July 4th safety tips from your SERVPRO of Wheaton/Kensington.

6/28/2019 (Permalink)

Happy July 4th!

July 4th is a day to celebrate with friends, family, and fireworks! While enjoying such a festive occasion, be sure to keep your family and home safe. Bellow are a few tips to consider when celebrating with fireworks.

• Have a fire extinguisher handy, just in case.
• Supervise children handling fireworks.
• Soak fireworks in a bucket of water before putting them in a trash can.
• Light the fireworks at arms length and then stand back.
• Do not attempt to re-shoot fire works that did not initially fire.
• Set your fireworks in an open space, not to close to your home.

We hope everyone has a fun and safe 4th of July. Always remember that your SERVPRO of Wheaton/Kensington is always here to help and make it "Like it never even happened."

Christmas tree precautions from your local SERVPRO of Wheaton/Kensington!

12/3/2018 (Permalink)

Happy Holidays from your local SERVPRO of Wheaton/Kensington!

Though Christmas is a time for celebration, it is wise to be cautious too. Old fashioned Christmas trees were displayed with wax on live tree branches to simulate snow. Since then we’ve grown wiser, and safer. Your SERVPRO of Wheaton/Kensington is her to help with safety tips to reduce the risk of a fire caused by Christmas trees.

• Be sure to water your live trees, this decreases dryness on the branches. Dry needles and wood are more likely to catch on fire quicker.
• Avoid plugging more than 3 strings into one outlet. It’s best to opt for a power strip.
• Discard light strings that are worn or broken.
• Always remember to turn off your Christmas tree when leaving your home.
• When placing your tree in your home, choose wisely. Make sure that your Christmas tree does not block an exit. Also, try to keep it at least 3 feet away from any heat sources like space heaters, candles, fireplaces, heat vents or lamps.

For this Christmas season keep yourself and your family safe. We hope that you find these safety precautions helpful. Always remember that your local SERVPRO of Wheaton/Kensington is always here to help, and make it “Like it never even happened”.

Preparedness Month at SERVPRO of Wheaton/Kensington

9/26/2018 (Permalink)

Where is you main water shut off valve?

Knowing where to shut off your water source in case of a flood is vital. We don’t mean the sink or water hose, we mean the main shut off. If your home is flooding and you can’t find the source, shutting off the main water valve is your next step. By doing this, you avoid further water damage. We recommend that you label your main water shut off valve with clear lettering, like the picture shown above. If you would like a label like this one, you’re local SERVPRO of Wheaton/Kensington will be happy to provide one at no charge! Keep in mind that we are always here to help and make it “Like it never even happened.”

Home Emergency Evacuation Plan

8/16/2018 (Permalink)

Get out, stay out!

Are you ready for a fire, if a fire were to happen in your home? Where would you go? What do you take with you? Who do you call?

Most home owners are not prepared for an unfortunate event like a fire in their home. Fortunately SERVPRO of Wheaton/Kensington is here to remind you. Nobody ever expects to be a victim of a fire loss, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t prepare for one.

A home Evacuation plan is a precautionary measure you should review with everyone in your household. It is a sketch drawing of your home including all of the possible exits and escape routes. It’s recommended that you include at least two exits. In your home sketch include all of the rooms in your home, including restrooms. Draw markers like trees, fences, or your mailbox. Each room should have arrows pointing towards the exit route, and towards the meeting place.

The meeting place is where everyone in the household should reunite in case you are separated during the process of evacuation. Keep in mind that during the process of evacuation you should worry about getting out as quickly and as safely as possible, don’t worry about appliances and furniture. Those things are replaceable, you aren’t!

Once you are safely out of your home call 911. They will contact the fire department, police department, and ambulance if needed.

Give us a call for a free sketch sheet for the home emergency evacuation plan. Remember were always here to help!

Emergency Ready Profile - Phone Application

11/1/2017 (Permalink)

ERP

Emergency Ready Profile - Phone Application

In times of emergency it is crucial to be prepared. The Emergency Ready Profile application is a great step in the right direction of preparedness. Download the application in App Store by searching SERVPRO. You can also login and see profiles at www.ready.SERVPRO.com. The application allows the user to:

• Add multiple location profiles.
• Take pictures of shut off locations for fire sprinklers, water, and gas.
• Add insurance information
• Add local police and firefighter phone numbers

There are many other features within the application. One of the most popular is that of sharing the profile. Once the ERP is finished the owner of the profile can share with anyone who needs to be prepared. Now all your emergency personnel can find the shut off location just by opening their shared profile.

We never hope that you have an emergency in your home or business, but if it does, we hope you are prepared. And like our motto says, we are always here to help!

Types of Contaminated Water

10/9/2017 (Permalink)

Damage

Did you know that there are three different types of contaminated water that can cause water damage? The three different types of contaminated water are clean water, gray water, and black water. SERVPRO comes across all of these types of water in the field. Here are the 3 major differences.

Clean Water:This type of water generally comes from a clean source like a broken water supply line or faucet. Depending on the time it has been left, the temperature, contact with bacteria, and surrounding contaminates, this water can quickly become gray or black water. This is the most common type of water damage.

Gray Water:  This type of water and water damage can cause discomfort or illness as it likely contains bacteria and illness. When left untreated, gray water will quickly become black water and the water damages associated with black water is much worse.

Black Water:  This water and its water damages generally spawn from sewage, biological hazards, or flooding from rivers and streams. If left untreated, it will cause microbial growth, severe illness, and even possibly death.

The best solution when there is any kind of flooding or water damage is to have it treated as soon as it is noticed. Hiring a professional company like SERVPRO is recommended as they can give advice on why the flood occurred, the category of the flood, and how to prevent water damages.

Are you Prepared?

10/5/2017 (Permalink)

Damaged Building

Severe weather can happen any time, anywhere.  Each year, Americans cope with an average of  the following intense storms*:

• 10,000 severe thunderstorms
• 5,000 floods or flash floods
• 1,000 tornadoes
• 2 landfalling deadly hurricanes

Approximately 98 percent of all presidentially declared disasters are weather-related, leading to around 500 deaths per year and nearly $15 billion in damage.  * Knowing your risk of severe weather, taking action and being an example are just a few steps you can take to be better prepared to save your life and assist in saving the lives of others.

How to be prepared:

• A gallon of water per person per day.
• Supply of non-perishable packaged or canned food and a manual can opener.
• Change of clothing, rain gear and sturdy shoes.
• Blankets and sleeping bags.
• First aid kit and prescription medications.
• Battery-powered radio, flashlight and plenty of extra batteries.
• Credit cards, cash and extra set of car keys.
• List of family physicians. 
• Special items for infants, elderly or disabled family members.
• Call SERVPRO to get an Emergency Readiness Plan into place for your facility. The plan can help minimize business interruption in the event of a disaster.