Certain Rooms of Seal Beach Homes Are Prone to Mold Damage

5/14/2023 (Permalink)

Dealing with mold damage in your home can be difficult. Call SERVPRO to be your partner during this difficult time. Our technicians are standing by.

Remediating Mold Damage in Your Seal Beach House

An unfortunate aspect of home ownership is contending with situations like mold growth when moist conditions exist in your house. The presence of mold is alarming and concerning, spreading quickly to hosting materials in the affected space to be an overwhelming growth. Certain rooms are more prone to this damage than others,  but our SERVPRO team is ready to remediate the infestation.

Where is the Mold?

Mold damage in Seal Beach homes can occur in many areas. Understanding where to expect these colonies can make this part of a routine property inspection. With many local homes contending with high humidity and water damages from severe weather, understanding what rooms are likely to show mold points to where your search should focus:

• Bathroom
• Attic
• Crawlspace
• Kitchen
• Garage

Remediation Experts Are a Phone Call Away

Once you suspect mold, remediation should begin immediately. AMRT- Certified professionals can reach the structure fast after the first notice of loss and complete initial mitigative steps. Containment is critical at this stage, keeping active spores from finding new homes on materials in adjoining rooms.

Remediation takes multiple forms, from surface cleaning to media blasting. We evaluate the property's needs based on the infestation's severity, the damage's location, and the salvageability of hosting materials.

Completing Needed Repairs to Prevent Mold's Return

With a general contractor license, our SERVPRO team is ready to help with repairs and build-back services necessary. For example, overcoming moisture concerns often relies on sealing structural vulnerabilities, repairing plumbing leaks, or completing other rebuilding forms.

The threat of mold damage is significant in your home or business. SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress professionals can respond fast to help from our nearby location. Call our team at (562) 431-9400.

You Need the Pros to Deal with Mold Damage in Seal Beach

4/13/2023 (Permalink)

Count on the technicians at SERVPRO to assist with any mold damage in your Seal Beach home.

How SERVPRO Technicians Ensure Safety While Cleaning Mold Damage in Seal Beach Homes?

Mold damage in your Seal Beach home can affect you in various ways. An unaddressed mold situation can quickly get out of hand and might even cause structural damage to your property. Also, safety should be paramount while dealing with it.   

Professionals like SERVPRO have the training and experience to safely handle mold damage in your Seal Beach home. One of the prime objectives during the remediation process is to prevent the release of spores, fragments, and dust from surfaces into the indoor air. It is crucial to control air movement from a contaminated area to unaffected areas of the building as it can carry airborne spores and spread the contamination.

Establishing Containment During Mold Remediation

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the first line of defense should be engineering controls to ensure safety while dealing with mold. Some of the engineering controls that can enhance the safety of the operation include-

• Erecting isolation barriers
• Creating pressure differentials
• Suppressing dust formation and aerosolization
• HEPA vacuuming and filtration

In most situations of fungal damage, SERVPRO technicians build a structural enclosure to separate the microbe-affected area from the unaffected area in your Seal Beach home. SERVPRO technicians use PVC pipes, wood framing, or spring-loaded expansion poles to build an enclosure covered with 6-mil polyethylene sheeting. These structural supports are not always necessary if the technicians can securely attach the isolation barrier to walls and ceilings. SERVPRO always uses fire-retardant polyethylene material with a flame spread rating of 25 or less to minimize fire hazards.

The restoration industry often refers to isolation barriers as 'critical barriers.' They may be used to isolate portions of buildings, mechanical systems like HVACs, and other openings in the structure.

Using Airflow to Maximize Safety and Efficiency of Restoration

Controlling the airflow between the microbe-contaminated and uncontaminated portions of the structure is crucial for the safety and efficacy of the remediation process. SERVPRO technicians use Air Filtration Devices (AFDs) to achieve this goal.

When technicians use AFDs to create negative pressure within the affected area, they are called Negative Air Machines (NAMs). A series of filters in the AFDs can filter the air removing airborne spores and particles of mold from the air.

For instance, the primary and secondary filters in AFDs prevent the overloading of the primary HEPA filter, which can remove 99.97% particles greater than 0.3 microns.

Apart from the HEPA vacuum systems, SERVPRO technicians also use standard wet-dry or canister vacuum systems during the restoration process. However, they are used only in specific circumstances, including:

• Vacuuming outdoors that too with appropriate precautions for preventing worker, occupant, or public exposure
• Used in high-volume laminar-airflow cleaning chambers
• When the exhaust from the vacuum system is vented outside the building
• In situations where the aerosolized particles they exhaust don't create exposure issues, or the particles can be adequately contained with engineering controls

SERVPRO takes a lot of effort to ensure that mold remediation is safe and efficient. Our goal is to restore your home “Like it never even happened.”

If you suspect that you might have contamination issues in your home, call SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress at (562) 431-9400; our trained technicians are always ready to answer any questions you might have.

Mold Damage Affects Various Materials In Cypress Homes In Different Ways

8/10/2022 (Permalink)

When cleaning your Cypress residence, you might come across areas with mold damage.

Mold Damage Affects Various Materials

Your home in Cypress contains many different materials. These might include standard drywall, a variety of flooring types, wooden trim, natural stone or brick, rough or smooth cement, and concrete blocks, among many others. Keeping them in good condition helps extend their lifespans and reduces the need for repairs.

When cleaning your Cypress residence, you might come across areas with mold damage. While small rooms or an individual item can often come clean with a bit of elbow grease, more extensive areas or multiple items should receive professional remediation. SERVPRO’s technicians can provide the services necessary to make everything “Like it never even happened” for you. We not only remove damaged areas, but we also clean mold away from other surfaces before damage can begin.

On hard surfaces, mold feeds on dust and dirt that builds up over time. On porous items, the same also occurs, but the make-up of the item in question can also feed microbes. Such microbial activity leads to the destruction of such materials, albeit at a relatively slow but steady pace in most situations. Because soil, dirt, and cellulose alone cannot provide a suitable environment for mold damage to happen, we know that moisture also plays a vital role in its occurrence. Existing moisture can also increase the destruction of different materials inside your home.

Carpeting, wood floors, drywall, and paneling are only a few of the more common porous materials in your residence. Those with fibers might seem to experience dry rot and reveal an abundance of dust when disturbed. Other materials might experience the development of holes and stains. When we must replace materials, we remove only the damaged area, keeping costs as low as possible for our customers.

Clothing, stuffed toys, books, and furniture, in addition to many other contents found inside, can also become host to microbial infestation. Mold and mildew damage to these items can leave them unusable because of the tiny holes made by the infestation, as well as staining. Laundering these items can leave your washing machine contaminated.

Damp areas of your home, especially in dark places with little airflow, can harbor mold colonies that continually spread spores to other areas of your property. Professional remediation of these and other contaminated areas by our qualified technicians protects your entire property. Call SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress at (714) 236-9599, so we can remediate mold damage before it can worsen.

Hire SERVPRO for Fire Damage Restoration in Your Seal Beach Home

7/13/2022 (Permalink)

House fires mean smoke and soot residues. SERVPRO is your fire damage restoration one-stop-shop.

Fire Damage Restoration in Seal Beach Entails Skill

It is an emotionally wrenching experience to see your home burn. Despite the trauma, you must act fast after extinguishing the fire to prevent further damage like rainwater getting into your house and mold growth. 

SERVPRO is ready to assist you with all aspects of fire damage restoration in your Seal Beach residence. We can restore your home safely and effectively. Save money, time, and the headache of attempting to navigate through the fire repair process alone. We offer various services, including:

• Securing the property
• Assessing the damage
• Water extraction and drying
• Cleaning 
• Reconstruction

Securing the Property

To prevent weather damage and vandalism, or SERVPRO crew can board up your home using plywood and install roof tarps. 

Assessing the Damage 

Our technicians can inspect all the rooms to assess the fire, water, ash, and smoke damage. 

Water extraction and drying

It is critical to dry your home quickly to prevent additional damage like mold growth and deterioration of porous materials. We can use extraction equipment to remove the water. Our SERVPRO crew can dry affected surfaces using air movers and dehumidifiers. The air that flows from air movers reflects off surfaces and walls, circulating air and enhancing evaporation. As moisture evaporates from the home into the air, dehumidifiers eliminate it from the air. 

Cleaning 

Performing cleaning and repair means eliminating smoke residues and smoke odors. Smoke residues can cause the discoloration of walls and appliances, among other surfaces. Continued permanent damage might also occur because of the acidic residues a fire leaves behind. Our SERVPRO team can use air and fluids to release and carry soils away. Fluids and air carry suspended particles within them upon contact. Our team can use dissolving and vacuuming to contact soils and carry them off for disposal. We can use thermal foggers to neutralize smells. 

Reconstruction

We can take steps to repair or replace damaged structures. For instance, we can replace damaged wallboard and carpeting. 

When you need fire damage restoration services, contact SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress at (714) 236-9599 for help. We can make the fire damage seem “Like it never even happened.” 

Wet Conditions in Homes Under Construction in Seal Beach Call for Mold Removal Professionals

7/13/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO Remediates Mold Infestations--Even at New Seal Beach Construction Sites

SERVPRO Provides First Rate Mold Remediation for All Types of Construction

Before being listed for sale, every newly constructed home must pass several inspections. Whenever microbial activity exceeds normal levels, regulations require eliminating the problem. Wet conditions from rain, plumbing mishaps or accidents, or even vandalism can all cause problems from exposing your new home's building materials to water.

A professional company experienced in internationally accepted mold removal procedures in Seal Beach can help keep the construction of your new home on schedule. Falling behind schedule can significantly increase building costs and impose unexpected hardships. We at SERVPRO are devoted to helping those in our community. One way we do this is always to restore the homes we work on to a safe condition. One of the ways we do this is by removing mold and other microbial problems found in homes, both established and those still under construction. 

Our IICRC trained team is Faster To Any Size Disaster; we know that speed in our arrival time and the rate we work saves our customers money and inconvenience. While mold removal entails different steps, we can usually concentrate on the wooden beams in homes still under construction without the need to attend to any finished walls. However, if some do exist, we can easily handle those. Just as the mold is exceptionally persistent, we are unrelenting in achieving our goals of protecting your home. 

The mold removal methods depend on how deeply the mold's hyphae penetrate the wood. For new infestations, brushing off may suffice. Deeper penetrations require blasting with dry ice pellets or manual removal with wire brushes. Treating the wood with an antimicrobial agent provides the framework of your home with long-lasting protection. 

We always clean up afterward, so construction crews can get back to work immediately after we finish. We can provide your builder with before and after readings of microbial activity. We can also make some assessments on-site if you desire. Doing so can put your mind at ease and detect possible mold or water damage problems.

SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress wants to partner with all new and established homeowners in our community. Together, we can ensure that your home remains a safe and comfortable place to live for years to come. Call us for our services, which are always available, at (714) 236-9599.

Experts Provide Fire Restoration Services in Seal Beach

3/17/2022 (Permalink)

Grease fires are particularly hard to clean. Don't DIY. Call SERVPRO!

Seal Beach SERVPRO Is Always a Phone Call Away for Fire Damage Restoration

When a fire breaks out at your house, you need to work with someone who cares about you and your home. Effective remediation services are not just about using advanced technology and getting the job done. You deserve people who care about you, your family, and your happiness during your time of need. 

Fortunately, here at SERVPRO, our fire restoration experts in Seal Beach care about giving you the best service we practically can. Our goal is always to feel like a neighbor you can rely on. When it comes to us, you can expect: 

• Compassionate services, understanding of your unique situation. 
• Industry-grade equipment and highly trained technicians.
• Our help no matter what time you need it: 3 PM or 3 AM

For example, your kitchen had a small stove fire while cooking supper. A grease fire began, and like many people are told to, you tried to put it out using water. However, grease fires become worse with water involved. The fire burned for several more minutes before you used an extinguisher, and damages were left behind. At SERVPRO, our technicians can use advanced technology to: 

• Remove caked-on soot from your stove, countertops, cupboards, and exhaust range.
• Use thermal foggers and carbon-filtered air scrubbers to remove scent-causing particles from the air. 
• Clean up the remnants of the fire extinguishment. 
• Use priming paints to lock odors and seal them away.

Our SERVPRO team wants to make sure that you don't have to think about the fire that happened in your home again. "Like it never even happened."

If you need fire restoration help, call us now! Reach out to SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress by calling (562) 431-9400. We're ready to help you

If the Mold Is Removed, Will It Return to Properties in Seal Beach?

1/27/2022 (Permalink)

Don't ignore those mold patches in your Seal Beach basement--call SERVPRO for remediation

SERVPRO advises contracting professional mold remediation

Mold Removal in Seal Beach

When consumers find a mold infestation in Seal Beach, many ignore it or wash the surface they find it on with soap and water or vinegar. They are not too worried about the mold or the damage that it might cause to the structure or even their health.

SERVPRO has provided mold and water removal services to homes and companies in Seal Beach and surrounding areas for over 20 years. Our experience has been that where there is mold, there is usually a moisture problem. The combination of mold and water can, over time, destroy structures, drywall, and cupboards made from pressed wood, and yes, it will return if there is a source of moisture.

Mold spores are always present in the air outside as well as inside our homes and businesses. Maintaining a clean and dry space prevents mold from growing. Once you smell that stale, musty odor, there is a mold/moisture issue.

SERVPRO has found the proper way to manage a mold situation is:

• Remove the source of the moisture – small leaks or condensation are common
• Remove damaged materials and structures supporting mold colonies
• Apply anti-fungal and antimicrobial chemicals before restoring the area.

Can’t We Ignore the Mold?

Many clients do ignore small patches of mold or perhaps attempt to wash the affected surface. Unfortunately, as long as there is a moisture source, the fungi can continue to remain and grow. Clients who ignore the situation may have to deal with the following:

• Mold can cause health effects.
• Ongoing moisture or water leaks can compromise the structural integrity of building structures
• There may be an unpleasant stale, musty odor

Our SERVPRO IICRC-trained Applied Microbial Remediation Technicians can help track the origin of moisture, supporting mold growth in your home or business. We provide mold remediation and restoration services to prevent the return of mold infestations.

Call SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress (714) 236-9599 for help with flood damage to your residential home.

How Does Cleaning Help Professionals Resolve Mold Damage in Seal Beach Homes?

12/14/2021 (Permalink)

Proper planning is essential to guarantee the right outcome when remediating mold.

SERVPRO Cleans Properties to Remove Residues and Manage Air Quality Among Other Things

After noticing mold contamination in your Seal Beach property, you need to take different steps, including cleaning to restore to the preloss conditions. It is easy to misunderstand the role cleaning plays in the process, leading to unsatisfactory results. 

Knowing the cleaning needed helps you address mold damage in your Seal Beach home property so that we can utilize the right resources. It also allows for better scheduling of the other remediation processes. When Applied Microbial Remediation Technicians (AMRT) from SERVPRO inspect your property, we establish contamination levels and, thus, what else needs to be done apart from cleaning contaminated areas. 

Cleaning Moldy Surfaces Takes Care of:

• Mold colony masses
• Settled spores
• Dust and other light residues

Proper planning is essential to guarantee the right outcome because of the wide variety of residues to remove from the contaminated areas. If the contamination is light, removing settled spores and light mold colonies is the main task. Cleaning procedures like HEPA vacuuming surfaces are sufficient. In severe contamination, there is a need to remove any heavily infested porous materials. 

The approach used when cleaning matters. Unlike regular soils, mold requires unique methods for maximum effectiveness in removing it from the property in all its forms.

Helpful Cleaning Techniques Include:

• Cleaning in the direction of airflow
• Cleaning surfaces starting from the top towards the bottom
• Scheduling different cleaning rounds with a pause between each session to allow particles to settle

Taking such deliberate steps helps remove all mold residues from the structure. SERVPRO helps improve the outcome by providing the necessary resources to address any challenges. For instance, negative air machines help establish one direction of airflow. On the other hand, air filtration devices remove particulate matter from the air, reducing the number of cleaning rounds needed. We also have dehumidifiers with limited airflow that help dry contaminated areas without blowing residues all over the property.

SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress cleans properties after mold damage making it, “Like it never even happened.” Call us at (714) 236-9599.

Why Hire SERVPRO in Seal Beach to Handle Flood Damage Cleanup and Repair?

10/13/2021 (Permalink)

Storm and flood damage mitigation is no easy task. SERVPRO has the manpower and experience for every phase in storm damage restoration.

SERVPRO Has the Training and Skill to Ensure Your Seal Beach Property Is "Like it never even happened."

When you have any flood damage to your Seal Beach home, you may wonder whether or not you can handle the cleanup on your own. Rather than taking more time than necessary with DIY, which could lead to costly damage or mold growth, hiring skilled restoration professionals gets the job done faster. Why SERVPRO? Because our team knows that flooding is stressful and leads to challenges that everyday homeowners do not know how to address. We can get to work right away so that you have less worry and your home gets back to normal – We’re Faster to Any Size Disaster!

Why Rely on Our Skill and Experience for Handling Flood Damage in Seal Beach?

Emergency flood damage assistance for your Seal Beach home is flooded calls for a multi-step process that has to start right away for you to get the best results. Our crew knows how to:

• Craft a workable process to help avoid secondary damage
• Begin water removal services with powerful pumps and extraction tools
• Treat surface areas for contamination
• Work on the placement of industrial fans and air movers to facilitate drying and restore relative humidity (RH)
• Address the potential for structural damage that may have developed during the flood
• Perform flood cuts and other controlled demolition to repair and replace unsalvageable building materials. 

When dealing with flood damage and waiting for us to wrap up the flood restoration project, the last thing anyone wants is the additional headache of dealing with your insurance company. We take the time to handle all inventory, paperwork, and communication with your insurance provider to ensure everything goes smoothly with your claim from start to finish. 

If you want to know more about flood damage restoration or why you should work with our team at SERVPRO of Seal Beach/Los Alamitos/Cypress, give us a call at (562) 431-9400.

The Importance of Mold Remediation For Your Seal Beach Home

9/24/2021 (Permalink)

Mold can be a serious issue in your home. Don't let mold take over. Call SERVPRO for help today.

Need Help Removing Moisture and Mold from Your Property? Call SERVPRO

You might not be surprised to learn that your Seal Beach home is almost constantly at risk of mold and fungal growth. Spores of mold exist in the air you breathe, and these microscopic invaders are merely waiting for conditions to exist that allow them to thrive and grow. While this might not initially seem like that significant of a threat, the more that gets understood about mold exposure, the more linked it becomes to health effects that could impact your family.  

Finding a way to combat this mold damage in your Seal Beach residence is nothing that you should tackle on your own. From the need for personal protective equipment to the general ineffectiveness of conventional cleaning methods, mold remediation specialists are the best bet for conquering the present threat to your household. This process not only rids your home of its current growing mold colonies but also helps to find the source of the moisture that allowed the spores to thrive in the first place and correct this issue.  

Mold Inspections, Remediations, and Removal

From the moment that our SERVPRO professionals arrive at your house, we begin immediately sectioning off the affected areas where mold grows and working to prevent the spread of these spores to new areas of your home. This procedure typically gets achieved with the use of negative air chambers and air scrubbers with HEPA filters.  

Locating the source of the moisture in the area is a critical component of mold remediation for your home. By repairing these vulnerable areas, dehumidification is successful, and the conditions are no longer met to allow more mold spores to activate and grow in your home. There may be situations where the source cannot be determined by our SERVPRO technicians or is not simple to repair; dehumidification can be the process to prevent moisture through this area of your home.  

Mold remediation does not have to be an overwhelming or complicated experience. When you trust the specialists at SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress to help you remediate the damage, you can take a firm step towards reclaiming your home. Give us a call today at (562) 431-9400.

Why SERVPRO is the Best Choice In Seal Beach After Flood Damage

9/7/2021 (Permalink)

SERVPRO knows how your flooring can be damaged from flooding. We come prepared with the equipment your home needs after a flood occurs.

Identifying Hazards After Flooding in Seal Beach Homes

Flooding can create hazards out of otherwise normal circumstances and utility services present in your Seal Beach home. Recognizing these threats as they develop can help to reduce the severity of these conditions and their direct effect on the occupants of the house. When flooding situations are bad enough, it is unlikely that families can remain in their homes until some level of restoration is completed, which can often help these individuals to avoid the physical harm of encountering damaging hazards after this disaster.  

Safety is a genuine concern of our SERVPRO team for both our technicians and our customers, as recovering flood damage in Seal Beach homes rarely comes without potential pitfalls and dangers. Recognizing these threats is part of our initial scoping process for the job, meaning that we can develop strategies to address these concerns directly through restoration and cleanup or to avoid them until the appropriate time where cleaning and recovering the area would be a safer venture.

Contaminants 

Contaminated water is always a potential threat to natural flood damage scenarios. Rising waters can bring in mud and sediment, but also bacteria, germs, and other substances and solids deemed bio-hazardous. Muck-out after extraction can help address the bulk of these concerns, but more intricate cleaning is necessary to remove the threat entirely.

Structural Failures

When our SERVPRO estimator and project manager walk through the property, it is critical to notate saturated ceiling materials, drywall, and wet flooring materials. All of these could indicate areas where structural components could fail under the weight of heavier elements or after deterioration and decomposition.

Electric Shock

Electricity is one of the services that many homes could not do without, but it can also be one of the most harmful threats to a flooded house. Our professionals often sever all power to the property until we can manage standing water and moisture concerns enough to restore the electrical services safely.

Bystander Threats

Other people pushing their way onto the work area, such as the residents of the property who have been temporarily displaced or even intrusive neighbors, can not only hinder the process but become safety concerns, as well. To prevent this, we can install temporary fencing around the job site until restoration and reconstruction efforts complete.

Flooding can come with multiple hazards for a residence, but our SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress team can work through these conditions safely to get you back to preloss conditions fast. Give us a call today at (562) 431-9400.

Identifying Mold Damage in Your Cypress Home

5/20/2021 (Permalink)

Mold damage presents in many colors and grows very fast. Call SERVPRO at the first sight. We are standing by 24/7 for your emergency call.

Our Trained Technicians Determine the Root Cause of the Mold Infestation in Your Home

Many people have been universally led to believe that mold inside of your Cypress house is a common thing to see. While you are likely to encounter several instances of growing mold throughout your life, this is not something that you want to take too lightly when it comes to your own home. As common knowledge that mold can cause health effects, it stands to reason that leaving it around you could make you susceptible to them as well. 

Worse still, some people have no idea how to identify mold damage to their Cypress houses. While there are circumstances in which the presence of mold colonies is easy to see with the naked eye, this is not always the case. Colonies can grow quite large without drawing any attention whatsoever because the entirety of the organism (or hyphae) is still rooted deeply in the organic material or surface that the mold spore initially seated inside. 

A good indication of the presence of mold, whether you can physically see it or not, is the smell. There is an unmistakable musty odor that comes along with the presence of a mold colony. The scent only gets more formidable and robust the more massive the colonies grow and the farther they spread. If you smell this somewhere inside your house, the colony has already started to grow beyond what you can see. 

Our SERVPRO remediation specialists are IICRC Certified and know all about removing mold colonies and how to prevent the spread of spores, allowing the problem to continue in new areas. Our technicians can neutralize individual spores with negative air chambers and prevent them from reaching new colony sites. 

To prevent the smell from lingering in the area, our SERVPRO professionals utilize a deodorizing fogger to break down the foul odor molecules and leave no scent behind after the chemical reaction. 

While there are many ways that you can identify the presence of mold in your house, you can trust the SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress to help you get it under control. You can call us anytime at (562) 431-9400.

Are Mold Issues in a Home Permanent?

3/24/2021 (Permalink)

Mold damage presents in many colors and grows very fast. Call SERVPRO at the first sight. We are standing by 24/7 for your emergency call.

SERVPRO Can Dramatically Reduce Mold Issues in your Seal Beach Home through Expert Remediation

Coastal properties are more likely to be exposed to moist air and heavy rainfall. These factors can lead to mold growth in your home, which starts as microscopic spores and grows into larger colonies. Molds colonies can cause odor problems and use enzymes to break down organic compounds like sheetrock. 

The purpose of mold remediation in your Seal Beach home is to reduce spores' growth rate and remove infested materials. It is impossible to remove mold spores from the house altogether as these are a natural part of an indoor environment. The key is to reduce the growth rate of spores, which is most achievable by correcting your home's moisture problem. 

• Finding the source of damp spots is essential to reducing mold growth. These can be insufficient insulation, structural exposure, or plumbing issues.
• Correcting the moisture problem can involve controlling humidity using desiccant or refrigerant dehumidifiers. 
• Removing and disposing of infested materials is vital to controlling an overall microbial growth issue.

Protect your home from mold infestation. Contact SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress for mold remediation at (562) 431-9400.

Helping the Coastal Community of Seal Beach Deal with Mold

2/24/2021 (Permalink)

If mold is left unchecked, it can spread very quickly. Contact our IICRC certified mold damage remediation team for assistance today.

SERVPRO Keeps Fungus at Bay in this Charming Town

If you are looking for a relaxing beach getaway, look no further than Seal Beach. This tiny town of just 25,000 residents is situated close enough to bigger cities to give access to all the amenities, but far enough away that you will feel like you are on a seaside vacation.

Seal Beach dates back to the mid-nineteenth century when farmers and merchants from nearby Anaheim decided they wanted a port closer to where Anaheim Creek joins the Pacific Ocean. They built a landing, Anaheim Landing, that eventually grew up into a prosperous port town. The town was initially called Bay City, but after it fell on hard times, the mayor re-branded it as Seal Beach.

Even after the re-brand, the area had a somewhat checkered reputation. After the first World War, the town’s proximity to the sea and lack of strong police presence made it a favorite haunt of gamblers and rum smugglers.

These days, Seal Beach is a prosperous and popular town that combines old-world beachside charm with good eats, independent stores, a lively atmosphere, and a strong surfing culture. It is the ideal place to take a break away from it all.

There is Always Plenty to See and Do in Seal Beach

When you visit Seal Beach, you will not be short of things to enjoy. Why not start with:

• The Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge, where you can enjoy more than 900 acres of unspoiled wild land, including wetland and salt marshland. You might spot osprey, stingrays, sea turtles, monarch butterflies, and even endangered species such as Belding’s Savannah Sparrow and the California Least Tern.
• Seal Beach, where you can lounge on the sand and enjoy the sun or get active with windsurfing and diving. Amateurs and experienced surfers flock here, and if you need lessons, you will find M&M Surf School nearby.
• Brita’s Old Town Gardens is a small garden center and nursery – and it is well worth a visit. The tiny gated location is brimming with old-fashioned charm, and it is worth visiting just to stroll around and see all the unusual plants they keep here. Of course, if you are looking to buy some plants, advice is close at hand.
• Main Street, where you will find small boutiques, antique stores, and eclectic independent shops galore.

Do not forget to take a stroll down the Seal Beach Pier. It is free though you will need to bring coins if you want to use the periscopes. You can pass a peaceful hour here admiring the view and watching the fishermen at work.

Does Seaside Living Encourage Mold Growth?

No doubt living in a coastal community has many advantages, and the sea air and views are good for the soul. However, it is unfortunate that seaside living often means a more humid atmosphere, which can encourage fungal growth.

In order to grow, mold requires a food source, the correct temperatures, and light levels, oxygen, and moisture. Food sources include many household materials such as drywall, wood, carpets, and drapes.

When you call SERVPRO, we do not just look for visible signs of mold. We also:

• Measure humidity levels in the air.
• Look for damp patches on ceilings.
• Use probes to measure moisture in walls or under wooden floors.

For thorough mold remediation that relies on proper measurement and data, call SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress at (562) 431-9400.

Professional Water Damage Assistance to Affected Seal Beach Homes

12/9/2020 (Permalink)

Seal Beach has so much to offer. Don't let water damage spoil your fun, call SERVPRO!

SERVPRO Provides Seal Beach Property Owners with Professional Water Damage Restoration Services  

Seal Beach, a coastal city in Orange County, California, is home to 24,168 people according to the 2010 census, up from 24,157 in the 2000 census.

From the mid-1860s, the eastern area of the current Old Town Beach was known as Anaheim Landing, which became a convenient port to ship wine and receive supplies to build homes. The local government had created a warehouse and wharf on a bay where the Anaheim Creek joined with the Pacific Ocean. Merchants and farmers established the Anaheim town and settled there. After a few years, Anaheim Landing had increased its shipping volume, and it got close to rivaling San Pedro. In 1875, the railroad arrived at Anaheim. It made it easier to ship products compared to hauling wagons over 12 miles to the Landing.       

However, Anaheim's beaches and its landing surroundings had become popular by this time, and most people used it as a getaway from the hot summer days. According to Los Angeles newspapers, the area records an average permanent population of more than 400 during the summer and more on special days. The Landing also hosts several fishing boats throughout the year that fish in local fishing areas. The authorities registered the Anaheim Landing site as a California Historical Landmark.

The U.S Navy bought a massive chunk of land around Anaheim Landing during World War II in 1944. The Navy constructed a weapons station for unloading, storing, and loading ammunition on U.S Navy warships around San Diego and Long Beach. Since the area is closer to Northern California Concord Naval Weapons Station, it is the primary source of munitions for most U.S Pacific Fleet. After the arrival of the Navy, the population began to grow eventually.

Surfing in Seal Beach

Since 1913, Seal Beach has been the home of surfing. The town hosted the first mainland surfing competition in 1913, which at that time was a private annual Minnesota Picnic gathering. The popularity of surfing in the area took off when Blackie August, the legendary surfer, arrived after the war. He taught interested local kids how to surf. The legend's son Robert was among the surfers featured in "Endless Summer," the classic surf film. The first two national surfing championships went home with local legends Mike Haley and Jack Haley. 

The home of arts and culture

Among the most significant events in Seal Beach are the April Lions Club Pancake Breakfast and the Fish Fry event, which began in 1943. Since the 1960s, the Rough Water Swim event has been taking place the same weekend as the Fish Fry. Seal Beach Chamber of Commerce sponsors several occasions, including:

• Summer Concert series
• Classic Car show
• Christmas Parade
• Kite Festival

Since the year 2001, the Taste for Los AI, which takes place in October, has benefited activities at Los Alamitos High School. It is among the largest silent auction in the country, with over 100 tables.

Music

Seal Beach is also home to the record label Mash Down Babylon Records, operated out of The Elizabethan garage. Matt Embree, a lead vocalist and a guitarist in RX Bandits rock/post-hardcore band, founded the label.

Other places to visit in Seal Beach

On Electric Avenue, where the former railroad used to run, is a Red Car Museum. Included is a rehabilitated Red Car from the Pacific Electric Railway.  Back in the day, the Red Car trolley tracks passed through the town heading south to Newport Beach.

The town also hosts Bay Theatre, a popular place for revival screenings and independent film. However, the theater was shut down in 2012 and later purchased by Paul Dunlap in 2017.

Part of the U.S Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach hosts the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge. The 911 acres refuge facility is home to three different endangered species, including:

• Belding's Savannah sparrow
• California least tern
• Ridgway's light-footed rail

The degradation and loss of the California coastal wetlands, the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, and Newport Beach habitats are vital for migrating and wintering waterfowl, seabirds, and shorebirds. However, since it is part of the weapons station, visiting the area is limited to once every month.

Recreation

Seal Beach hosts many tourist attraction sites, including the second-longest pier in California, used for sightseeing and fishing. The wooden pier has endured severe damage caused by storms, which lead to extensive construction. At the pier's entrance, there two plaques. One memorializes the Federal Emergency Administration of 1938 that rebuilt the dock after the 1935 storms. The other honors businesses and groups that helped rebuild the pier after the March 2, 1938 storm destroyed several sections.

The best and safe surfing locations in the town include the river "Stingray Bay" and Seal Beach pier. The Ray Bay is also a popular surfing spot at the San Gabriel River's mouth. Unfortunately, water intrusion incidents can ruin properties of any type in Seal Beach.

Why trust SERVPRO for your water damage restoration needs

Water damage from a slow leak or malfunctioning water heater can cause thousands of dollars' worth of property damage if not handled by restorers from reliable water damage restoration companies in Seal Beach. After the unfortunate incident happens, water begins to seep into various surfaces, and mold growth occurs within 24 hours. If ignored for an extended period, odors can linger in the property; corrosion takes place on appliances, and the home's structural stability may weaken.

Thankfully, when you contact a reputable water damage restoration company like SERVPRO on time, we can minimize the damage and restore your residence to its former glory. We have a team of skilled and certified restorers who use innovative techniques to mitigate the damage.

We also have the most up-to-date tools and equipment that help us speed up the restoration process. We can use structural cavity drying equipment to drive airflow into hard-to-reach areas such as wall cavities. The machine extracts moisture in confined spaces and replaces it with dry air.

We use approved products to clean, decontaminate, and deodorize your home during the restoration process. We have a large selection of products that also help us clean sensitive surfaces. Before calling the job 'done,' we always ensure that we have met or exceeded our customer's expectations.    

Water damage can develop at any time of the day or night. Contact SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress at (562) 431-9400 for prompt restoration. We are available around the clock. We're Faster To Any Size Disaster.

Learn How to Transition Home-based Workers into Seal Beach. Area Office Environments

11/24/2020 (Permalink)

We are looking forward to seeing you at the Chamber of Commerce’s Networking Breakfast on Zoom

Attend the Seal Beach Chamber of Commerce’s Networking Breakfast on Zoom

The recent Covid-19 crisis has disrupted work environments in Seal Beach. Starting several months ago, as a result of state guidelines, local businesses instructed their employees to work remotely from home. At that time, these measures were necessary to protect everyone from potential infection. Now that the crisis appears to be ending, many companies want to know how they can safely and legally return their employees to the workplace. In order to help provide this information, the Seal Beach Chamber of Commerce is hosting a virtual Networking Breakfast. The event’s guest speaker, Human Resources expert, Chuck Landon, is knowledgeable in all the necessary transition procedures. Important things to remember about this Networking Breakfast are:

    •    It takes place on December 8th between 9:00 AM and 10:15 AM PST
    •    Registration for the event ends at 10:00 PM PST on December 7th
    •    The session can be accessed through the Zoom link sent following registration
    •    Admission is free

SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress, a local water damage restoration service, understands the difficulties caused by Covid-19. We also have the training and tools to complete whatever remediation work you may need to have done. So, if you ever need our help, call (562) 431-9400.

Is it Possible to Control Water Damage in a Property?

9/24/2020 (Permalink)

SERVPRO's Dehumidifiers and Skilled Technicians Can Cut, Contain, and Dry Water Damaged Seal Beach Properties, "Like it never even happened."

SERVPRO Uses Advanced Water Mitigation Techniques to Ensure your Seal Beach Home Suffers Minimal Permanent Damage.

How can I prevent water issues from spreading?

It can be easy to spread water issues around your Seal Beach home without realizing it. Not only does water naturally migrate, but it also contains microbes that can contaminate unaffected areas of the house. SERVPRO technicians work hard to establish engineering controls when using a property with water exposure. Engineering controls may include preventing the spread of contaminants on clothing by setting up decontamination rooms. But it also includes building containment to avoid microbes from spreading from space to space. Usually, we can set up an air filtration device to remove humid air from the building and exhaust it outside.

• Why is humidity control important in water restoration?
• Reduces the chance of water migration
• Limits secondary damages typically associated with water
• Prevents microbial amplification in the affected area

How is humidity control provided in water restoration?

Rising humidity levels are essential to bringing under control when performing water mitigation in your Seal Beach home. SERVPRO technicians use thermal hygrometers to take readings from the affected area, unaffected areas of the house, and outdoor humidity levels. By comparing the results, we can set a dry goal for the affected area then use dehumidification equipment to bring down the relative humidity to an average level. It may be necessary to take several readings within a property and apply negative air pressure to prevent humidity from spreading throughout the house.

What materials may need to be removed during water mitigation?

• Flooring including carpets and pads
• Trim like baseboards as well as door and window trim
• Porous construction materials like drywall

Water mitigation is a challenging task that requires expert training and equipment. Contact SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress at (562) 431-9400.

How Do I Find a Water Restoration Services Company?

9/3/2020 (Permalink)

Each vehicle in our green fleet is stocked with equipment and available at a moment’s notice to restore your home.

SERVPRO Stands Ready to Assist You With Any Size Water Damage in Your Seal Beach Property 

The need for a company to clean up and restore your property and contents can arrive in many forms. Good ways to find a local company is to ask friends, coworkers, or your insurance agent for a recommendation. While busted pipes and toilet backups may spring to mind, leaks can also form from an upstairs shower pan coming through a ceiling, leaking roof, or a utility closet from a boiler on a furnace or a hot water tank. All of these can cause issues from loss of building materials to creating an ideal environment for a mold infestation to take hold. SERVPRO techs have the advanced equipment to turn the damage around and return the home to how it was before the water incident happened. The key to reducing the number of items that require disposal is to begin the water cleanup in Seal Beach as rapidly as possible.  

Can Water Restoration Companies Handle Water Removal and Mold Remediation?  

When you choose among water restoration companies for handling water cleanup in your Seal Beach home, there are many considerations to help you narrow down to the best choice. Ask questions such as:    

• Does the company work with your insurance carrier?  
• Is there any report that shows the actions taken within the property and items removed as too damaged for repair or restoration?
• Are the employees trained and certified? 

What Are Some Early Warning Signs of Water Damage?  

Many water problems in a home begin as small issues, like a slow leak from a pipe or appliance. Then as time goes by without any repairs happening, the problem continues to grow. There are many ways your home will tell you that there is a problem, including: 

• Water stains on walls or ceilings
• Blisters or bubbles in the paint from collected water
• Signs of mold 
• Buckling or deterioration of building materials 

What Does "Out of Scope" Mean During Water Damage Cleanup? 

Your homeowner's insurance policy spells out very explicitly what types of issues it covers. SERVPRO has communication with property owners and insurance agents to ensure that every aspect of the water mitigation in Seal Beach within the home falls under a covered action. 

we do not complete work without the permission of the homeowner or adjuster; this attention to detail keeps situations such as unexpected billing for out-of-pocket expenses not covered by the policy from happening.  

One of the biggest justifications to outsource your home's cleanup is the equipment that SERVPRO has access to use. The extraction equipment has attachments for all types of surfaces, from concrete floors to the deepest pile carpet. The powerful suction pulls up even embedded moisture and lessens the time needed for drying, which helps keep mold from being part of the problem. The drying equipment gets deployed in tandem with industrial dehumidification devices, and this setup works to lower the air moisture levels rapidly.   

Mold Remediation is sometimes part of the cleanup process after water damage gets identified and mitigated. The handling of a mold problem in a home typically is a multi-layered process. SERVPRO technicians scope the property to identify all areas with colony growth and then set up containment and air scrubbers to reduce the spread of airborne spores. The techs very carefully dry existing colonies and use abatement techniques from manual removal methods to soda and ice blasting depending on the surfaces the dry matter is on. After handling the mold remediation, the techs go over the reason for the favorable environment for the infestation with the homeowner and suggest the changes or repairs that need to happen to ensure there is no return of the issue. Frequently seen issues besides slow leaks include poor ventilation and inadequate water cleanup from a previous water event. 

Post mitigation actions may include odor control to get rid of musty odors or the removal of water stains on the carpet through methods such as rewetting or using steam cleaning to lift away the discoloration. In cases where mold remediation occurred, the techs inspect and clean the ductwork in the home to assure that there are no more issues. The technicians may also rely on proactive mold preventatives such as antimicrobial sealants over areas where colonies lived previously. 

Contact SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress at (562) 431-9400 when you need help from one of the top-rated water restoration enterprises in the local area. The certified, experienced technicians arrive quickly and make the water damage to your home, "Like it never even happened." 

Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned – a defensive cleaning program

5/20/2020 (Permalink)

Our defensive cleaning program gives your business a way forward by providing your employees and customers ongoing safety and assuredness.

Let us help you get back to business

As our communities re-open in Seal Beach, we’re all moving back toward a new kind of normal. The expectations of visitors, customers, and employees who come into our establishments have evolved, and staying safe and well is a top concern. The global COVID-19 pandemic has changed what it means to be clean, and we’ve developed a program to help your business meet the new higher standard of clean that is now expected.

Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned is a defensive cleaning program we’re offering to businesses and commercial locations to address the current COVID-19 pandemic. This proactive viral pathogen cleaning program goes well beyond janitorial or carpet cleaning. By choosing Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned, you, your employees, your customers, and your community can rest assured that you’ve selected a higher cleaning standard – you are Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned.

Extensive training and specialized products

As the #1 choice in cleanup and restoration*, we stand on more than 50 years of experience and expertise to help your business become Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned.  Beyond fire & water, SERVPRO professionals are trained and experienced in biohazard decontamination and chemical spills – always adhering to the cleaning and decontamination standards set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local authorities. 

From formulating and creating our proprietary cleaning products, like SERVPROXIDE, at our headquarters in Gallatin, TN, to taking the utmost care while disinfecting, we will ensure you and your business are set up to inspire consumer confidence as the economy continues to reopen.

3 C’s – Consult, Clean, and Certify

When the stakes are this high, you want a partner who has developed an industry leading, proprietary training program, cleaning solutions, and remediation processes over decades. We’ve cleaned up some of the most challenging biohazards imaginable. Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned reflects our unique experiences and capabilities. The program is grounded with our unique 3 C’s: Consult, Clean, and Certify.

• Consult – Every business is different, which is why you’ll be assigned a Cleaning Protocol Consultant who understands your business and will create a cleaning program to meet your specific needs. This program will be developed based on your business type, size of space, amount of high frequency touchpoints, foot traffic and congestion points.
• Clean – Based on your specific business needs, your location will undergo a thorough, deep clean, using exclusive cleaning products, according to protocols set forth by the CDC. Our employees have years of experience, and we will go beyond the scope of work that regular janitorial staff perform. Cleanup procedures generally include cleaning of porous and non-porous surfaces, disinfecting of non-porous surfaces, cleaning and disinfecting of equipment, tools, and/or supplies used for cleanup process, and disposal of hazardous materials.  In the event of a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 event, we will be there cleaning within 24 hours to ensure you get back to business as quickly as possible. 
• Certify - Once your business location has been Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned, you will gain access to proprietary signage, digital emblems, and other collateral that communicates that you’ve selected a higher standard of clean available to help protect your employees and customers. And because we add the day, month, and year to that proprietary stamp of clean, your guests will know that not only did you choose Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned, but that your location is being cleaned regularly at this standard.

Call today for a Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned consultation

We’re Here to Help – 24 hours a day, seven days a week – until life is back to normal in the communities we all call home.

Call SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress today at (562) 431-9400 for your Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned consultation.

* #1 Choice in cleanup & restoration based Commercial Attitude & Usage Tracking study. Polling 816 commercial business decision makers on first choice for future needs related to cleanup & restoration work. Study conducted by C&R Research: October 2019

Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned means professionally trained SERVPRO franchises perform the requested cleaning, sanitizing and disinfection services according to proprietary SERVPRO protocols and recognized industry and CDC standards with EPA approved cleaning products to deliver a SERVPRO certified cleaning experience.  Each SERVPRO franchise is independently owned and operated.

Can You Handle Virus Clean-Up in Your Seal Beach Business?

4/19/2020 (Permalink)

Count on SERVPRO to support your in-house janitor.

Using a Professional Cleaning Company Makes Sense

It is possible to perform DIY cleaning and do a reasonably good job. The government and the CDC provide plenty of material and instructions to help the self-do-it cleaner or an in-house team. One important aspect is to use EPA registered disinfectants and apply them according to the manufacturer’s instructions. This current virus is reported to have an unusually long life on certain surfaces, especially on metal, so dwell time for many disinfectants is a critical factor in their effectiveness.

If you own a business, especially a food service establishment in Seal Beach that is still preparing food for take-out, you would do well to consider using a professional cleaning company as a backup and support system. Calling in professionals can help ensure the owner of any business remaining open that their premises can be thoroughly cleaned, and an EPA registered disinfectant will be properly applied.  That’s what helps keep you and your staff safe, as well as your customers.

What can a professional cleaning company like SERVPRO do?

When you call a professional cleaning company such as SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress, you can count on us to:

Use the best commercial-grade equipment and applicators
Use EPA registered, hospital-grade disinfectants and cleaning products (not consumer grade)
Use the correct applications for each situation, each surface
Schedule for your convenience and meet deadlines
Be available after hours / flexible hours of service
Offer cost-effective and one-time or repetitive cleaning plans
Provide consultation and advice

SERVPRO of Seal Beach/Los Alamitos/Cypress is available to help you with efficient preventative virus cleaning, give us a call at (562) 431-9400.
 
Disclaimer: Advice from the medical and scientific community regarding how to deal with the coronavirus is based on present knowledge, which is subject to change as the situation continues to develop. There can be no assurance that disinfectants alone will be adequate to fully eliminate the virus. We are not physicians or infectious disease professionals. Consult your medical professionals for individual medical advice.

Find Out Now, What Should You Do For Effective Flood Damage Remediation in Seal Beach

1/19/2020 (Permalink)

Regardless of how your garage got flooded, contacting SERVPRO is the best way to remedy the situation. Call us 24/7 for your emergency.

Mitigating Flood Damage in a Seal Beach Garage

Garage flooding, while it might not seem as disastrous at first glance as other types of floods, can leave your home vulnerable to many structural issues.  Because the garage often has much structure material openly available for saturation, there are plenty of opportunities for microbes and water damage to proliferate and affect the structural integrity of your home.

If the garage of your Seal Beach residence has endured flood damage and requires rapid mitigation, you can count on IICRC-certified SERVPRO technicians to answer the call and restore your home to a preloss condition quickly.  This team works closely with both homeowners and insurance adjusters to ensure a deep and thorough clean, as well as the removal of contaminated or unsalvageable items. The goal is to maximize safety while keeping the focus on restoration whenever it is safe and feasible to do so.

Faster to Any Size Emergency

Many home disasters require rapid response. Unfortunately, these incidents can occur any time of the day or night, much to the chagrin of many homeowners. This is why all individually owned and operated SERVPRO locations in the US and Canada—over 1700 franchise locations—are committed to providing their mitigation services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. This is especially crucial for flood damage, which can cause a variety of other problems besides the immediate concerns brought in by water saturation. Microbes and contaminants can introduce even more risks.

How SERVPRO Mitigates Damage

SERVPRO technicians can immediately get to work on both evacuating items, as well as extracting water to prepare your garage for drying. In a flood situation, disinfection needs to be done after extraction but before drying to prevent the spread of microbes through the air, which can have health effects. Technicians take great care to preserve the health and safety of homeowners and ensure that their property is clean and safe once more after a flood. If you have suffered a power outage, SERVPRO can provide power sources necessary to fuel sump pumps and other equipment.

SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress wants to leave your home looking, "Like it never even happened." Call (562) 431-9400 for diaster cleanup any time of the day or night.

Click here for more information about Seal Beach.

The Insider Secrets of Seal Beach Fire Damage Remediation 

12/29/2019 (Permalink)

Our certified technicians arrive on the scene with state of the art tools to remediate the fire damage scenario in your home.

Air Filtration Devices Used After Fires in Seal Beach Homes 

Fires are a damaging situation for many areas of your Seal Beach residence. Because of carcinogens, carbons, soot, and ash circulating in the air after a structure fire, filtration of the entire household is a venture that should get started as promptly as possible. With advanced tools and technologies for filtration and improving air quality, our SERVPRO professionals can gain control of a potentially hazardous situation. 

Choosing the right tool for the job is universal in recovering fire damage in Seal Beach residences. Cleaning soot, for instance, requires different approaches depending on the material affected. Carefully orchestrating the best strategy involves scoping the work to get performed and choosing the best tools among our inventory to complete these tasks. Air filtration can improve the breathability of the air within a fire-damaged structure, and we have multiple devices up to this task. 

Air Scrubbers 

Air scrubbers are among the most commonly used filtration tools in our inventory of equipment. Their specific job is exclusive to reduce contaminants and debris circulating in the air. With soot particles flowing in the air, having a filtration device that can remove these contaminants can reduce potential health hazards. 

Hydroxyl Generators 

These machines are dual-purpose units that can remove circulating contaminants, debris, ash, and soot, as well as begin the daunting task of odor removal. With onboard HEPA filtration, air can get made cleaner as it passes through the system. The use of UV spectrums to clean the environment also neutralizes present odors as well. 

The effectiveness of any air filtration device hinges on the filter installed in the unit. HEPA filtration is the most thorough of all the options for our equipment, as this can remove 99.97 percent of particles/contaminants that are as small as 0.3 microns. This filter is especially effective against volatile organic compounds that can become a threat after fire extinguishment. 

Cleaning the environment is often an emergency service that our SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress team must perform to begin other mitigation tactics safely. No matter how we can help after a fire, give our professionals a call 24/7 at (562) 431-9400. 

Click here for more information about Seal Beach.

How Water Damages Masonry in Seal Beach Homes

12/11/2019 (Permalink)

Did you know that water damages stone, brick, and concrete? SERVPRO has the knowledge and equipment to restore your masonry.

Why SERVPRO Dries Out Concrete and Brick when Mitigating Water Damage in Seal Beach Houses 

After an incident involving water overflowing a tub or sink, a broken pipe, or a torn roof, water can end up in places throughout your Seal Beach residence. Water vapor's ability to move around in the air means cooler locations collect droplets of moisture. Brick, concrete, and stone fall into this category. These hard substances contain pores that tightly retain any absorbed water.  

These challenging materials are why SERVPRO makes sure these building materials become dry in our Seal Beach homes with water damage. Other materials dry comparatively quickly, often not requiring us to raise interior temperatures. Generating an airflow and running desiccant machines is often not sufficient to completely dry out denser materials. 

Before we begin, we check to see if any paint or other types of sealant cover these materials. Because these keep moisture from passing through effortlessly, we may need to drill tiny weep holes into the lowest portion of any walls made of brick. Such holes let any water out through the bottom, which is where we direct intense air currents. Moisture always travels to drier locations, so these air currents gradually pull the moisture down, and eventually out of, the wall. Our desiccant machine takes care of the rest. 

When unsealed walls made of brick, concrete, or mortared stone contain added moisture, we can dry these more directly. While they do take longer than other materials, we also monitor these specialty drying situations so our customers understand the issues involved. 

Another reason why SERVPRO technicians want to ensure complete dryness of such materials is to help prevent microbial growth in these areas. Although these materials contain much less, if any, cellulose, microbes can feed on any accumulated dust and other microscopic particles. As they live and grow on damp surfaces, many microbes cause deterioration to happen at an accelerated pace. Removing the water also prevents this problem, including any spreading that might have happened otherwise. 

One of our goals at SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress is helping protect our customers' property from future problems with water damage. Call (562) 431-9400 to talk to us about specialists near your residence in Compton, Los Alamitos, or Surfside who can help get your home dry after a disaster involving water. 

More about Seal Beach.

Flood Damage in Your Los Angeles Can Be Restored By Our Experts

9/21/2019 (Permalink)

We’re Faster to Any Size Disaster.

Why SERVPRO Offers a Fast Response to Flood Damage in Los Angeles

Flooding is a relatively common natural disaster, and it ruins homes in various ways. After flood damage, you may have to replace furnishings, drywall, and carpets, among other items. When your home is flooded, stay away from your home until government officials say that it is safe to return.

When it's safe to return to your flood damaged Los Angeles home, take cash and emergency supplies with you. You should also contact your insurer and a flood restoration company such as SERVPRO to assist you with restoring your home. Floodwater can affect the structures and contents of your home in the following ways:

Drywall and wallboard – These materials are porous and become fragile in a flood. They can remain contaminated even after the drying process ends.

Laminated wood and particle board – They can separate and weaken after becoming damp.

Floor coverings – You have to discard carpets after a flood because it is difficult to clean and dry them adequately.

Appliances – They can become shorted out during flooding and may leak harmful gases into the air. Hire a professional to inspect them before use.

Solid wood – Furniture and other wooden items can crack and warp following a flood. However, we can save them by drying them out completely.

We can clean up your home quickly after a flood to prevent secondary destruction and costly repairs. Our technicians can remove all mud, dirt, and floodwater that could be in your property. We have tools that make flood cleanup easier, such as power washers and wet/dry vacuums.

Our SERVPRO crew can also dry the affected areas thoroughly using industrial-grade air movers and dehumidifiers. We can also use thermo-hygrometers to measure the temperature and relative humidity of the air in your home. We compare readings for air in the affected areas, unaffected areas, outside the house, and the air coming out of the HVAC system. Our technicians also take readings of the air that is being processed through the dehumidifiers and extracted into the affected areas to ensure that dehumidifiers are drying the home effectively.

If you need expert help with flood damage cleanup, call the team at SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress for prompt restoration. Our helpline is (562) 431-9400. We’re Faster to Any Size Disaster.

For more about Los Angeles click here.

Los Angeles Homeowners Trust SERVPRO for Restoration Services

6/24/2019 (Permalink)

SERVPRO's Advanced Equipment Handles All Restoration Services in the Los Angeles Area

How Professional Restoration Services Reduce Loss from Water, Fire or Mold Damage in Los Angeles Properties

The Los Angeles area is famous for its great weather. However, just like anywhere else across the United States, its residents deal with damage to their home from storms, earthquakes, fire and water damage which can result in the formation of mold and other issues if not properly cleaned. That is why outsourcing the task to a professional restoration services company makes sense.

Los Angeles residences get water damage in many forms ranging from supply line breaks to appliance failures to simple forgetfulness. The key to avoiding as much loss as possible is a two-fold process for limiting prolonged exposure to excessive moisture and getting water extraction performed quickly. When SERVPRO technicians handle water removal in a property, we bring specialized equipment on-site in our fully stocked green service vans. Commonly used are:
?    Portable pumps
?    Weighted extractor wands for pushing out water from the carpet
?    Rover stand-on units which use the weight of the technicians to remove water

All of these tools pull up water quickly and allow technicians to remove it from hard-to-reach places. Technicians track the migration of water using various types of moisture detection equipment and spend extra time on the water removal step to lessen drying time.

For example, carpet saturated by a broken water line is not automatically a loss if it is a clean or gray water spill. If we cannot extract the moisture and dry it in the home, we can dry and sanitize the carpet in-plant for re-installation afterward.

During a water cleanup, we try to disrupt the home as little as possible, and dry furnishings in place when we can do so without causing additional issues such as stain from wood furniture bleeding onto wet carpeting. We use methods such as raising furniture up on blocks and covering the legs to allow for complete drying without packing out the home. In cases where pack out is necessary, a detailed list is taken down to the placement of items so, on move-in, our technicians return everything to its proper spot.

Fire damage runs the gamut from a little smoke damage that requires action from our certified Odor Control Technicians (OCT) or a house gutted by a blaze that requires fire debris removal and controlled demolition efforts to get the property ready for reconstruction.

When SERVPRO technicians address fire damage cleanup in Los Angeles properties, we work with both the homeowner and adjuster to ensure every step of the restoration is approved. We also assist homeowners with expediting insurance claims with our Content Claim Inventory System (CCIS) that catalogs and documents the restoration service, including before and after photographs of the structure and contents.

Kitchen fires are by far one of the most common, and while protein-based blazes often have little in the way of visible smoke residue when extinguished quickly, the pungent odor requires odor control application and usually more than one method. We have different types of treatments such as thermal fogging, time-release gel pellets, or equipment such as air scrubbers with HEPA filtration to capture airborne particles or hydroxyl generators that utilize the power of UV rays to neutralize soot particles at the molecular level. Depending on the level of scent, our technicians use a multi-layered approach when necessary.

Finding out your Los Angeles home needs mold remediation is never a good thing to hear. The term "mold removal" gets tossed around but it is basically impossible since mold spores exist at all times both inside and outside your property. The key to avoiding the growth of mold colonies is to keep an eye out for leaks and poor ventilation especially of exhaust fans in bathrooms and areas of the home you do not go into often such as the attic.

SERVPRO team members are certified Applied Microbial Remediation Technicians (AMRT). We use the same procedures as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to perform mold cleanup safely using techniques that include containment, drying, and lowering of humidity.

This is so we can use methods such as soda blasting for the lightly abrasive removal of dried mold colonies from the home structure. Upon the completion of remediation efforts, we also inspect the property to determine the cause of the mold and assist the homeowner in taking steps to eliminate the reason so it will not be an issue in the future.

After a prolonged period of drought, the ground is hard and does not absorb rainwater readily, leaving Los Angeles homes susceptible to flood damage.  Groundwater carries a rating as a category three biohazard sometimes referred to as "black water" and should be professionally mitigated for health and safety reasons.

When SERVPRO technicians perform storm damage cleanup, we take steps to prevent additional damages from occurring such as tarping over a damaged roof or sealing a window broken by tree limbs or high winds to prevent rainwater from entering an area in a home. In cases where a property requires large scale flood water removal, we have truck mounted pumps that can remove thousands of gallons of water quickly.  

Why SERVPRO? In the restoration services industry, it is vital to keep up with the latest developments and technology, so property owners experience less loss when home disasters occur. Our technicians go through intense training in the restoration sciences as taught through the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) which includes continuing education as advancements continue in this industry.

We know dealing with a home disaster of any kind, filing an insurance claim, and submitting proof of damages can feel overwhelming. When we perform restoration services on residential or commercial properties, we communicate with both the property owner and adjuster every step of the way and do not engage in any task that is not approved. Once our mitigation is complete, we give both the homeowner and adjust a comprehensive list of our completed remediation efforts as well as the necessary repairs or reconstruction required to return the property to its preloss condition.


SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress is available 24/7 at (562) 431-9400 to assist property owners with restoration services needed after damage from water, fire, storm or mold. Using our extensive training and equipment, we can turn around loss and make it "Like it never even happened."'

https://www.lacity.org

Why Specialized Water Damage Restoration Services Are Key For Surfside Residents

3/27/2019 (Permalink)

Putting your home back together after a water damage experience requires the use of specialized equipment and procedures.

Specialized Water Damage Restoration Services

Putting your home back together after a water damage experience requires the use of specialized equipment and procedures. Several challenges such as clogged HVAC systems, ruptured heaters, and broken plumbing lines arise from such situations. You have to be careful with electrical hazards which may develop in your Surfside home's attic spaces, therefore, turning of the circuits is necessary.

Our SERVPRO technicians can examine attic spaces during water damage in Surfside and determine the level of destruction. During the examination, we check if all sections of the roof are still intact, and whether repairing or replacing the damaged materials is the best option. In cases where the water is still running, we stop the flow.

While it is easy to access some attics, it is not always the case. If that happens, it may make it hard for our team to conduct the restoration. We can demolish any damaged sheetrock to get enough equipment into the area and create appropriate conditions for drying.

Insulations within the attic areas are prone to destruction after water intrusion. Sometimes we can dry and save wet fiberglass insulation, but when it is not restorable, we remove it and recommend a replacement. We have specialized insulation vacuums that help us to do the removal. Dust may result and spread to other areas within the building when demolishing the sheetrock and removing the insulation. Containment is necessary to avoid such contamination, and we achieve that by creating negative pressure.

Combating smells is also part of the work that our SERVPRO technicians perform, and it all starts by removing the odor's cause. In some cases, these smells come about when wet materials have not entirely dried, so drying is one of the approaches SERVPRO uses to address such instances. If the smells are coming from tiny cracks, we may perform deodorization by using thermal foggers that dispense the deodorant.

SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress is an industry leader in storm, mold, fire and water damage restoration. Call us at (562) 431-9400 when you face any disaster size and can make it “Like it never even happened.”

Click here for more about Surfside.

The Different Types of Smoke Residues that Can Ruin Your Surfside Restaurant After a Fire

3/27/2019 (Permalink)

Protein residue leaves behind an amber or yellow stain and usually has a very strong odor that is difficult to get rid of.

SERVPRO Works Hard to Combat all Types of Smoke Residue

A fire breaking out in your restaurant can have a substantial economic impact on your business. Not only does the fire damage your restaurant, but you also stand to lose business during the restoration process.

The amount of time required to restore fire damaged your Surfside restaurant entirely depends on the type of smoke residue generated during the fire. While some type of the residue is relatively easy to clean, others might need more time. Here are the different types of smoke and soot residues that you can expect after a fire incidence to a restaurant.

Wet and Dry Smoke Residue

Any fire produces both wet and dry smoke residues in varying proportions. Oxygen-rich fast burning fires produce a dry residue whereas oxygen-starved, slow-burning fires tend to produce wet smoke. Natural materials such as wood produce a drier residue while synthetic material produces a wetter smoke residue.

As it turns out, cleaning dry residue is easier and quicker than cleaning wet residue. SERVPRO technicians can use less aggressive cleaning methods to get rid of the dry residues while harsher methods are needed for wet smoke residue.

Protein Residue 

Protein residue can make up a significant proportion of a fire in a restaurant. This type of residue, as the name suggests, is generated when protein is burnt in the fire such as poultry, meat or fish. It is usually amber or yellow and can stain surfaces quickly. Another big problem with this kind of residue is that it has an odor which is notoriously difficult to eliminate. If the fire at your restaurant involves such kind of smoke, it might take more time to restore. SERVPRO technicians use a variety of deodorizing methods to combat protein odors after fire damage.

Fuel Oil Soot

If your establishment is using fuel oil for heat, there is a high chance that there can be fuel oil soot from fire damage. The soot can often mix with the residual oil that has not burnt correctly and can form a thick and oily residue that is quite difficult to eliminate.

Call SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress at (562) 431-9400 today to schedule an appointment.

For more information on Surfside, click here.

Let Our Experts Put Your Worries To Rest After A Seal Beach Fire

1/23/2019 (Permalink)

A home fire is devastating trust our certified professionals to come to your aid and restore your home.

SERVPRO Uses Three Treatments To Restore Your Seal Beach Home After Fire Damage

Restoring your fire damaged home in Seal Beach back to the way it was before the disaster can be a daunting task, but SERVPRO is here to help. Through decades of helping homeowners with fire damage ranging from the minor to the severe, we have developed multiple industry-leading treatment techniques to help your home recover from even the most devastating of fires within weeks. With our help, not even the smallest trace of smoke and fire residues should be left behind after we employ these treatments on your home.

Repainting and Refinishing
Most cases of fire damage in Seal Beach are stopped before significant structural damage can happen to the home, but not before a relatively large surface area comes into contact with open flames. Returning materials to their original appearance is not an easy task, as we often have to scrub the area with specialized cleaning agents before applying the paint or finish on the same way it was initially applied to your home. SERVPRO technicians are experts at identifying different materials in the average home and tailoring their methods as needed for the situation, with a wide range of IICRC certifications that allow them a flexible skill set to handle any problems that might come their way.

Odor Removal
Even small fires tend to leave behind lots of highly noticeable smoke odors throughout the home. We use a combination of thermal fogging technology and specially made odor-eliminating chemical agents to leave your home with a completely neutral smell free of any signs of a past fire.

Water and Other Damages
Damage from sprinklers, hoses, and other fire-stopping fixtures can pose their own challenges to clean up. SERVPRO uses an adaptive approach to every situation so that we can identify and take care of these issues whenever necessary and without any further headaches.

SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress can help you to recover quickly from the effects of even the most devastating fires. Call us at any time at (562) 431-9400.

Seal Beach has the second longest wooden pier in the state of California, learn more fun facts about Seal Beach click here.

Seal Beach Water Loss!! Yikes!! Call SERVPRO

12/12/2018 (Permalink)

SERVPRO Says Call Us After a Water Loss to Your Seal Beach Property- We Can Help

Why SERVPRO Helps your Insurance Claim after Water Damage in Seal Beach

As a homeowner, you probably feel secure knowing that your property insurance coverage can take care of most damages that might arise. Water damage falls among the category of issues Seal Beach property owners frequently claim from insurers. As an IICRC certified water restoration service, we help you take the right steps to avoid rejection of your claim. Though we are not, and do not claim to be, an insurance agent, we do work closely with many insurers to expedite the agreed upon services and quite often, accomplishing the tasks within the set budget.
 
Incidents of water damage in Seal Beach can happen in different ways including leakage from plumbing lines or overflows after taps are left running, among others. However, regarding insurance claims, what matters most is whether it is a case of sudden discharge or gradual water damage. Most home insurance policies only cover sudden or accidental discharge. Our SERVPRO crew works closely with your insurance adjuster establishing what aspects of the damage your condo, home or renter insurance covers. Just another reason to utilize our SERVPRO services.
 
Water spillage cases lead to instant as well as long-term damages. Some long-term issues might include mold, rot, corrosion, and deterioration of electrical wiring. Such long-term issues can arise because of delays in starting or completing the restoration process. For example, if the remedial actions such as water extraction take longer than 48 hours to start or complete, mold can develop. Our SERVPRO team relies on state-of-the-art equipment such as truck-mounted water extractors, high-speed air movers and industrial grade dehumidifiers to extract water and dry the property before additional problems develop. Fast action diminishes the chances of your claim being denied.
 
Moisture problems can keep affecting property long after addressing the initial spill, and since these fall under gradual damage, there is little chance of compensation. Such outcomes occur when there is a failure to establish the true extent of water migration during the restoration process. Our SERVPRO technicians use different detection devices like FLIR thermal cameras to identify moisture problems in concealed spaces. We also use thermo-hygrometers to compare readings from affected and unaffected areas as well as areas outside the structure ensuring that proper moisture control measures are taken. When we help you avoid the long-term problems, then you do not have to worry about denied claims. Our goal is to make you feel "Like it never even happened."
 
Restoring water damage can be costly, so a denied claim can be devastating. Call SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress to assist. You can reach us at (562) 431-9400 any time.

Click here to learn more about this city.

When Stormy Weather in Your Seal Beach Home Leaves You Singing the Blues

11/19/2018 (Permalink)

The torrential rain from these clouds can cause flooding.

Slow Severe Storms Allow Natural Flooding in Seal Beach Homes

As someone who lives in the Seal Beach area, a homeowner here can retell many stories of devastating storm systems that brought all manners of damage to their property over the years. Even short passing storms can impact homes with high-powered winds and torrential rainfall, but the slower moving systems provide enough localized rainfall to overflow creeks, streams, rivers, and other water bodies to impact area homes and businesses.

Finding the right assistance for your flooded Seal Beach property in the middle of one of these devastating tropical storms or hurricanes might seem like a tall task, but our SERVPRO professionals are ready to serve our community through natural disasters 24/7. Having a team available for you in the face of an emergency is not all that our franchise provides, however.

Our team gets comprised of water restoration and mitigation specialists with extensive training to obtain their IICRC certifications in their respective niches. We encourage all of the employees within our franchise to broaden their knowledge of the restoration industry through advanced training opportunities provided to them through in-house coursework and e-learning possibilities.

Another thing that our SERVPRO franchise offers the customers that we serve in the wake of a flooding emergency is our industry-leading equipment. This equipment is updated and maintained regularly to offer an efficient approach to water extraction, drying, and preliminary mold remediation. Our gas-powered pumps can remove excess water from the affected areas fast, giving our technicians an opportunity to employ restorative practices to preserve your home in our initial visit after the damage has occurred.

Finding your footing after flooding has happened within your home can be a challenging thing to do. Once you get a look at the damage that your home has sustained, you might be unclear as to how it can ever look the same again. Our SERVPRO of Seal Beach / Los Alamitos / Cypress team has the expertise and equipment to make short work of widespread damages. Give us a call anytime that you need us at (562) 431-9400.

Seal Beach has the second largest wooden pier in California.  Click here for more information.