We Give Our Customers a Different Level of Clean

5/30/2023 (Permalink)

Give your customers the high level of clean they expect. SERVPRO of Rockville-Olney can help!

Most businesses and corporations small and large in Maryland have returned to operation at full capacity. Still, it's in everyone's best interest for business owners and patrons to continue to take safety measures and common sense when among large gatherings.

And with summer travel at its peak, businesses such as restaurants, hotels and places with high travel populations, owners and property managers of those facilities may consider a professional, deep sanitization to further protect your customers and patrons.

Our Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned program is a defensive cleaning program that gives your business a way forward by providing your employees & customers ongoing safety and assuredness. Our proactive viral pathogen cleaning program will help your business meet a higher standard of clean.

Call SERVPRO of Rockville-Olney today at 301-340-1313 to schedule a free consultation. 

Water stains on your ceiling? Call us ASAP!

5/30/2023 (Permalink)

If you notice a water stain on your ceiling, give us a call!

Water stains aren’t something to ignore. Instead, they are indicators of an urgent matter!

If you see water stain(s) on your ceiling, you should request help promptly.

Water stains can mean:

• Leaky pipe(s)
• Old caulking
• Problem with roof
• Poor insulation

Whatever is above your ceiling is typically the source of the moisture issue. Is your property’s roof or a bathroom above the water stain? That may just be the source of the problem. However, if you cannot determine a water source above the stain, you may have a leaky pipe.

Water seepage from old caulking or piping in disrepair are other common sources of water stains. It’s very important that damaged or old pipes are replaced to avoid leaking or “sweating.”

After a snowstorm or even a rain downpour, water stains can show up on your ceiling. For instance, rain can leak through from the gutter. Therefore, you have a roofing issue upon your property.

However, if an ice dam forms on your roof and water is able to seep in, it’s a good indicator of a need to improve the insulation.

Sometimes, a professional may need to remove a portion of the ceiling, and possibly the wall, to completely restore and fix the affected area for good.

Remember, deal with the stain in a very timely manner! Applying a quick coat of paint over the stain can make a temporarily, cosmetic difference, but often time, the stain will bleed right through the new paint.

Instead, call a professional to ensure the source of the water is correctly identified and handled properly. Ignoring the issue can lead to expensive repairs! It’s much better to catch the problem sooner than having to have sections of your ceiling teared down and replaced.

Call us, SERVPRO of Rockville-Olney and SERVPRO of Silver Spring North, to have water stains in your home or office checked out. We are the area’s water damage experts and are always “Faster to any size disaster.” Large or small, we will restore your water-damaged property with efficiency and detail.

Call us with any needs or questions at (301) 340-1313.   

What if there's Mold on my food?

5/22/2023 (Permalink)

Moldy food may contain toxic substance and can cause health problems. Best to throw it out!

Have you ever noticed a few small spots of mold on the slice of bread you were about to eat? If the spots are small and look easy to pinch off, it’s pretty tempting to try salvaging. But, you don’t want to get sick!

Have the small mold spots contaminated the whole piece, or will you be just fine removing them by hand?

First, it’s important to know that simply cutting or scrapping mold off your bread, strawberry, etc. won’t save you from ingesting mold. The mold has already rooted itself in your food, so what you are looking at are surface spores. Even if you no longer see it, the mold has already made its home in your food. So yes, your piece of bread is more contaminated than you think.

Although we’ve all probably pinched mold off a piece of bread at one time or another, consuming moldy food can sometimes be very harmful. Bacteria can grow along with the mold, and it’s easy for mold to contaminate porous foods like bread.

For example, black bread mold is a rarer, but very dangerous mold that grows on bread. It can cause serious infection. It’s best to toss out the moldy bread!

Mycotoxins, a toxic substance, can be produced by certain molds usually found in grain and nut crops. Mycotoxins can also contaminate apples, celery, grapes and other produce. Consumption of mycotoxins can cause respiratory problems and allergic reactions.

Additionally, if you see mold on any of the following, throw it away:

• Lunch meat
• Bacon
• Hot dogs
• Cooked pasta
• Cream or cottage cheese
• Tomatoes
• Citrus fruits
• Peaches
• Peanut better
• Jelly (mycotoxins commonly found within the mold in jams and jellies)
• And yes… bread!

A few food items you can cut the mold out from include:

• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Hard cheese
• Hard salami
• Dry-cured country hams

Best advice: When in doubt, throw it out! 

Working from home?

5/11/2023 (Permalink)

Arrange your workspace at home in a way you’ll be the most organized and least distracted.

Although a growing number of workers have returned to their offices now that the pandemic is nearly 100 percent behind us, there's still a large population of Americans still working from home. The consensus is that the workplaces and how America conducts business may never fully return to the way it was before the Covid-19 pandemic.

So if you have transitioned from working in an office to working in your home, you’ve had to make many adjustments! SERVPRO of Rockville-Olney & Silver Spring North offer these tips to help make the best of working from home:

• Arrange your workspace in a way you’ll be the most organized and the least distracted
• Inform your family members or roommates of your work schedule and create rules to diminish disruptions and distractions. Talking to family and friends is very tempting, so you may need to close your door or drown out chatter with classical music
• Create a schedule that you follow each day, including clearly defined work hours
• Learn something new! Watch webinars or attend a virtual training your company may offer
• Focus on communication! You don’t get to see your boss and coworkers face-to-face for the time being, so call, text, and email them regularly
• Take a break! Make sure you know your company’s break policy, and take advantage of it. Go for a walk to take in sunshine during your break before having to return back indoors to complete your assignments
• Keep an agenda book or calendar. Write down deadlines and meeting dates, as these can be easy to forget when working from home
• Turn off the notifications on your personal phone (such as Instagram and Twitter notifications) to minimize getting distracted from your work

We hope these tips help and wish you much success!

Our Promise: We're Here to Help 365 Days, Every Day!

5/11/2023 (Permalink)

Let's be real: Emergencies don’t wait to happen on a day that’s convenient for you. A house fire or an office flood won’t wait!

Let's be real: Emergencies don’t wait to happen on a day that’s convenient for you. A house fire or an office flood won’t wait until your birthday is over or until Christmas Day comes to an end.

It's why we at SERVPRO of Rockville-Olney and SERVPRO of Silver Spring North have to stand ready for when tragedy strikes, whenever that may be. It doesn’t matter if it’s Easter morning or New Year’s Eve. Life happens, and both the good and the bad come along with it.

At SERVPRO, we want to make sure whatever nature might throw your way, that we are here to help with the cleanup & restoration of your property! Whether it’s water damage, fire damage, storm damage, or an issue with mold, we are ready to help, and “Faster to any size disaster” at that!

That’s why we are here for you 24/7, 365 days a year. Facing a disaster can be terrifying, and dealing with its effects is very stressful. We hope to diminish some of that stress.

We know the importance of reliability. We are a very trusted and widely known company in Montgomery County, as well as Prince George's County, and have been in business for 43+ years. As a family-owned business, we pride ourselves on fast response, quality service and excellent customer care!

If you ever face a disaster, day or night, we are here to help, 365 days a year! 301-340-1313.

Keeping ductwork clean can save money

5/5/2023 (Permalink)

Keeping your duct system clean not only keeps a healthy home, but saves money!

Dust, pet dander, and other containments from everyday living are circulated through your ducts and can decrease the efficiency of your HVAC heating and cooling system, causing it to work much harder. Keeping the ductwork clean can extend the life span of the equipment by allowing it to operate at peak condition, which saves money.

Duct Cleaning can:

• Remediate Bacteria, Fungi and Mold
• Reduce Potential for Mold Growth
• Restore Peak Energy Efficiency
• Eliminate Offensive Odors

Since the ventilation system is often the biggest culprit in poor indoor air quality, keeping your ductwork clean should be a high priority. In most cases, the HVAC system has been operating for some time without much attention. Dirty ducts can circulate odors, contaminants such as mold and irritating dust throughout your building or home.

These contaminants from day to day living are sucked into your HVAC system and recirculated throughout your home over and over. This causes a buildup over time inside the ductwork. This buildup can cause problems for people with asthma and other respiratory health conditions, auto immune disorders, and environmental allergies. 

According to the EPA, "a growing body of scientific evidence has indicated that the air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities. Other research indicates that people spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors. Thus, for many people, the risks to health may be greater due to exposure to air pollution indoors than outdoors.”

Cleaning your ducts can sweep away years of dust and dirt, helping to reduce potential for damage and health risks.

In some circumstances, such as after a fire, smoke or suspected mold growth, duct cleaning becomes an essential part of the cleanup process. This includes certain odors as well. In these cases, a Duct Cleaning Professional can often restore the ductwork to pre-damage condition. It is also recommended that you have the ductwork cleaned after buying a home or after a renovation. Just like carpet cleaning, having your ductwork cleaned should be part of your home maintenance routine. 

Call us today to schedule your duct cleaning! 301-340-1313

Planning for those unexpected Spring & Summer storms

5/3/2023 (Permalink)

Spring & Summer storms can occur anytime. Be prepared!

SERVPRO® of Rockville-Olney and SERVPRO of Silver Spring North want you to be ready for those unexpected Spring & Summer storms.

A spring or summer storm happens quite often in Maryland. There are many possibilities of damage from such storms, whether from wind, heavy rain, or lightning. Wind causes constructional damage to your home, heavy rain can lead to flooding and if lightning strikes on your home or business, it is at risk of a fire.  

If you know a storm is coming, take these initiatives to ensure safety:

• Secure outdoor objects that could blow away or cause damage.
• Shutter windows and secure outside doors.
• Unplug any electronic equipment.

During the storm, remain calm and be aware.

• Use your battery-operated NOAA Weather Radio for updates from local officials.
• Avoid contact with cords.
• Stay away from windows and doors.

After the Storm, BE SAFE! It may not be storming anymore but the damage can still affect you.

• Never drive through a flooded roadway.
• Stay away from storm-damaged areas to keep from putting yourself at risk.
• Stay away from downed power lines and report them immediately to 911.

If you are caught off-guard to a dangerous storm during the night, don’t stress, we have an Emergency Response Team 24/7 and will make your home look “Like it never even happened”. Our team is specially-trained to deal with the mess of a storm. Let us be the experts that you need in your time of crisis!

Be ready for Hurricane Season!

5/3/2023 (Permalink)

The hurricane season runs from June 1 thru Nov. 30. Best be prepared with our SERVPRO Emergency Ready Plan, or ERP.

Hurricane Season starts June 1. Are you prepared for a big storm? Now is a good time to have a plan – a SERVPRO Ready Plan – in the event of an unexpected natural disaster!

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this week predicts "above-normal" activity again, calling for warmer than normal sea surface temperatures in the subtropical Atlantic and Caribbean Sea. The Atlantic hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.

The SERVPRO Emergency Ready Plan, or ERP, is a FREE tool for property managers, risk managers and owners, both residential and commercial. It allows the user to create an emergency ready profile of their facility containing critical information to help speed up response time after fire or water damage. Help is then just a few clicks away.

Contact SERVPRO of Rockville-Olney and Silver Spring North at 301-340-1313 today so we can help you prepare your free ERP assessment!

Dealing with severe Mold after 48 hours

4/26/2023 (Permalink)

Two days of water damage can turn into mold. Call the professionals for mitigation.

When it comes to residential water damage, there is a clear deadline which all technicians must follow. The 48-hour window is crucial for repairs. Up until this point, almost all flood affected materials can be dried and restored to their original condition.

After this point, repairs are still possible, but they are tough, and the outcome is not certain. Part of the reason for this is because two days is all that’s needed for flooding to turn into mold in Rockville homes. At SERVPRO of Rockville-Olney & Silver Spring North, we are trained to handle these severe cases and can use a variety of strategies to neutralize mold spores and prevent them from spreading. Keep reading to find out what happens to household materials after the window has passed and mold is developing.

Carpeting
Heavily affected areas of carpet are heard to clean. Usually, it is more economical to remove them and find a replacement. We can help you to do this, as we have a wealth of industry contacts. Unless you would prefer to arrange your own replacement, our technicians are happy to source and install new carpeting. Replacement flooring is installed only after the subflooring is completely dry. It requires the use of high-powered fans, air movers, and dehumidifiers to draw water vapor out of materials. Concrete and cinder block surfaces respond very well to dehumidification and water extraction using motorized pumps.

Wallboard
Wallboard, which is not dry within 48 hours (after the initial incident), requires removal. However, it is rare for the whole wall to need disposal. The SERVPRO technicians measure 12 inches above the water line and take away all material beneath this boundary. It leaves a hole which is helpful for drying. Fans are either pointed up into the cavity or placed inside it to deal with wet conditions between the boards. New wallboard only gets installed once the restoration experts have tested the moisture levels and found them to be safe and suitable.

SERVPRO of Rockville-Olney and of Silver Spring North specialize in fast, effective mold damage repairs. Our remediation strategies are designed to protect your home from further damage and mold breakouts. Call us 24/7 on (301) 340-1313 for a professional restoration service.

Is Black Mold Growing in Your Home or Office?

4/17/2023 (Permalink)

Visible mold is a sure sign there's more to it than meets the eye. We can help!

We’ve all heard of black mold, but what exactly is it? Take a look at our website to find out, then return to this blog post to discover how you can identify black mold in your own home or office.

https://www.SERVPROrockvillesilverspringnorth.com/black-mold

One of the most obvious signs happens to be scent. Have you smelled something earthy or musty? Think of a late fall’s odor of rotting leaves or the smell of dirt on a rainy spring day.

Next, consider the environment in which you suspect the mold is inhabiting, and ask yourself the following questions:

• Is the area damp?
• Has the area previously been flooded?
• Does it get little to no exposure to light?

Black mold feeds off water-saturated materials such as cotton, drywall, cardboard, and wood. It even thrives off of damp dust and lint.

If the scent of the mold leads you straight to where it is festering, examine the color but don’t get too close. In color, black mold is typically greenish-black and a bit slimy. However, it can also appear grayish and powdery.

Note other molds may appear similar in color, so it is impossible to determine which breed of mold is growing in your property unless it is examined under a microscope.

At the end of the day, this examination is expensive and unnecessary because whether it is black mold or not, mold must be removed for health and sanitary purposes.

If you detect mold, regardless of its color or texture, call the professionals to have it removed.

SERVPRO of Rockville-Olney and SERVPRO of Silver Spring North are experienced and trusted companies that will get the job done promptly and carefully.

Call us at (301) 340-1313 today!