Recent Commercial Posts

Ask The Experts: How Do I Get Rid of Mold? (part 2 of 2)

7/20/2021 (Permalink)

Last week we started our discussion on ways to prevent or, if need be, eliminate mold. As we said, mold and mildew don’t need very much encouragement to grow. Once it starts, it can spread very quickly. Mold can grow on a variety of surfaces, cloth, carpets, drywall, and wood. With a large commercial building keeping everyone cool or warm, condensation can form and provide the mold the moisture it needs to spread.

Regular cleanings and maintenance inspections will help keep mold from taking over the building, in particular, areas that are not often used.

4. Regular Checks

Building maintenance should be looking for anything suspicious on a regular basis. Keeping an eye on areas that have higher concentrations of moisture or humidity for signs.

Dark spots, fuzzy patches, musty smells, can all appear anywhere. Carpets, walls, ceilings, floors, and under sinks, behind walls in shower rooms, laundry room, bathrooms, and kitchen areas.

5. Regular Inspections

It’s a great idea to have your maintenance team take care of regular checks and repairs, but hiring a professional to inspect the building can be a great help. They can spot areas that may be developing mold that you are not aware of.

They are also great at finding areas of potential mold, too, so you can stop it before it gets a chance to start.

If you find mold, call in a professional team to take care of it right away. You don’t want to try and clean it by yourself. At SERVPRO of Howard and Tipton Counties, our professionals have the right tools, experience, and expertise to take care of it.

Ask The Experts: How Do I Get Rid of Mold? (part 1 of 2)

7/15/2021 (Permalink)

Mold and mildew don’t need very much encouragement to grow. Once it starts, it can spread very quickly. Mold can grow on a variety of surfaces, cloth, carpets, drywall, and wood. With a large commercial building keeping everyone cool or warm, condensation can form and provide the mold the moisture it needs to spread.

Regular cleanings and maintenance inspections will help keep mold from taking over the building, in particular, areas that are not often used.

1. Deep Cleaning

Start with your HVAC system. Getting it cleaned, changing or cleaning the filters, and keeping it in great form will help stop the spread of mold spores. The vents, ducts, and the rest all need to be maintained.

When the air is not moving through the vents, dust and mold can just sit there, so when you turn it back on, the room fills with it all. Any amount of hair, dust, dirt, animal hair and waste, and mold can be in the vents.

The mold can get inside these areas and grow. There are times when you don’t need the system, so have it maintained in the spring and fall, to be safe. Reducing the movement of the mold will help considerably.

2. Dehumidify

Condensation can form during the hot months, during the cold months, at any time. A commercial building will have a lot of people, and people can cause condensation.

A dehumidifier will help draw moisture out of the air. It can make a big difference in a building that is very populated and turning off the heat or air conditioning is not an option.

Put them in areas when moisture is prevalent. Basements, upper floors, kitchens or cafeterias, shower rooms, laundry rooms, and anywhere that has excessive moisture. They are available in different sizes.

3. Make Repairs

Fixing small problems will help them from becoming big problems. Leaks in the roof or foundation, cracks in the walls or foundation, gaps around windows, taps or pipes that drip, or leak, and faulty thermostats.

These can all allow heat and cold air in or out, which means it makes it harder to control the humidity inside the building. Damp patches or pooling water, or a recent flood, should all be taken care of right away. Hire a professional.

Join us next week where we will discuss 2 more ways to make sure mold fears you!

If you do find mold, call in a professional team to take care of it right away. You don’t want to try and clean it by yourself. At SERVPRO of Howard and Tipton Counties, our professionals have the right tools, experience, and expertise to take care of it.

SERVPRO Tip - How To Keep Your Work Space Save As Winter Is Right Around The Corner!

7/12/2021 (Permalink)

 

Winter is just around the corner, and it is important to have a plan to keep your workspace safe! Listed below are a few tips we wanted to share to keep your workplace safe this winter season.

  • Unplug all space/portable heaters.
  • Keep your work area free of waste paper, trash and other items that can easily catch fire.
  • Check on your electrical cords.
  • Don't overload your circuits.
  • Turn off electrical appliances at the end of each day.
  • Keep heat-producing equipment away from anything that might burn.
  • Turn off the coffee pot.
  • Unplug wall scents.
  • Make sure all candles are blown out at the end of the day.
  • Have an emergency escape plan for all employees.
  • Make sure EXIT signs are posted and all employees are aware of the exit doors.
  • Check your fire extinguishers and make sure they have not expired.
  • Turn off all decorations and lights at the end of the day.

These are just a few things we can all do to help prevent unwanted fires to start. By implementing these simple tasks we can KEEP OUR WORKPLACE SAFE!

If disaster does strike your business this winter or any time, give the professionals at SERVPRO of Howard and Tipton Counties a call! We are faster to any disaster and are here to help get you back to "Like it never even happened."

Ask The Experts: Why You Should Call A Professional When You Find Mold

11/30/2020 (Permalink)

When you discover the presence of mold in your home, or something you think is mold, a number of thoughts might pass through your head at first. You might wonder if you can handle the situation yourself and save some money. After all, you have tackled many jobs in your home before with good results. You might want to go out and buy a mold testing kit and see for yourself if it registers positive. Here's a secret: most likely it will. That's because mold is present at least in small amounts in nearly every home. Mold is naturally occurring in the environment.

Get Results You Can Trust

With a store-bought mold kit, you are still likely to have doubts. Did you administer the kit properly? Does it actually work correctly? And what do you do next? To eliminate uncertainty, call in a certified environmental hygienist (or a certified industrial hygienist), the only person qualified to accurately identify mold. For mold testing that matters, go with the trained and educated professional who has the proper equipment. There are other benefits, too, including the following:

  • A CIH is required to act in an ethical manner
  • The CIH can recommend a plan of action to mitigate mold damage
  • A professional mold remediation franchise will watch out for the health of workers and your family

With something as pernicious as mold, you want to be sure of what course to take. The longer mold is present the more likely it is to spread.

Get Effective Mold Cleaning

If you suspect your home could have a mold problem, a DIY mold solution might not be in your best interest. Always consider mold testing from a licensed professional. If you do have a mold problem, it should be addressed quickly to prevent further damage and to clean the air in your home of allergens.