Be On The Lookout For Soot and Smoke Damage As Your Furnace Comes Back To Life

11/17/2024 (Permalink)

Let our professional team clean soot damage in your home the right way!

Where did the summer go?

Believe it or not, it’s time to kick our furnaces back on.

Turning on the heat again for the first time after the glorious summer months can kick up a lot of things, such as dust and dirt that’s been building up in and on the heating vents over the course of the warmer months. Another thing that can be kicked up through your ventilation system could be soot and smoke if a furnace is not well maintained.

 Unlike dust, you can’t deal with the ill effects of soot through vacuuming alone. The soot produced by a puffback has the potential to permanently damage and stain walls, appliances, kitchenware, and virtually everything else it touches. Trying to clean soot with common household cleaning products will only further seal the soot in your home, causing permanent damage and staining.

If your home has suffered from fire or soot related damage, trust the professionals at SERVPRO of Mid-Outer Cape Cod. Call us anytime, 24/7, at 508-778-7378. We’ll work to make it "Like it never even happened."

Prevent A Fire This Thanksgiving In Your Provincetown Home!

11/14/2024 (Permalink)

To prevent fire damage, take every precaution to keep your home & your family safe.

Deep-frying the Holiday turkey is very popular across the country.  Thousands of fires as well as many deaths and injuries happen each year due to turkey fryer related incidents.  Exercise extreme caution when frying up the family bird this Thanksgiving by following these simple safety tips:

• KEEP AWAY FROM THE HOUSE - Set up the fryer at least 10 feet from your home.  Keep children & pets away and NEVER leave it unattended.
• FIND FLAT GROUND – The oil must be even and steady at all times to ensure safety. Place the fryer on a flat, level surface and carefully gauge the amount of oil needed.
• USE A FULLY THAWED AND DRY TURKEY – Make sure your Thanksgiving bird is completely thawed and dry. Extra water will cause the oil to bubble furiously and spill over which could cause a fire.
• MONITOR THE TEMPERATURE – Use caution when touching the turkey fryer. The lid and handle can become very hot and could cause burns.  Also, be sure to keep an eye on the oil temperature.
• BE PREPARED – Have a fire extinguisher ready at all times.

If you experience a fire related incident this Thanksgiving, call in the PROS at SERVPRO of Mid-Outer Cape Cod!  Our team of highly trained technicians are available 24/7/365! We will clean up the mess and get your home and your life back in order.  508-778-7378

Puffbacks: When Furnaces Attack Your Eastham Home

11/7/2024 (Permalink)

Furnace puffbacks can cause more soot damage than you think. Professional cleaning is required to reduce permanent staining & odor. Call us!

As temperatures begin to drop, we are turning our furnaces back on again. When your furnace ignites, the risk of a puffback is high.

What is A Puffback?

 A puffback is when a boiler or furnace misfires, causing your home to fill with soot and smoke. These misfires are caused by unburned oils at the bottom of furnaces and boilers suddenly igniting. There are many telltale signs of an impending puffback to look out for. Also, you may have already been the victim of a puffback and don’t even know it. Be on the lookout for signs of a puffback and avoid its many hazards on both your house and your health.

The Warning Signs: 

One of the main signs of an impending puffback is soot-like residues around heating vents and fans. Also, finding dark residues around oil burning heaters may signal that your heater is on the verge of experiencing a puffback. Typically, someone’s first instinct when seeing these residues may be to scrub it away with soap and water, but this will only cause the damage to set in even further. The only effective way to clean up after a puffback is through professional smoke damage restoration. Through chemical treatment and use of the proper tools, a restoration company will be able to return your walls to their original appearance.

Signs a Puffback Already Occurred: 

Many people experience puffbacks and aren’t even aware of it. Ever notice black cobwebs around your furnace? If so, those aren’t cobwebs. Puffbacks create cobweb-like soot strings, making your home a dirty and hazardous mess. When left untreated, the “cobwebs” will continue to form, making any cleanup efforts more and more of a headache. Even though pure soot stains can be treated with the use of chemical sponges, puffback webs are far more labor intensive to clean up and will require professional remediation.

Soot damage will deteriorate objects and structure in your home, sometimes past the point of restoration. Plates and fine China will discolor, paint can be left permanently stained and electronic appliances can be irreversibly damaged. If you see the signs of an impending or prior puffback, get your furnace and oil-burning appliances serviced as soon as possible. In terms of cleaning up the destruction left by a puffback, trust SERVPRO® to get the job done right. Our IICRC certified crew specializes in smoke and fire damage restoration and will make your home look and feel as if a puffback never even happened.

Call SERVPRO of Mid-Outer Cape Cod anytime at 508-778-7378 to set up your free estimate. From Mashpee to Provincetown, we’re on alert 24/7 for your emergency restoration needs.

Daylight Savings Time Ends!

11/4/2024 (Permalink)

Let Daylight Savings Time be a reminder to check your smoke detectors to keep your home & family safe this winter.

The official end of Daylight Savings Time is on Saturday, November 3rd at 2 a.m.  Since this is an annual event, it is a good practice to include checking your smoke detectors as you prepare for the colder, darker months ahead.  According to the National Fire Protection Agency, 3 out of 5 home fires resulting in a death did not have working smoke detectors.  The following should be included in your annual check list:

• Change the batteries:
  • Note: Hardwired detectors also have a backup battery that should be changed. If you lose power, the alarm will not work without the battery.
• Smoke detectors have an expiration date:
  • Check the manufacturer’s date on your smoke detector. Smoke alarms can begin to lose their sensitivity after about 10 years.
• Test the smoke sensors:
  • Pressing the test button will confirm if the battery and audible alarm is working. However, it will not confirm that the smoke sensor is working.
  • To test the sensors, use smoke alarm test spray which simulates smoke.  However, after 10 years, it is still a good idea to upgrade to the newer models.
• Do you have enough?
  • Smoke detectors should be on every level of the home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas.

Rodent Season is Here in Your Brewster Home!

10/27/2024 (Permalink)

Keep a look out in your Brewster home for rodent damage.

They may be cute but they are DESTRUCTIVE!  Tis' the season for mice & other rodents to look for winter shelter and a food source for the cold months ahead.

DID YOU KNOW?

Mice enter homes through cracks and holes found in walls, floors and foundations. Due to their body shape, mice are capable of fitting through areas much smaller than appear likely. Homeowners commonly do not recognize mouse holes until other signs of infestation appear. If you have a rodent infestation in your Brewster home, rest assured you are not alone! Each winter, mice and other rodents invade an estimated 21 million homes in the United States. 

• **CHECK your basement, garage, attics and crawlspaces for rodent droppings, wet insulation or odor.** 

What To Do If You Suspect A Rodent Issue In Your Brewster Home:

1. Find and Eliminate Entry Points. All it takes is a tiny hole for a rodent to enter your home.

 2. Set Mouse Traps. Mouse traps can help you catch and remove mice from your home.

 3. Remove Food Sources. Mice will eat anything, including pet food, that they can access. 

Some more severe rodent issues may require a professional pest control company to come in, evaluate and treat.  

Once the little buggers are gone...CALL SERVPRO of Mid-Outer Cape Cod at (508) 778-7378 and let our highly trained technicians clean and disinfect your home after these adorable but unwanted visitors. 

"Can I Use Bleach For My Yarmouth Home Mold Problem?"

10/27/2024 (Permalink)

Mold damage can happen to anyone, anywhere and at any time of year. Keep a look out for visible mold or musty odors in your Yarmouth home.

A common remedy for removing household mold is using one cup of bleach mixed with a gallon of water and scrubbing the mixture into visible spots of mold. However, this strategy doesn’t actually remove mold, but in reality, makes the issue worse. Here are a few reasons you should seek professional mold remediation instead of resorting to the bleach and water trick:

• Bleach Only Tackles Surface Mold: You can see right on the label for your household jug of bleach that it should be used on non-porous surfaces only. Mold growth on drywall and wood is deeply rooted into the pores of those surfaces, making bleach a useless mold removal tool.
• Bleach Will Cause More Problems Than It Solves: By adding unnecessary bleach to your home environment, all you’re doing is discoloring fixtures and clothing, building up toxic fumes and creating a damper environment. Needless to say, you’d also be wasting bleach that could be used for actual important purposes, such as whitening clothing and sanitizing solid surfaces (stone countertops, toilets, etc).
• Remediation Makes Sure That Mold STAYS Gone: Removing mold stains will only get rid of its appearance for a brief amount of time. The mold spots will come back larger and more toxic than before. By calling a restoration company, you’ll be saving time and money that could’ve been wasted on a more severe mold problem down the line

If your Yarmouth home or business is suffering from mold damage, call the mold remediation experts at SERVPRO of Mid-Outer Cape Cod. We’re on alert 24/7 for your emergency and non-emergency restoration needs. Call us at 508-778-7378 to set up your free estimate.

Prepare Your Chatham Home For Autumn

10/27/2024 (Permalink)

It is important to be proactive to protect your Chatham home from water damage.

Autumn in Chatham on Cape Cod is one of our best seasons! There is so much beauty around us as the foliage turns bright and colorful - sometimes even brighter than our signature-green SERVPRO® trucks! But it also brings transitional weather: colder temperatures, the peak months of our hurricane season, and sometimes an early freeze.  While the snow and ice of winter are still, hopefully, further down the calendar the shift from summer heat to cooler autumn weather presents certain seasonal conditions that may impact your home.

Here are some tips to prevent potential water damage:

• Take proactive steps to safeguard your home against water damage from severe storms or hurricanes that may occur in fall. Have the roof inspected for loose or deteriorating shingles. Cut back any limbs vulnerable to breakage during high winds that can damage the roof or walls. Use caulking or spray foam insulation to seal openings in exterior walls such as around vents or other points of entry to the house around pipes or conduits.
• Clean the gutters. Autumn leaves clog gutters and downspouts. When substantial rainfall occurs, gutters overflow and spill water down exterior walls, sometimes penetrating siding and infiltrating wall cavities. Indoor water damage and mold growth can result. Gutters should always be cleaned from a sturdy ladder, not by standing on the roof! Hire a professional if you are not comfortable working from a ladder.
• To prevent exterior water pipes from bursting when the weather gets below freezing, turn off the shut-off valves to exterior faucets. Run the water until the pipes are empty. Make sure all the water is drained from the pipe to prevent it from freezing which can cause it to crack or burst.

Whether you are a homeowner or a property manager, it is important to be proactive to prevent potential damage to your property. Damage may happen but if you use preventative measures, you can possibly help minimize the level of damage and lower the cost to repair or replace your property.

If your home or business experiences any type of water damage call SERVPRO® of Mid-Outer Cape Cod at 508-778-7378.  We are here to help!

Prevent Halloween Fires in your Mashpee Home

10/16/2024 (Permalink)

Prevention is the best defense against fire damage this Halloween.

Halloween is just around the corner, bringing ghosts, goblins & ghouls to your Mashpee doorstep, and allowing you the opportunity to break out your spooky Halloween decorations. All our communities in Barnstable County on Cape Cod love to decorate this time of year but it’s important to decorate safely and use best practices to avoid fire damage.

Did You Know? 2 out of every 5 Halloween fires happen because of improperly placed decorations? It’s best to ensure you avoid fire damage and restoration needs by utilizing the following simple tips.

How to Prevent Halloween Fires

1. Avoid Open Flames

Whether you’ve placed candles in jack-o-lanterns or luminaries, open flames pose a significant risk. Lit candles that are unsupervised can be accidentally knocked over and the flames can spread fast, particularly if they’re near flammable items.

Try using alternative methods to light up your home and yard.  Glow sticks & battery-operated candles are a great way to decorate safely. Always teach children to be aware of any open flames when trick or treating and encourage them to stay away from the flames.

2. Use Dried Decorations Sparingly

While open flames pose the greatest threat for fire damage, there are many other heat sources that can also start fires, particularly if they are surrounded by dried decorations like cornstalks, hay, or flowers. These types of items are flammable and can catch fire easily when placed too closely to high-wattage light bulbs or portable heaters.

Be sure to keep all dried decorations away from any heat source and use them sparingly to prevent accidents.

3. Keep Exit Routes Clear

Halloween fires can also occur from interior decorations like fake cobwebs and paper streamers decorating doorways and windows. This can make it more difficult to exit the home if a fire does break out.

Keep obstructive decorations out of doorways, hallways and windows leaving an open path to exit the home in the event of a fire. 

If you’ve experienced a fire in your Mashpee home and need restoration services, call SERVPRO of Mid-Outer Cape Cod. In addition to fire damage restoration services, our team also offers water and storm damage cleaning and restoration as well as mold remediation and rodent clean-up. To learn more about our services, visit us online or call (508) 778-7378.

Barnstable County 24 Hour Emergency Water Damage Service

10/7/2024 (Permalink)

our problem = Our Solution! SERVPRO of Mid-Outer Cape Cod provides 24 hour fire and water damage restoration service in Barnstable County.

SERVPRO of Mid-Outer Cape Cod is available 24 hours a day for water emergencies, large or small. When you are dealing with water damage, immediate action is crucial. A delay of just a few hours can greatly increase the severity of the water damage.

We Answer the Phone Ready to Help
Call Today - 508-778-7378

We understand that when you call us, you may be feeling confused, stressed, and vulnerable. You need an expert to guide you through this crisis. SERVPRO of Mid-Outer Cape Cod has the specific water damage training and experience to help you through this tough time. We specialize in water damage restoration—in fact, it's the cornerstone of our business.

What to Expect

When you call, we will ask several questions regarding your water damage emergency. These questions will help us determine what equipment and resources to bring, including how many trained SERVPRO professionals may be needed.

Our SERVPRO Representative will ask several questions:

• Your name and contact information
• Your insurance information (if applicable)
• The street address of the water-damaged home or business
• When did the flooding or water damage occur?
• What caused the water damage (if known)?
• Is there electricity available (on-site)?

About SERVPRO of Mid-Outer Cape Cod

SERVPRO of Mid-Outer Cape Cod specializes in the cleanup and restoration of residential and commercial property after a fire, smoke or water damage event. Our staff is highly trained in property damage restoration. From initial and ongoing training at SERVPRO’s corporate training facility to regular IICRC-industry certification, rest assured our staff is equipped with the knowledge to restore your property.

MEET OUR CREW:https://www.SERVPROmidoutercapecod.com/employee-photos

Why Choose SERVPRO® for Your Orleans Water Emergency?

8/19/2024 (Permalink)

When water damage happens in your home, call in the professionals at SERVPRO®. Our Team is available 24/7 for your water damage emergency.

There are some flooding situations that your buddy with a shop-vac just can’t fix. Taking care of a water damage situation yourself may sound like the cheaper and easier option, but it practically never is. What about the padding, the subfloor, the walls and the cupping floorboards? An emergency call to your local restoration company will not only take care of these headaches, but they will also work with your insurance company to make this as little of a financial strain as possible.

“So, When Should I Call SERVPRO®?”

Common water emergencies include, but aren’t limited to:

• Water removal from burst pipe, pipe blockage, etc.
• Water damaged contents such as furniture, artwork and appliances
• Needing moisture detection on a water-logged carpet
• Demolition/replacement of water damaged walls and fixtures

Next time you find yourself in a large water damage situation, call SERVPRO of Mid-Outer Cape Cod. We’re available 24/7 for your water emergency. Give us a call at 508-778-7378 and we’ll work with insurance to make it "Like it never even happened."