Your Akron Home?

Water Damage is Bad News.

There’s nothing worse than an expensive, smelly, dangerous water damage cleanup in Akron home that you can’t predict in advance. Because we can’t predict flooding very well, many people get caught unprepared and not sure how to handle the emergency. The first step to fixing water damage from flooding is to call help immediately. Time is of the essence, especially when each minute that your home is exposed to water increases restoration costs and risk of long-term damage. The professionals at Certified Professional Restoration (C.P.R.) in Akron can help with water damage cleanup quickly and expertly. A prompt call will ensure that they are on their way and that you waste no time.

In the meantime, here are a few things you can do:

Remember: Safety First. Don’t enter areas if you have reservations about how structurally sound they may be. If the ceilings are sagging, do not enter the building. In addition, remember to turn off water and electricity to the affected areas before examining. Be sure not to come into contact with contaminated water; which can be anything from a sewage or laundry pipe having burst in your home, to ground water from a flood caused by rain. In addition, if the water has been in your home for more than 24 hours, wear a mask to avoid breathing in mold spores and other potentially harmful bacteria. Things will likely be more slippery than you are used to; use caution to prevent tripping or slipping.

Keep your wits about you. Taking simple steps early on can vastly change your flood experience from a catastrophe to an unfortunate inconvenience. Many people forget to take such steps in the urgency and stress of the overall situation. Think about any valuables or family keepsakes you may have in the affected areas, and remove them to stow them away in a safe, dry place. Try to assess where the water is coming from, and do what you can to stop flow or catch it before it seeps into your walls or carpet.

Do what you can to remove standing water. When you call in to a professional company, ask what they would recommend you do to start removing water. Depending on how much water is in your home, how far away help is, and safety factors, they may advise you to use a wet-dry vacuum, use some buckets, or towel dry certain areas. If the flooding is severe, you may be encouraged to wait for help to arrive.

Protect your furniture where possible. Remove areas rugs and items from the floor as these can stain the carpet or floor underneath. In addition, it is helpful to put a dry layer between the legs of furniture and the wet floor. This will protect both the furniture and the carpet. Even furniture with metal legs can leave rust stains on the carpet. A piece of plywood or some foil works great. 

Flooding is never convenient, but these simple steps, along with help from C.P.R, will help you to handle it perfectly!

Water damage cleanup canton

If you are seeking services for water damage cleanup in canton, then visits Certified Professional Restoration. Our team is committed to providing fast, complete, and friendly service.

BEST PRACTICES FOR WATER DAMAGE CLEANUP

Unwanted water in your home comes from two sources – the water system inside your home, or sources of nature, such as rain or a local stream. Before you grab the guest hand towels from the downstairs bathroom, take a minute to understand what type of problem you have to clean up. Either the source can be ‘pretty’ clean, or REALLY dirty and require professional remediation.

The Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) has set a standard to classify water damage situations in order to follow industry practices for safe, effective cleanup.  For example, in a

category 1 situation, the source is usually a toilet tank, a drinking fountain or a water faucet. While always sanitary and clean, if it isn’t cleaned up quickly it can become contaminated and lead to a Category 2 water loss.

Category 2 water (or grey water) loss involves water that has biological, chemical or physical contaminants that would cause illness if ingested. Examples are washing machine overflow, dishwasher overflow, sump pump failures, flush from sink drains and toilet overflow with urine only.

Category 3 is the worst classification and is extremely unsanitary and hazardous to your health if ingested. Once referred to as ‘black water’, it may contain heavy metals, organic matters, silt, pesticides or toxic organic substances. Additionally, flood waters can be contaminated with soil bacteria, decaying insects, animal droppings, oils and fluids from roadways, and fertilizers to pesticides from fields or gardens.

General Safety Tips

Use caution when entering buildings. Make sure electrical power has been turned off and the structure is sound before entering and inspecting a flooded building. Small animals or reptiles may also seek shelter inside a structure, so be cautious when repositioning contents or removing materials.

Protect yourself with an organic vapor respirator, rubber gloves, eye protection, and protective clothing. Ventilate affected areas by opening windows or using fans. 

Don’t keep germy items; know what items to throw away. Have a professional inspect and advise you salvaging or disposing of drywall, carpet and pad, mattresses, pillows, box springs, and particle board.

Clean aggressively in hidden areas like wall cavities. Floors, exposed studs, and joists should be cleaned with detergent solutions.  After thoroughly cleaning and flushing salvageable materials, apply a disinfectant solution liberally. Be sure that the entire area is completely dry to avoid a future mold problem.

When You Have A Water Emergency:

Turn off the water source, or contact a certified professional to do it for you.

Don’t Panic! Contact CPR for immediate assistance.

Remember to put your safety first. Do not unplug any electrical devices, or remove any contents without shutting off the breaker or cutting-off electricity. 

If it is safe to do so, remove furniture and contents from wet areas. If you have questions about personal property that could be saved, CPR can help. Many items that look destroyed might actually be salvageable. Don’t throw out anything before you’re sure.

Advice From The Experts

Dry out before you rebuild. To prevent dry rot and future structural damage, don’t cover up wood materials until its moisture content falls below 16 percent. Moisture meters are available for home but hire a water restoration professional with professional equipment and expertise to confirm proper drying before reconstruction.

Beware of scam artists targeting storm victims. When approached by any company for water restoration services, ask to see the technician’s certification, proper licensing and liability insurance.

Wait for help-

Don’t use your vacuum to remove water.

Don’t use any electronics or appliances that are plugged into the walls.

Don’t use your ceiling fans if the ceilings are wet.

Don’t go to rooms with sagging ceilings.

Water Damage Cleanup In Akron

The IICRC serves as an independent, certification body, that sets and promotes high standards and ethics, and advances communication and technical proficiency within the inspection, cleaning and restoration industries. The IICRC also ensures that when consumers hire a certified firm or technician, they have hired experts who will provide reasonable assurance that work will be completed in accordance with the industry’s “standard of care.”

Certified Professional Restoration (CPR) is a restoration company attentive to both the physical and emotional pressure of home water damage. CPR offers 24-7 immediate response and is dedicated to customer satisfaction, serving Akron, Canton and surrounding areas at 234-231-9850 or cpr4yourhome.com

Water Damage Cleanup Akron

Contact Certified Professional Restoration at 234-231-9850 for water damage cleanup in Akron! We are prepared to assist you 24/7 in any commercial or residential property water damage emergency.

5 SIGNS OF WATER DAMAGE IN YOUR HOME

When you think of water damage and water invading your home, you might picture coming home from work to find the sink left on and spilling out through your front door in dramatic fashion. While this is a very real, very possible situation, water damage can also be a silent destructor. Between leaky pipes, backed up drains, unmaintained seals, roof leaks, or other subtle issues, you might not even notice you have a leak in your home at first until it grows into an even bigger, more hazardous problem.

No home is 100% waterproof, so it is important to be able to recognize the signs of water damage as soon as possible in order to prevent danger and avoid disaster and to know when action needs to be taken. Below, we have listed and explained five signs of water damage that will help you know when to call a professional restoration service.

Discoloration

Discoloration is a common and easily detected sign of water damage. If you notice water rings or brown, black, or yellowing surfaces, you could have some serious water damage going unchecked.

Mold

Mold growth often occurs when water damage beneath the surface of your home is left unaddressed. Mold wears many masks and can appear in many shapes and forms. It can be blue, green, white, black, or even invisible to the naked eye. It is important to detect mold and halt the growth and spread of airborne spores before it poses a major health hazard to both you and those in your household.

Odors

In addition, unmaintained leaks can lead to mold, which puts off a very strong smell that can lead you to the source of the damage. If you notice a certain area in your home carries a distinct smell, particularly a strong, musty odor, odds are you have water damage and mold growth thriving in your home.

Structural Decay

Water damage often causes structural decay. This can pose a serious threat to the integrity of your home if left unchecked, and not only can lead to a route for further water damage but also can impose serious danger upon you and those in your household. In your home, you can recognize structural decay caused by water damage in several ways:

-Warping/Swollen Floors

-Paint Peeling or Bubbling

-Cracks in Foundation and/or Windowsills and Doorframes

-Roof Sagging

-Uneven Windows and Doorframes

If you notice any of these signs of water damage, contact a restoration service immediately to preserve your home and prevent further damage.

Recent Natural Disaster

If your area has recently experienced a natural disaster, it is a good idea to have a water damage service check out your home, even if you can’t spot any immediate destruction. Professionals have the equipment and experience to detect damage that may have gone unnoticed until it grows into an unmanageable disaster. If you live in the Akron area, you can call Certified Professional Restoration (CPR) at 234-231-9850 for professional, 24/7 emergency service.

SIX COMMON BED BUG MYTHS

Due to being so common and, disgusting bed bugs have developed have developed a persona of their own in popular culture. As a result, the false facts regarding bed bugs tend to be almost as common as true facts about them. Our pest extermination team at CPR in the North Canton area has witnessed time and time again how false beliefs about bed bugs can make a bed bug problem much worse than it needs to be. Thus, we have included below six common myths about bed bugs so you can avoid falling into the trap of believing them.

Bed Bugs Only Live In Mattresses

The name makes it obvious why people would think this. However, while beds may be an ideal environment for them, they can thrive elsewhere as well. In fact, bed bugs have a knack for hitching a ride on your clothing and taking residence in your couches, chairs, or whatever else they can.

Bed Bugs Are Too Tiny To See

Yes, bed bugs are little but they most definitely can be seen. Closely looking at your bedding should allow you to identify bed bugs if you have them. In the case of mature bugs, you can even see them fairly easily without a magnifying glass. If you see a flat, reddish-brown bug about the size of an apple seed you can be sure you’ve got bed bugs.

You Only Get Bit At Night

While bed bugs are nocturnal, that can change very quickly if they are hungry. If they are hungry, lying in your bed during the day is just as likely to lead to bites as if you were lying in it at night. Furthermore, the lights being on or off has no bearing on whether or not they will bite.

Bed Bugs Reproduce Rapidly

When people hear that bed bugs reproduce rapidly they often interpret this to mean that they can reproduce within a couples days or weeks. Fortunately, this isn’t the case. Bed bugs really take a long time to reproduce. Compared to other insects, bed bugs are actually very slow to reproduce. Females lay an average of one egg a day, within six weeks after hatching, the insect is already grown into an adult.

Bed Bugs Do Not Invade Clean Environments

Because bed bugs often thrive in dirty homes and environments, many people believe that bed bugs don’t thrive in clean homes. However, bed bugs really don’t care if your home is clean or dirty. They feed off blood. If that is available, they can live in any home.

Over The Counter Bed Bug Killer Will Do The Trick

Over the counter methods of treatment do not work! Most people who try to eradicate bed bugs on their own see bed bugs return not long after the area was treated.  The only way to completely get rid of bed bugs is to hire a certified extermination company. In the North Canton area, our exterminators at CPR are here to do just that!

Water Damage Cleanup Akron

If your home experiencing water damage emergency due to heavy rains, sewer back-up and burst pipes, don’t delay we provide excellent water damage cleanup in Akron.  Just call Certified Professional Restoration to get the situation under control.