Any time of the day or night, we are proud to serve Dekalb, Dupage, Kane, Ogle, Kendall, Winnebago, the Western suburbs, and surrounding counties in Illinois with water remediation services. If you have a water removal emergency, stop reading this blog and give us a call for experienced emergency service.
For those of you who aren’t on your phones reading blogs while your basement is flooding, feel free to keep on reading! From a high-level perspective, our water removal services include (but are not limited to):
- Water Restoration – both emergency and non-emergency
- Flood – clean-up
- Carpet Drying – fresh and rain water
- Sewage clean-up
- Interior wall drying
- Hardwood and cabinet drying
In addition to our water removal and remediation services, keep in mind we also offer carpet cleaning services, general janitorial cleaning services, and more. If you are interested in any of those services, make sure you check out our 100 percent satisfaction guarantee resource in order to get a feel for what kind of professional cleaning company we are!
Water Damage FAQs
Now that we’ve gotten some of the formalities out of the way, we have a promised blog topic to get to! Today’s blog is all about answering some of the most common questions that people have when facing water damage in their homes or places of business for the very first time. It’s not a fun place to be, and it’s often difficult to know where to start when facing a problem of this magnitude. That’s why we figured we could put some of our experience and industry knowledge to work on your behalf. If that sounds interesting to you, by all means, keep reading!
Q: Where Should I Start When I Need Water Restoration?
When first discovering that your house or business has a water damage problem, it can be an emotional time. For most people, it’s hard to think clearly when something bordering on the catastrophic has occurred, but a cool head is essential — time is of the essence!
Once you’ve collected yourself and got your thinking cap on, the first thing you should do is to find the source of the problem. The problem’s source might be as obvious as water overflowing from a washing machine or from a clogged drain, yes, but it is often the case that the root cause of the problem is less apparent. For instance, the culprit very well could be a pipe that burst months back. The issue only manifested weeks or months later when you see damaged floors, ceilings, or see signs of mold!
Q: What Do I Do After Finding The Source Of The Water Damage?
After you’ve successfully identified the source of your problem, you can better decide if this is an issue that requires professional water damage remediation. If it’s a small leak, it can probably be cleaned up easily and without permanent damage. If there is mold involved, or if the scope of the issue appears to be more serious from a general perspective, it’s time to call in the water restoration services from a cleaning company like Clean USA. We use high-grade, truck-mounted equipment to not only remove the water from the premises but ensure that your possessions aren’t any more damaged than they already were before we arrive on the scene.
Q: What Should I Look For In A Water Restoration Company?
Whether you’ve got flood damage, a pipe burst, or a different issue caused your problem, if the water damage is severe enough to merit calling in a professional water damage remediator, you should know what to look for in said remediator. We fully admit we have a horse in this race, but we’d also warrant that we have a lot of experience in terms of seeing what separates the good companies from the bad ones. Here are a few tips to help you on your search, whether you end up choosing Clean USA or otherwise:
- Certification: The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) is the premier certification and standard-setting organization for the inspection, cleaning and restoration industries.
- Fast Response: The company should have a quick response to your water or fire damage. Timeliness is an important factor for avoiding permanent damage.
- References: Make sure the company can provide references, and check their online reputation. Seek an honest representation of customers’ experiences.
- Estimates: Any professional should be able to give an idea of cost before the job starts.
- Bonded & Insured: Ensure any company you use is both bonded and insured.
For the record, we have over 25 years of experience here at Clean USA!
Q: What Are The Best Ways To Prevent Water Damage In Your Home?
It could probably go without saying that the best way to prevent water damage is to be prepared. But, we said it anyway, because it’s hugely important. Dealing with water damage issues is no fun; it’s costly, time-consuming, and a headache. While we do our best to alleviate such issues, serious cases are almost always disruptive in one sense or another. Hence, do your best Boy Scout impression and…be prepared!
Here are a few ways you can prevent water damage in your home:
- Check Your Drainage – Establishing good drainage is absolutely crucial to the wellbeing of your home. You are too busy to be constantly checking on the status of each drain outside your home, so we’d recommend making sure that your drains aren’t likely to be clogged by leaves, trash, or any other kind of material that might become problematic in the event of a storm. What’s more, you should routinely clean your gutters. If your direct drain spouts aren’t between five and ten inches away from your home, it’s worth fixing. Better safe than sorry!
- Check On Your Sump Pump’s Status – We aren’t strangers to flooding, although we can’t say we get the brunt of nasty storms either. That said, flooding does happen, and if you are a homeowner with a basement, there’s a good chance there is a sump pump down there as well. Sump pumps redirect water away from your home to a place that is less problematic. Make sure your sump pump is functioning at least once per year.
- Keep An Eye Out For Leaks – Low-key leaks that don’t catch your eye are some of the most menacing in terms of the damage they can cause. What’s more, they are usually the most expensive to fix, too. It’s vital to catch the problem while it’s still minor, which means you need to be proactive when looking for dark spots under pipes inside sink cabinets, curious ceiling stains, or even toilets that have jostled loose. Make sure you repair dripping pipes as soon as you find the leak in order to mitigate the problem as much as possible!
24/7 Emergency Service
We’ll end this blog like we started it — by telling you how Clean USA provides 24/7 emergency flood damage service. We will help you diagnose and assess the situation in order to salvage your home’s structural integrity (while saving you the most money possible).
Whether you need carpet cleaning, facility cleaning, or water damage, we’ve got you covered at Clean USA. Give us a call if you could use water remediation services for your home or business!
