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| When water damage strikes your home, how do you know when or if it’s time to employ a professional? I would advise you begin by assessing what is required to be done. Whether it’s a water damage or a small one, that in it’s self can be hard to figure out. Once you have established what needs to be done, do you have time to doperform the work? Are you physically able to do the task? How long will it take you to get the task completed? If you have affirmative answers for these questions, then take a look at the next step. Will I need specialized products or tools to do the job? Do I have or can I secure adequate equipment to do the work? If you are a do it yourselfer, then you know the advantage of employing the right tools and/or equipment to do the work.
Also, bear in mind the risks if the job is not done correctly. In a water damage situation, if you do not dry down the affected area quickly, the resulting damage could be much more costly. Many cleaning and restoration problems can be depressing if things do not happen as simply or quickly as we’ve anticipated. a few projects with a lot of time and hard work can be executed sufficiently by a vigilant “do it yourselfer”.
Water damage restoration jobs generally set a higher bar for perfection, because if it’s not done precisely, the costs to fix continue to rise. Whether you do it yourself or you hire a professional the main thing is to stay centered on these three issues; determine what’s wet, get it dried out quickly, and make sure the drying is complete.
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| Spot removal from carpet can be simple or tedious depending upon the spot and how long it has been on the carpet. At times multiple applications of the spot removal solution, or a second solution is required . Listed below is a general spot removal guide . If the origin of the spot is a mystery, begin with step 1. If the origin of the spot is known begin at the appropriate step. Never use a circular motion to remove a spot as this destroys texture. To prevent the spot from returning , the last step should always be to rinse with clear water, blot dry and put a white cotton terry cloth towel over the damp area. Put a book, or other heavy object on the towel to keep the towel in contact with the carpet surface . This allows any stain wicking up from the backing to go into the towels rather than remain on the carpet surface. Allow to dry, take away the brick and towels and brush up the pile .
**Be certain to test, on a hidden area of your carpet any solutions you plan to use as it may affect color or texture. Do not continue if color in the test area marks off on a cotton ball.
Some things needed to remove spots:
• Paper towels (white) or white terry towels .
• Powdered laundry detergent without bleach
• Spray bottle for applying detergents and special solutions such as vinegar or Ammonia solutions.
• Ammonia, vinegar and isopropyl rubbing alcohol .
• Spoon and dull knife .
• Brick or heavy book ( yellow pages) .
General Procedure
Unknown and greasy spots.
Step 1: Remove as much of the foreign material as possible by blotting with a white towel or scraping with a spoon . Apply isopropyl rubbing alcohol or a dry cleaning solvent to a clean white cloth . If the spot extends deep into the carpet pile use a blotting motion until the spot is removed or no color is transferred to the cloth . Do not allow the solvent to penetrate into the backing, as this will ruin the latex bond. If the spot is on the surface only, rub in one direction at a time. Never use a circular motion to remove a spot as this may ruin the pile. Stop if spot is removed. If not, go to step 3.
Water based spots.
Step 2: Absorb as much of the spill as is possible. A wet/dry vacuum is useful if a large quantity of liquid was spilled. If spot has dried, saturate the tufts in the affected area with tap water (do not get the area too wet ). Allow to remain for about 1 minute and blot. If the spot is being removed using water, continue until the stain is completely gone. Blot dry and apply the paper towels and brick . If the spot is not completely gone go to step 3.
Step 3: Remove as much of the material as possible by blotting with a white paper towel or scraping with a dull knife . Apply a small quantity a detergent* solution to the stain. Use a blotting motion to work the detergent solution into the carpet . If stain is being removed continue applying detergent and blotting with a towel until the stain is removed . Rinse with tap water using a spray bottle, blot to remove excess moisture, spray lightly with tap water , do not blot this time; apply pad of white paper towels and brick and allow to dry. If there is still some stain on the carpet and blotting is not removing it, then moisten the tufts in the stained area with 3% hydrogen peroxide. Let stand for one (1) hour. Blot and repeat until carpet is stain free . Light will cause hydrogen peroxide to revert back to water so no rinsing is needed. Apply pad of paper towels and weight down with a brick .
*To make a detergent solution, mix 1/4 teaspoon of Non Bleach Tide (or similar) powdered laundry detergent, with 1 quart of water, or use approved carpet spotters available.
Several types of stains need specialized solutions.
A. Blood, catsup, cheese, chocolate, cough syrup, mixed drinks, soft drinks, soy sauce, starch, toothpaste, watercolor and white glue.
For large spills use a Wet/Dry vacuum to extract the bulk of the spill. If just a small amount was spilled blot with a paper towel to absorb as much of the spot as possible then neutralize with a solution of 1 tablespoon of clear Ammonia to 1/2 cup of water . Saturate spot using spray bottle. Don’t wet the carpet backing. Blot with a towel to absorb excess moisture. Once neutralized, begin with step 3 of the removal instructions. All solutions for removing blood should be cool.
B. Beer, coffee, perfume, tea and wine.
For larger spills use a ShopVac to suck up the bulk of the spill. If only a small amount was spilled, blot with a paper towel to absorb as much of the spot as possible, then neutralize with a solution of 1/3 cup of vinegar, 2/3 cup of tap water . Saturate , using a sprayer bottle and blot to remove excess liquid . After neutralizing , go to step 3 of general procedure .
C. Egg, excrement, urine, and vomit.
Remove as much of the excess material as possible by using a spoon or dull knife . Remove as much of the stain as possible, then neutralize by spraying the affected area with an ammonia solution. Make sure to remove all protein matter. Blot to remove excess moisture and go to step 3 of the general procedure .
D. Candle Wax
Spread brown paper (such as grocery bag, making sure there is no ink on the area you will be using) over the area and iron with the setting on “warm.” . The wax will be transferred to the paper or towel. You will need to replace the paper as it absorbs up the wax. Remove any traces with isopropyl rubbing alcohol or dry cleaning fluid. Don’t use an iron on Olefin . Olefin is a fairly raw oil base byproduct and it is very easy to melt with heat or friction.
E. Gum .
Freeze the gum using an ice cube . Shatter the frozen gum with a knife handle and vacuum. Some citrus based products Like De-Solv-It® by Orange-Sol have been shown to break down the stickiness of gum so that it can be removed .
F. Mud.
Let mud dry completely. Shatter the dried mud with a spoon and vacuum. Go to step 3 of the general procedure .
G. Rust.
Apply lemon juice to the area, using a spray bottle, and allow to work for 5 minutes. Go to step 3 of general procedure to remove the lemon juice. Most rust removers contain a very strong acid and are not recommended for use by homeowners.
H. Nail Polish.
Remove as much of the nail polish as possible using a spoon . Apply a non-oily nail polish remover to a clean white cloth and gently rub (in only one direction at a time) or blot the spot. Continue until polish is removed. Do not allow nail polish remover to reach the backing . Proceed to step 3 to remove the nail polish remover .
Water Damage Lawrence KS
Water Damage Lawrence Kansas
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| I had a friend tell me that he wanted to find another insurance agent. And wanted to know what he should look for in a good agent.
I think as homeowners our relationships with our insurance agents can be very important. Your agent should be more than just a company name to you, and you should be more than just a name & address to them. I am always surprised when a customer tells me they know their agent’s name, but have never actually met him/her. My opinion would be that if you’ve had an agent for more than a year and they haven’t made an attempt to meet or contact you … find another agent!
You should have a comfort level that they are honest and caring. Conversely they should know you by name and sight and they should have a comfort level that you are honest and caring. Why is the relationship so important? I’ve seen a lot of disasters happen over the years including fires, smoke damage, and water damage . Many with clear coverage or clearly no coverage, many with easy understandable explanation of what happened and/or why it happened. But, other times there was a lot of “grey” area of how the policy could be interpreted; many times the explanation seemed somewhat awkward. And those are the times when you want him/her to remember that you are an honest and caring individual. Somebody they are willing to go to bat for in a tough situation. They are your personal contact, your protector, and your defender to a large possibly very indifferent corporate entity. A large possibly very indifferent corporate entity that would rather save money then spend it on you!
Now this doesn’t mean that because your agent is your friend that they will be able to bend the rules or give you something that you are not entitled too. That’s not my point; you should expect them to be fair and honest with you and their company. But, if there is some wiggle room or some timely guidance that can be given, you want them on your side. And you should expect that they “have your back”!
Water Damage Lawrence Kansas
Water Damage Lawrence KS
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