Understanding the Categories of Water Damage in Your Hyannis Home

1/23/2025 (Permalink)

Water damage may look "clean" but may not actually be clean. Only the source will tell.

Just like any other mess, some water related incidents are larger than others. However, it’s not just the size of a water incident that determines how dire the situation is. Water incidents are broken up into three categories of severity. As a home or business owner, it’s important to be aware of these categories so swift and careful action can be taken to restore the property to its pre loss condition.

What kind of water damage emergency are you dealing with?

• Category 1: “Clean Water”. When a clean water supply line (such as a faucet, etc.) breaks or leaks, it is considered a category 1 water emergency. Depending on variables such as temperature and contact with contaminants, a category 1 situation can escalate to a category 2 or 3.

• Category 2: “Gray Water”. When flood water crosses the line into being contaminated and hazardous for human ingestion, it is considered category 2. This could include water from a washer machine, dishwater, etc. However, category 2 isn’t severe enough to include water infested with feces or harmful chemicals. If a category 2 flood is left untreated for long enough, it can develop into a category 3 situation.

• Category 3: “Black Water”. Flood waters that are considered, “grossly unsanitary” fall into category 3. This includes, but is not limited to, water that has started microbial growth, water with feces or natural flood waters from a river/stream. All contact with black water should be avoided and needs professional mitigation. If ingested, black water may cause serious adverse health effects.

If you find yourself in a water damage emergency and you are not sure how severe the damage is or can become, call our Team of professionals.  We are available 24/7/365 for all water emergencies, large or small.  We will help you identify the severity of the water damage and begin the mitigation process as quickly as possible.  SERVPRO of Mid-Outer Cape Cod is here to help! Call us at 508-778-7378

Water Mitigation in West Yarmouth

1/22/2025 (Permalink)

Our professional team and state-of-the-art equipment will dry out your home after a water damage emergency quickly & efficiently.

This West Yarmouth home had a major water leak in their bathroom. Water traveled under the floors all throughout the home. Like many homeowners in the same or similar situation, they noticed oddly warped flooring through the house, indicating a possible water leak seeping under the floors. We had to tear up the flooring and undergo extensive water mitigation. Using dehumidifiers, AirMax Air Movers and our own exclusive treatment products, we were able to perform a fast and effective mitigation process. To avoid ending up in this scenario, be aware of the tell-tale signs of water leakage:

• Visible mold
• Stains and discolorations on painted surfaces
• Warped flooring
• Dank/musty odors
• Higher than usual water bill, possibly pointing out a leak

From Mashpee to Provincetown, we're on alert 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for your water mitigation emergency. If you find yourself in a similar situation, call SERVPRO of Mid-Outer Cape Cod.  We are Here to Help®!

How SERVPRO will Handle Your Water Damage Emergency in Your Dennis Home

1/11/2025 (Permalink)

When you find yourself in a water emergency, TRUST our Team to get your life back as quickly as possible. WE ARE HERE TO HELP!

Stumbling upon a flooded basement or a water-logged living room carpet is always nerve wracking and surprising. When someone finds themselves in this situation, they’re typically at a loss when it comes to what to do first. With countless reconstruction and restoration companies on Cape Cod, how do you choose the right one when time is of the essence?

What do you want from a restoration company?

When looking for an emergency restoration company, you want one that is:

• quick to arrive
• will restore instead of replacing items in your home
• will get your life back to normal as soon as possible.

SERVPRO of Mid-Outer Cape Cod can do all of this and more. Here are some reasons SERVPRO® is your one-stop shop for all things water restoration:

We Arrive Faster Than the Rest: Unlike the competition, SERVPRO® is ready for your emergency call 24/7. Almost immediately after your call, a full, professional crew will gear up and get ready to take care of your emergency within 24 hours.

We’ll Save You Money Compared to the Reconstruction Companies: Reconstruction companies will keep you waiting for weeks, letting damage set in further, causing more work to be done. The first 24 hours of a water emergency are the most important in terms of properly repairing your property.  Also, reconstruction companies will replace nearly everything effected by the water damage. At SERVPRO®, we aim to restore damaged items and fixtures rather than replacing them. This saves the customer a great deal of money and helps to make their home look as if the water damage never even happened.

We’ll Get You Back Home ASAP: Our fast response times and efficient cleanup methods will have you back home in no time. We also restore water damaged contents, meaning you don’t have to lose your important belongings after a water disaster. With our advanced contents inventory system, we’ll make sure nothing of importance is forgotten or left behind, making your house feel like a home again.

If your Cape Cod home or business is in need of water restoration, SERVPRO of Mid-Outer Cape Cod is on alert 24/7 for your needs. Give us a call at 508-778-7378 to set up a free estimate or to get emergency assistance within 24 hours.

Leave Puffback Restoration in Your Yarmouth Home to the Professionals

12/28/2024 (Permalink)

Soot and smoke damage can look like cobwebs. Don't mistake the two. Smoke damage can be permanent if not cleaned properly.

Ever notice black soot near your furnace? How about black residue on your walls, ceiling or surrounding heating vents? If so, the last thing you should do is grab a rag and household cleaner because this may be a telltale sign of a puffback.

At SERVPRO of Mid-Outer Cape Cod, we’re all for homeowners and business owners saving money wherever they can. However, skimping out on puffback restoration will cause permanent damage to walls, ceilings, floors, appliances and just about everything else inside your property. Soot from a furnace puffback most often spreads to every surface in the building, even if the soot isn’t visible to the naked eye. If not treated correctly, your property and your own personal health may be at stake.

So, you may be wondering, “How exactly does SERVPRO® treat smoke and puffback damage?” First of all, we test most every surface in your home for smoke and soot particulates. 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 not tested correctly by a professional, parts of your home or business that you wouldn’t expect to be damaged could deteriorate before your eyes. Furthermore, through use of patented cleaners and chemical sponges, SERVPRO removes puff back damage thoroughly and permanently.

If your home or commercial property is in need of fire restoration or smoke damage removal, Call SERVPRO of Mid-Outer Cape Cod. Call us to set up a free estimate. We’ll create a plan of attack that’ll leave your property looking and feeling "Like it never even happened."

Decorate Your Yarmouth Home Safely This Holiday Season

12/12/2024 (Permalink)

All it takes is a dry tree and an electrical spark to turn your Holidays from magic to tragic. Avoid fire damage this season with these simple tips.

Did you know that more than 1 out of every 5 Christmas tree fires are caused by the tree being placed too close to a heat source?

Something about Christmas Trees and Holiday lights brings a warm and magical feeling to the Holiday Season.  That magic can quickly turn tragic if a fire breaks out and sets your home and belongings ablaze.

To avoid a fire emergency, follow these Christmas Tree safety tips and enjoy the magic of this Holiday Season safely.

• Make sure your Christmas tree is at least 3 feet away from heat sources like fireplaces, radiators, space heaters, candles or heat vents.
• A dry tree can burn very hot and very fast! Be sure to keep your tree adequately watered.
• Trim the stump at least 2” on freshly cut trees to allow it to absorb the water.
• DO NOT overload light strands or electrical wall sockets.
• Check all light strands for missing bulbs, broken or frayed wires.
• Always turn off tree lights when leaving home or going to bed.

If smoke or fire damage happens in your home, call our Team of professional, highly trained technicians to the rescue.  We are available 24/7/365 to help you!  Call us today.

Removing Smoke Odor From Your Dennis Home

12/8/2024 (Permalink)

Smoke damage in your home may require a professional team to remediate.

Even after the flames of a house fire have long been put out, smoke damage and odors will continue to linger for quite some time. If not properly treated, smoke odor could persist in your home for years, acting as a constant reminder of an incident you’d rather forget. Everything in your home, from floor to ceiling, absorbs an enormous amount of smoke damage after a fire. Follow these helpful tips for removing smoke damage odors from every surface in your home.

Carpeting

• Baking Soda: Heavily pour baking soda on all carpeting with smoke odors and let it sit for around 12 hours. After the baking soda has had time to settle in, vacuum it up with a hepa filter-equipped vacuum cleaner.
• Steam Cleaning: If baking soda doesn’t do the trick, steam cleaning just might remove the odors. If all else fails, hire a professional mitigation company

Ceiling

• Use a Chemical Sponge: Use a dry-cleaning sponge to wipe away ceiling soot damage. This is an essential step before applying any sort of wet cleaning agent. Use a wiping motion to remove stains rather than using scrubbing motions as this may cause the damage to further set in.

General

• Air Out the House: Open all windows in the building. Be sure to place fans in all windows to circulate fresh air throughout the home.
• Appliance Cleaning: When it comes to cleaning appliances after they suffer smoke damage, its highly recommended that you seek a professional service to restore them. If they are self-restored improperly, the damage will likely set in permanently. Many restoration companies, such as SERVPRO®,
   offer contents restoration.
• Documents and Photographs: While not all documents can be saved from smoke damage, there are a few professional options to attempt to restore them. These options include air drying, dehumidification, freezer drying, vacuum freeze drying, and vacuum thermal drying. Again, documents and photographs should not be restored through amateur attempts out of risk of destroying them.

If your home suffers from severe smoke damage and needs professional restoration, trust SERVPRO of Mid-Outer Cape Cod to get the job done right. From Mashpee to Provincetown, SERVPRO® is on alert 24/7 for your call. Call us today for your smoke and fire damage emergency.

The SERVPRO® Difference

12/7/2024 (Permalink)

When water, fire, smoke or mold disasters hit your home or business, WE ARE HERE TO HELP®!

Why SERVPRO of Mid-Outer Cape Cod Stands Out From The Rest?

When trying to explain why SERVPRO of Mid-Outer Cape Cod stands out from the rest, we think our customers say it best!

"A flooded basement in the middle of the night brought a professional crew to my door at 2 a.m. to pump the water and start the drying process! The crews are professional and fast! You won't be disappointed!" - Kathleen Frances.

Read other customer testimonials here

We understand that when a water pipe breaks and floods your basement or when a fire breaks out and all of your valued possessions are covered in soot, is a very stressful and emotional time for a family or business. We value and treat our customers homes and belongings as if they were our own. We know that a fast response to disaster situations can save homes and treasured contents that may otherwise be lost.

Why Mitigation Over Reconstruction?

Our Team knows that mitigating a disaster is more cost-effective than reconstructing after a disaster strikes.  Mitigation, whether it be in response to water, fire, smoke or mold damage, saves weeks or even months of repair work and countless amounts of money that would have been wasted on replacing items and structures that could have easily been saved.  Our crew of professional technicians have the training, the skills, the state-of-the art equipment and the products to restore the damage in your home that at the time may seem destroyed and beyond repair. 

Our goal is to be the FASTEST and be the BEST at saving your home or business from water, fire, smoke or mold damage.  We strive to be the Team that you can count on when disaster strikes from Mashpee to Provincetown, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  Call us today. We will be there to help!

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.