Recent Posts
Safety tips for a safe Thanksgiving
11/7/2024 (Permalink)
Follow these tips to keep your kitchen & home safe during the holidays.
As Thanksgiving approaches (exactly 3 week away as we're writing this blog!), SERVPRO Team Gutierrez of Rockville, Olney and Silver Spring North would like to offer a few important tips on how to keep your home safe during the holidays.
Believe it or not, far too many homes catch on fire during this time of year! Imagine preparing for the holidays just to have flames devour your property over something as small as a turkey. The impact around this time of year (as winter holidays quickly approach following Thanksgiving) is astronomical and quite stressful to say the least.
Yet time and time again, we are called to homes around Thanksgiving to clean up and restore fire damage… all because of a turkey.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, compared to any other day of the year, the number of house fires reportedly doubles on Thanksgiving Day.
We don’t want our friends & customers to have to experience such a catastrophe, especially during the busiest time of your year.
So, how does the bird cause a fire? Well, these fires usually originate from a deep fryer. The oil used typically spills over the sides of fryer in these instances, and falls into flames beneath. Even vapors can react with the heat, causing a fire.
If your turkey has not been completely dried and thawed, the excess water will cause the oil to bubble and spill down.
Here in the Maryland/DC area, temperatures around the holidays drop. It’s typically quite cold outside. Rain or snow can also factor into the catastrophe. It can cause the oil to splatter.
Due to chilly weather, you might be tempted to shield yourself from the cold weather and fry your turkey in the garage or under your deck. Maybe you have a nice, screened-in deck you’d like to cook inside. Don’t! If your turkey catches on fire, the flames will extend to the ceiling or roof, then spread, engulfing the room and beyond.
Of course we understand people enjoy cooking their special dinner in a propane deep-fryer. So, we are including a few tips to help avoid a fire:
- Make sure your fryer is equipped with a gas valve controller
- While in use, keep your fryer away from children, pets, trees, shrubs, bushes, vehicles, etc. alike
- Your turkey must be completely thawed and dry before placing it in the fryer
- Make sure the fryer in placed on a flat surface
- Do not leave your fryer unattended
- When you notice the oil begins to smoke, turn the propane tank off immediately!
- Have a fire extinguisher handy
We wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving and holiday season. Keep our number handy in the unfortunate event you have a fire in your home or business. 301-340-1313. We're here 24/7 to help!
Flame or Soot: Restoring a home after a fire can be stressful
11/7/2024 (Permalink)
Fire damage can be devastating. Give us a call today, and we will make the restoration process as easy as possible for you.
Our SERVPRO of Rockville-Olney & Silver Spring North emergency response crews recently responded to a couple of commercial fires, a hi-rise condo building and an older apartment building. Restoring a home — whether a condo, apartment or single-family — after fire damage is a difficult and emotional process. Not only are we here to help with the cleanup and restoration of your property, but for your family as well.
Flames can cause the most visible damage to your property but the most damage comes from the smoke and soot. Soot is a coating of fine, black dust created when substances are burned. Inhaling soot can cause health effects. It is important to our team that we get rid of all the after-effects of the fire — not only the damage but also the odor. Our expertise and experience allow us to inspect and accurately assess the extent of the damage to develop a comprehensive plan of action.
Before restoration begins, a member of our SERVPRO Team Gutierrez restoration crew will test the soot to determine which type of smoke damage occurred. The cleaning procedures will be based on which type of smoke damage there is. Below are the different types of smoke:
Wet Smoke – Plastic and Rubber
- Low heat, smoldering, pungent odor, sticky, smeary. Smoke webs are more difficult to clean.
Dry Smoke – Paper and Wood
- Fast burning, high temperatures, heat rises therefore, smoke rises.
Protein Fire Residue – Produced by evaporation of material rather than from a fire.
- Virtually invisible, discolors paints and varnishes, extreme pungent odor.
Call SERVPRO Team Gutierrez of Rockville, Olney & Silver Spring North when you're in need of cleaning after fire strikes. We know it is hard seeing your home in flames and we are here to restore it as swiftly and best we can. We're here to help 24/7. 301-340-1313.
What's Leaf Mold?
11/7/2024 (Permalink)
Autumn foliage is beautiful, but their leaves on the warm ground can cause mold growth that's not friendly to those with allergies.
Now that Autumn is in full swing and while the foliage is spectacular in our Maryland, DC & Virginia region, the leaves in many parts of the area have begun to fall from their trees.
While we've enjoyed some cooler days, the warm, humid weather from summer & spring enabled mold growth on dying grass patches, and as soon as the leaves fall, the mold on the ground begins to quickly spread over them.
Do you have a mold allergy? If so, you may be wondering if leaf mold is a threat at all.
Indeed, leaf mold can certainly cause symptoms including itchy, watery eyes, nasal congestions, and runny noses.
Not only does the leaf mold lay under the foliage, but it also disperses through the air when leaves are raked or blown about by wind or leaf blower. When spores are stirred up, they’re basically being thrown up in the air to linger around.
However, leaf mold isn’t the fall season’s only allergen. Grasses and ragweed are also common sources of your sneezes.
If you suffer from mold allergy, you can look forward to colder temperatures within the next couple months. Once frost begins showing up on the ground, the mold begins to die off, and you can expect your symptoms to recede.
To learn more about mold and the remediation process, visit our website. We have an entire tab dedicated to mold for your knowledge: www.SERVPROrockvillesilverspringnorth.com/mold-remediation
Tips for a safe Thanksgiving
11/4/2024 (Permalink)
Follow these tips for a safe turkey bake & Thanksgiving!
Autumn is in full swing if the colorful foliage and cooler weather are any indication. Which means Thanksgiving is just around the corner!
While Thanksgiving is a joyous time when family and friends gather and give thanks, it’s also the time of year when the number of house fires increases. Team Gutierrez of SERVPRO Rockville-Olney & SERVPRO Silver Spring North offers a few tips to better ensure your safety, as well as the safety of your family, pets, property and belongings during the holiday season.
First, let's talk turkey and oven preparation. To prepare, clean your stove and oven. Old food crumbs and grease must be removed as over time, grease can build up, leaving quite a residue that can be flammable.
When you’re ready to put the turkey (or duck!) in the oven, set a timer. Also make sure your smoke alarms are working in case of an emergency.
While a fire caused by baking a turkey in the oven is much less common than a fire caused by frying a turkey, it’s still very important to take all precautions, including constant monitoring of the oven.
A few safety tips to follow:
- No long sleeves while cooking to avoid catching on fire
- Pot handles turned towards the back of the stove to avoid tipping or falling
- Use a meat thermometer to ensure turkey has been fully cooked
SERVPRO Team Gutierrez wishes our customers & friends a happy and safe Thanksgiving!
Visit our website for more fire safety tips: www.SERVPROrockvillesilverspringnorth.com/fire-damage-tips
Considering a move to Rockville, Olney or Silver Spring?
11/4/2024 (Permalink)
The Metro can save you a lot of time and money and a convenient way to travel.
We love our Rockville, Olney and Silver Spring communities! Thinking about moving here? We’ll give you a few reasons why our community stands out to us!
Great schools: Montgomery County Public Schools are nationally ranked and recognized. Additionally, the area boasts many great private schools if you are looking for those options. Rockville is also the home of Montgomery College, Rockville Campus. For an affordable tuition, you can obtain your associate degree from this institution for a fraction of what you would pay at other colleges and universities.
Quick access to transit: Our area offers public transportation ranging from buses to trains. While the Metro rail allows quick access from Rockville and Silver Spring (and many other stations in surrounding areas) to DC, parts of Virginia and other local hotspots, bus services from Metrobus and Ride On are available throughout the county with thousands of bus stops.
Plenty of shopping centers, restaurants, entertainment: Rockville Pike is known for its diversity of restaurants. In addition, it has many top-notch shopping centers and about every store you can think of along its stretch. Looking for something fun to do? Rockville provides plenty of entertainment to its residents and guests alike- and in very close proximity so you won’t have to drive far and can definitely save gas.
With ice rinks (indoor and outdoor), movie theaters, bowling alleys, malls, community events and festivals to nearby hiking trails and places to rent kayaks and canoes, Rockville is a happening place!
Safe communities: Our Rockville-Olney and Silver Spring North communities are very family-oriented and diverse. People from around the world come to live in our communities as our area has much to offer. From amazing career opportunities to safe neighborhoods, the Rockville-Olney area is a great place to have a family and to start a great career alike. Our towns make great effort to keep residents safe by installing sidewalks to promote safer exercise, creating crosswalks, putting up speed cameras, and ensuring roads are smooth. Pedestrian safety is really prioritized, and it leads to a stronger community!
Close to Washington, D.C. (can easily metro from Silver Spring, Rockville, Twin Brook, or Shady Grove stations, to name a few): As mentioned above, our area is close to DC! It’s a happening place. From weekend activities such as parades and museum trips, we are fortunate to have easy access to a city where people from around the world come to vacation to. We can’t forget to mention jobs! Many of our residents commute to DC daily for work. It’s a city of opportunity.
Arts, history and culture: Our area is known by its culture and history. Much of it is celebrated through art. Our area offers a wide variety of tours, including tours of farms, mansions, and old school houses for example. There happens to be many museums and theaters in our area as well. Keep an eye out on community pages for local concert series, pop-ups and festivities.
A few great spots to explore history, culture and talent include:
Sandy Spring Museum, Sandy Spring
Olney Theatre Center, Olney
Agricultural History Farm Park, Derwood
Meadowside Nature Center, Rockville
Glenview Mansion and Art Gallery, Rockville
National Capital Trolley Museum, Silver Spring
If you’ve never visited the Rockville, Olney, Silver Spring area, Team Gutierrez of SERVPRO of Rockville-Olney and SERVPRO of Silver Spring North encourages you to do so!
Take these precautions to ensure your daycare is safe!
11/4/2024 (Permalink)
Whether you manage a daycare or send your kids to one, we know your primary concerns are their safety & well-being. SERVPRO Rockville-Olney can help.
At SERVPRO of Rockville-Olney and SERVPRO of Silver Spring North, we knows it’s important to make sure your commercial property reaches a high standard when it comes to a clean and safe environment for your clients, employees, etc. Quite often, SERVPRO Team Gutierrez helps schools and daycares in the Rockville, Olney, Silver Spring North and surrounding areas reach these standards.
It’s very important to ensure your smallest customers are safe and healthy at all times, especially during these post-pandemic times and especially since children are more susceptible to common issues such as mold, as well as bacteria pests such as rodents can leave behind, for instance.
Maybe you own or manage a daycare. Maybe you are considering starting your own daycare, or maybe you are a parent considering which daycare to enroll your child in.
Here's a checklist of what a daycare should include to provide the safest environment possible:
- Smoke alarms and fire extinguishers must be present and in excellent, working condition
- Windows in every classroom to provide fresh air and an emergency exit
- Clean sleeping area, play areas and toys (including carpets and upholstery, which can easily become soiled at daycares!)
- All cleaning supplies must be locked away
- Electrical outlets must be covered
- Strict hygiene procedures (important when changing diapers)
- Any necessary safety and cleanliness certifications (state and/or county, depending on local laws)
- Regular health and cleanliness inspections
- Documented emergency evacuation plans
- Mold-free
- Any expired food the center provided must be discarded
- Professional pest removal is needed if you suspect or know there are pests in the building. Mouse traps present a danger, especially to small hands that like to get into everything!
- Pests can carry diseases, bite children, and leave trails of bacteria behind
- Fire drills are necessary in preparing for a smoother evacuation in an unfortunate event when an actual fire might take place
- Similar to drills for potential earthquakes or storms, especially if the region is prone to these acts of nature
- Locking gates at the top and bottom of any stairs
- Exterior locking doors
We have worked around Montgomery County, Maryland and beyond to ensure local schools and daycares are clean and safe places! Whether involved with mold remediation, restoring flood damages, or performing a general cleaning, we make it a priority to keep the children in our community safe and healthy.
If you have any cleaning & restoration needs at your daycare facilities, don’t hesitate to give SERVPRO Team Gutierrez a call today at 301-340-1313.
Help the Environment, and your Wallet, by conserving Water!
11/4/2024 (Permalink)
Help the environment (and your wallet) today by conserving water in your home and office!
Our Rockville, Olney and Silver Spring areas of Montgomery County, Maryland experience our share of storms every season, so we see a lot of aftermath from home flooding, which means a lot of wasted water. Excessive amounts of water leaking, bursting, or draining cause these floods. Check out our website for information on how we clean up and restore the flooded areas:
www.SERVPROrockvillesilverspringnorth.com/water-repair-process
In this blog, we'd like to address water conservation, and to provide you with useful tips you can follow to save on your water bill and to save our natural resources alike. Following these tips can also prevent a water catastrophe from occurring in your home:
- Check your toilet for leaks (the old food coloring trick is a sure way to discover any)
- Check for leaks in pipes and faucets too
- Do not leave you water running the entire time you brush your teeth, shaving or showering
- Purchase water-saving appliances (a shower head is probably the cheapest and will save you)
- Wait until you have enough clothes for a full load to do laundry
- Position your lawn sprinkler in the most efficient way possible. Oftentimes, sprinkler water ends up watering the road or sidewalks
- Plant drought-resistant plants and trees
- Use a broom, instead of a hose, to remove dust and dirt from your sidewalks, etc.
- Reuse water when possible. You can water your garden instead of allowing a lot of the water you’ve used to flow down the drain
- Capture rainwater! Invest in a water drum to catch water from gutters and downspouts
And in the unfortunate event your home or business gets flooded during the next storm, help is a phone call away. Call Team Gutierrez of SERVPRO of Rockville-Olney & Silver Spring North 24/7 at 301-340-1313.
We are here to help!
Our Teams Are IICRC-Trained and Certified
10/28/2024 (Permalink)
Our technicians are certified & trained in the latest industry techniques and services.
At SERVPRO of Rockville-Olney & Silver Spring North, we strive for excellence at every job we do. It's why our team members go through regular training and certification.
The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) is recognized internationally as a knowledgeable industry voice and resource. It serves as an independent, nonprofit standard-setting and certification body, to set and promote high standards of ethics; and to advance communication and technical proficiency within the inspection, cleaning and restoration service industries.
The IICRC offers certifications in several categories of Cleaning, Inspection and Restoration. Additionally, there are Journeyman certifications available to those with advanced levels of recognition, which can be achieved by having several certifications in select categories and a minimum of three to five years of experience in the cleaning and restoration industry.
SERVPRO Team Gutierrez technicians are IICRC-certified and continue their education and certification throughout their employment. As new certifications become available through the IICRC, steps are taken to ensure that our technicians are certified in the latest techniques and services. Our customers can rest assured knowing that only the most qualified technicians will be sent into your business or home to restore and repair damage when you use our company!
Our accolades speak for themselves, as SERVPRO of Rockville-Olney was named 2023 Small Business of the Year by the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and 2021 Small Business of the Year by the Rockville Chamber of Commerce. Our mitigation director, Alex, was recently honored as the 2024 Field Hero of the Year by the national Cleaning & Restoration Magazine!
We are here 24/7 to help tackle water, fire, mold or biohazard damage to your property, residential or commercial. Call us, SERVPRO Team Gutierrez, at 301-340-1313.
What To Do When Dealing With Fire Damage in Your Home
10/28/2024 (Permalink)
SERVPRO Team Gutierrez technicians are experts on restoring fire, water and mold damage to help get your property damage to preloss condition.
Life has enough interruptions and bumps along the way without the unwanted disaster of a house fire.
The aftermath is almost as bad, but much longer-lasting. Even small fires can merit the use of a professional restoration company. Cooking fires that spread beyond the stove, barbecue grills that go haywire, and even small appliances that catch fire can cause damage to surrounding areas.
Small Fires Can Pose High Risks
While you should never pour water on a grease fire, nor on an electrical one, many times that is a person's first reaction. This can cause even more damage. Cooking fires and electrical shorts are common causes of fire in Montgomery County. It can also create physical risks to people standing nearby. With grease fires, baking soda should be poured into the skillet and any grease or oil that has caught fire outside of the cooking pan or skillet instead of water.
With electrical fires, the appliance should be unplugged if it can be safely done, but not by pulling on the cord. This can cause the cord to snap, leaving the plug without the cord still in the outlet. The power to the area where this is happening should be shut off at the fuse box as quickly as possible to eliminate the hazard.
After the Fire is Out, It's Time to Repair the Damage
After firefighters put out the fire, have someone assess the damages for you. This can often help with insurance documentation. Landlords, if you are renting, will also appreciate if you inform them of the fire, and they can see the damage for themselves. It is every landlord's worst nightmare to have a fire or flood damage their properties. If they can see the amount of damage, they can rest easier knowing the extent of the repairs required. Fires do happen, through nobody's fault, and your landlord will know this.
Damage can range from blackened walls and countertops to heavily burned surfaces, electrical wires being damaged and requiring replacement, to floors suffering damage so severe they must be replaced to be safe again. Having experts assess and conduct the repairs needed can greatly facilitate insurance claims being resolved, as well.
Hopefully you will never have to experience a fire in your home, business or building, but if you have recently dealt with this catastrophe and need professional restoration to your residential or commercial property, give SERVPRO Team Gutierrez a call today at 301-340-1313.
At SERVPRO of Rockville-Olney & Silver Spring North, our technicians are well-trained experts on restoring fire, water and mold-damaged property. No job is too large or too small!
When water disasters strike, call SERVPRO Team Gutierrez ASAP!
10/14/2024 (Permalink)
Water intrusion can spread through your building and wreak havoc to the structural integrity and equipment. Call 301-340-1313 right away!
Our DMV region (District of Columbia, Maryland & Virginia) including the Rockville, Olney & Silver Spring area has seen flooding problems due to heavy rainfall.
Water damage can shut down your office building. Water can cause damage that you can see, but also damage that is not easily visible. No matter the damage, best to call in a professional remediation service, such as SERVPRO of Rockville-Olney & Silver Spring North, even if you think the repairs are small. Water takes the path of least resistance, so it finds its way through building materials where the water eventually gets trapped and can create rot and mold growth.
Emergency water removal is the first step in preventing more damage to your property. Once the water has been dried out by our technicians, we thoroughly inspect your property and determine what has been affected and what is okay. We can then focus our effects on restoring the damaged areas. The drying & restoration process can usually be finished in a few days and is monitored closely to ensure proper drying. Water damage can be from any of the sources below:
Plumbing Failure
These disasters can release hundreds of gallons of water quickly into your office building. Malfunction can result from broken pipes, malfunctioning sprinkler systems, loose hoses and other plumbing sources.
Local Flooding
Flooding can come from sudden, heavy rainfalls. Intense downpours can flood gutters, drains and downspouts quickly, and the overflow can cause severe water damage to your business.
Long-Term Moisture & Humidity
Small leaks usually hide and are overlooked; however, overtime they lead to water damage problems that need repair. Ceilings, wall cavities, bathrooms, hallways and attics are the most susceptible areas to mold growth and wood rot from continued exposure. Basements and vented crawlspaces are also environments that can be humid, leading to similar water and mold issues. Standing water can fast turn into damage that is more widespread if not cleaned up right away. Mold starts growing in as little as 24 hours after a water intrusion and can spread through your building and do much harm to the structural integrity, plus to the health of your employees and any equipment inside.
If you want a trusted, professional company to come out to your property to access water damage and to begin the restoration process, call SERVPRO Team Gutierrez of Rockville, Olney and Silver Spring North, 301-340-1313.
Our powerful truck-mounted water extraction equipment and our specially-trained technicians are just what you need when a water disaster strikes your office building.
24/7 Emergency Service