If there is a broken sewer line outside the home or in a crawl space under the home, the first step is to put on protective clothing such as waterproof boots, gloves, eye protection and clothes that are either water resistant or disposable. A dust mask should be worn when cleaning to avoid breathing airborne microorganisms. Plastic ground liners, surface contamination, and heavily contaminated soil should be removed from the impacted area if possible. The remaining contaminated soil should be treated in place with a liberal application of slaked lime to reduce odor and enhance degradation of the organic matter. If the contaminated area is in the open, it should either be covered with clean dirt or temporarily fenced off to prevent accidental contact with the lime and any remaining contamination. Excavated soils may be remediated onsite by treatment with slaked lime and tilled frequently to provide oxygen to the naturally occurring microbes in the soil that

degrade the organic material. If onsite treatment is not feasible, or if it can’t be accomplished without creating a nuisance condition, contaminated soils and other materials removed from the impacted area may be disposed at any landfill willing to accept them.

From temporary services to full reconstruction our Restoration professionals are the right choice when choosing a restoration company to put not only your home together but your life as well.

Though it seems simple, fire and smoke are complicated and you will need an expert to evaluate the situation. Smoke comes in four basic varieties. Wet Smoke is described as resulting from a low heat fire, dry Smoke results from a fast burning high temperature fire, protein smoke has an extreme pungent odor but is virtually invisible, and fuel oil soot smoke results from furnace currents. After you call in a fire damage restoration team, professionals will evaluate the smoke and fire damage. They will first target the type of smoke that has saturated your structure, which will help them determine the type of fire that has taken place and also to identify what type of restoration or replacement is needed. Many of these services are offered around the clock because there is no time to waste, so when disaster strikes, don’t let the crispy remains of your home weigh you down.

Clean water that is visibly clear and possesses little or no odor. If you smell any type of fecal matter or urine, your water is either category 2 or 3. Common sources of category 1 water is water supply lines such as dishwasher lines, refrigerator / ice maker pipes, sink water lines, and hot water lines used for hot water home heating. Broken appliances such as a dishwasher or hot water heater also fall under the category of clean water.

Michigan Water Damage Category 2 (Grey Water) -

Grey water is also visibly clear for the most part. However, it often has a slight to mild foul odor that is noticeable when in the affected area. This water damage must be treated with much more caution than the clean water mentioned above. Sources of category 2 grey water commonly include a failed sump pump or overflowed toilet.

Michigan Water Damage Category 3 (Black Water) -

Black water is the most dangerous of all water damage. It is a filled with bacteria and is a breeding ground for harmful contaminants, including bacteria and mold producing organisms. All materials affected by black water damage must be handled with extreme caution, removed from the residence, and discarded of immediately. Black water commonly comes from failed ejector pumps, broken sewage lines, water from streams, rivers or seas, and any standing water. Any water with visible fecal matter is most definitely black water. Once again, all materials affected with black water must be carefully but promptly discarded.

1. Be SAFE

Before starting off the cleanup of the wet carpet, make sure that you have the needed safety paraphernalia on.Use hand gloves to avoid any contact with carpets submerged in flood waters. As you may very well know, flooding causes the carpets to be stained with germs and bacteria. If you clean the carpet with bare hands, you will only be exposing yourself to various diseases. You can also wear a safety mask to avoid inhaling germs that may be transported through the air. It is very important to practice safety when cleaning your wet carpet. While attending to your house is critical, you should put a lot of premium on your health.

2. ASSESS

Assess the situation of your carpet. Check if most of the parts are wet. How you will proceed with the drying will depend on how damaged the wet carpet is.

If it has only been slightly wet by the unwanted waters, you can just leave it there to dry. If, however, it has been submerged, you have to do more extensive drying and cleaning.

3. VACUUM and air dry

Use a vacuum to remove the water in the carpet. Make sure that you vacuum extensively so that you are able to cover all the affected areas. If you have electric fans and dehumidifiers in your house, you can use these to dry the wet carpet fast. Make sure that the electric equipments are plugged in outlets which have not been affected by the water damage to avoid any electrocution.

Take off the carpet from the tacks so you can dry them outdoors. You can lay down the carpet in the driveway or the patio. Make sure that the carpet is laid down flat and free from wrinkles or waves so that when it dries, it is in its proper form. Look for a location where the carpet will be most exposed to the sun and wind. This will reduce the time required for drying the wet carpet.

4. EVALUATE

After the carpet has been completely dried, check for any potential growth of molds. Clean and deodorize the carpet if necessary. You can wash the carpet with detergent and disinfectant and repeat the drying process if you want it to be completely clean and germ-free.

Mold is one of the top hazards encountered during flood restoration. Areas that have been wet for more than 48 hours will start sprouting mold. Get any items that have been wet for more than two days outside the house before continuing with the flood restoration—even if your insurance claims adjuster has not yet reviewed your property. Surfaces that cannot be moved outside should be cleaned and disinfected thoroughly as soon as possible.

The first step to flood restoration is to make sure that your utilities are turned off. Do not stand in water to turn your utilities off. If that situation is inevitable, call the utility company first, even if it delays the flood restoration. Next, your flood restoration professional will remove any standing water from your home. Standing water can breed disease and destroy your home’s structural integrity. Your flood restoration professional will use industrial wet vacuums, drying chemicals and other tools to complete the process.

If mold does grow on such carpeting (and it is not unusual), it is because of the organic matter that has accumulated in it. If one uses deep extraction cleaning one can save a carpet even it is already fuzzy. I know of a couple of such cases in school and other buildings where carpeting was successfully remediated and thus saved.

When carpet is cleaned after a flood, many remediators/cleaners apply a biocide as a final cleaning procedure. These usually work very well and post-cleaning airborne spore counts are very low.
These symptoms are not typical of mold. In one case (not a school) I measured significant concentrations of acrolein, a potent mucous membrane irritant. Some common biocides work by producing formaldehyde as a decomposition product. Some contain 50% glutaraldehyde, a very potent mucous membrane and pulmonary irritant.

The use of biocides for post -flooding remediation is problematic. It virtually eliminates the potential for mold growth and human exposure. However, some biocides may pose exposure risks of their own. In most cases it is not easy to tell whether a particular biocide will pose a human exposure concern or not