For Immediate Cleaning Service in Orange County, Call SERVPRO

10/3/2017 (Permalink)

We provide immediate service day or night!

SERVPRO provides 24-hour emergency service and is dedicated to being faster to any-sized disaster in the Orange County area. We can respond immediately to your emergency and have the expertise to handle your restoration or cleaning needs.

• 24-Hour Emergency Service
• Faster to Any-Sized Disaster
• Highly Trained Restoration Technicians
• A Trusted Leader in the Restoration Industry
• Locally Owned and Operated
• Advanced Restoration and Cleaning Equipment 

Residential Services

Whether your Orange County home needs emergency flood damage or your upholstery cleaned, you can depend on us.  Our technicians have extensive cleaning and restoration training and can make your property look its best. Learn more about our residential services:

• Water Damage Restoration
• Fire Damage Restoration
• Mold Remediation
• Storm Damage Restoration
• Cleaning Services
• Building/Reconstruction Services

Commercial Services

There's never a convenient time for fire or Water damage to strike your Orange County commercial property. Every hour spent cleaning up is an hour of lost revenue and productivity. So when the need arises for professional cleaning or emergency restoration services we have the training and expertise to respond promptly with highly trained technicians to get your property back to business. Learn more about our commercial services: 

• Commercial Water Damage Restoration
• Commercial Fire Damage Restoration

Preventing Puffbacks

4/28/2017 (Permalink)

During the Cleaning process after a puff back

A puffback is a messy furnace malfunction that occurs when an oil burner backfires, sending soot throughout the interior of a home. It can happen all at once, covering the interior in grimy soot, or it can leak soot more gradually.

Initially, many people mistake soot for dust and simply wipe it away. However, once cleaned, this “dust” often reappears and can sometimes be accompanied by a strong, oily odor. There are several steps your clients can take to prevent damage to their home. Remind them to:

• Have the oil-burning furnace professionally checked and cleaned annually.
• Keep an eye out for traces of soot around their home.
• Install a carbon monoxide monitor. Puffbacks (and the soot they create) will increase the carbon monoxide levels in their home. A carbon monoxide monitor can help to detect the puffback in its early stages.

If soot begins accumulating on objects or walls within their home, they should turn off the heating system immediately. Contact a heating professional to service the heater and restore it to proper working order.

Fortunately, if your client does experience a puffback, SERVPRO has the knowledge and experience to complete a thorough cleaning and removal of any soot and odors. Our Fire Restoration Team will respond immediately and make it look Like it never even happened®.

Improving your Air Quality in Orange County, NY

4/7/2017 (Permalink)

Dirty Air Ducts- Improving your Air Quality in Orange County, NY

People easily assume that low quality of air in their premises arise as a result of external factors, and that they have no control over it. However, this is not true at all. Actually, people contribute a very high percentage to the air quality in their businesses and homes. Therefore, if air quality is to be improved, it must start from within. In order to start the process of purifying the internal air, we must first understand what pollutes the air in our premises.

For the homes and businesses in Orange County, there are a few factors that could be polluting air in their premises. Pollen, paint, mold and any other allergen. After understanding the various factors that lower the quality of air, people of Tennessee can now take the relevant action to address the issue.

The easiest way to improve the quality of air in premises is cleaning. First, people of Tennessee need to understand that taking a little time off every day, washing and mopping their premises can mean a great difference in the quality of air they breathe. The process can start with the regular sweeping and dusting. This aims at removing pollutants that may be in the premises. However, this is not exactly enough. Mopping and scrubbing on a regular basis needs to be done. This will ensure that tough pollutants, which cannot be removed by mere sweeping and dusting, are gotten rid of.

The next vital step, after brushing and mopping, is to ensure that there is efficient ventilation in premises. Here, people got to understand that the duct is one of the most integral parts of the ventilation system. The duct should be cleaned and maintained on a regular basis.

Air duct cleaning starts with covering openings that get air into rooms. Covering these openings ensures that allergens will not spread into other rooms during the duct cleaning process. The second step that needs to be taken when conducting the duct cleaning exercise is ensuring that the fan is turned off. This ensures that dust, pollen and debris, coming from the duct, doesn’t spread throughout the premises. Next, be sure to check that the filters are in good shape. This is a precautionary measure to ensure that none of the pollutants falling off from the duct will be blown into the motor.

After checking these vital parts of the ventilation system, it is now time to start the air duct cleaning process. This will normally start with checking the air registers. Both the return and supply air register need to be thoroughly brushed of any dirt. Next, the power source of your ventilation system should be turned off. This ensures safety while cleaning up the dirt in the blower compartment. Lastly, the filter should be changed. This will definitely enhance the integrity of your ventilation. All these can be done individually. Alternatively a qualified company can be hired to conduct the duct cleaning. Of course, hiring a qualified company guarantees better results.

SERVPRO of Orange County, can help anytime with Duct Cleaning or making sure your Air Quality is at the optimum level. 

Water Damage in Orange County, NY

3/21/2017 (Permalink)

Muddy remnants from a water main break in Orange County, NY.

A water main break caused the lower level of this house Middletown, NY to flood.  SERVPRO of Howell/Wall received the call from the listing agent on this property who put is in touch with the owners. 

This one was a back breaker!  Two layers of vinyl flooring had to be removed as well as wet drywall.  After a long days work, we commenced strucutral drying.  Within 3 days the house was dry and clean. 

The customer was happy with the level of service he received and would definitely refer us to a friend.

Another job made to look "Like it never even happened."

Cleaning Myths and The Facts From Your Local SERVPRO of Orange County, NY

3/17/2017 (Permalink)

Ten myths about cleaning!

Myth: Newspaper does windows well

Fact: Wet newspaper tears easily and the ink can transfer to window trim, leaving more to clean. Use microfiber cloths to clean glass. They’re the best at cleaning without streaking.

Myth: Coca-Cola belongs in the toilet

Fact: Coke isn’t “it” when it comes to cleaning your toilet bowl. Coke is acidic, so it could be effective at removing hard water stains BUT soda could actually darken stains and the sugar could encourage bacteria.

Myth: Handwashing dishes is better than using a dishwasher

Fact: If your dishwasher is a decade old, this may be true, but today’s models beat handwashing by a mile. According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star website, using a dishwasher that bears the Energy Star label can save some 5,000 gallons of water, more than $40 dollars in energy costs, and 230 hours in personal time over the course of a year, versus handwashing. And, because dishwashers heat the water to 140°F, they’ll sanitize the dishes, too.

Myth: Coffee freshens garbage disposers

Fact: Coffee grounds may act as a mild abrasive, removing gunk from disposer blades, but baking soda is a better choice: It’s also mildly abrasive, and because it’s a base it will counteract all the smelly acids that we put down the drain.

Myth: Vinegar cleans everything

Fact: Vinegar is an acid, so it can cut through dirt and can kill bacteria, but only if you use it at full or nearly full strength. Most people put a capful in a bucket of water, and that doesn’t do much. The acids in vinegar can damage natural stone and wood surfaces.

Myth: Hairspray removes ballpoint ink

Fact: This may have been true years ago, when hairsprays were formulated with more alcohol (which does remove ink) than they are today, but not anymore. Today’s hairsprays are full of stiffeners and hardeners that will just make the stain worse. Just use rubbing alcohol. It’s far less expensive than hairspray, and doesn’t include any extra ingredients.

Myth: Bleach cleans everything

Fact: Bleach actually doesn’t ‘clean’ anything—because it doesn’t remove soil. It can lighten stains, making things look cleaner, and it kills bacteria, so it’s better as a sanitizer than as a cleaner.

Myth: Feathers make great dusters

Fact: Genuine ostrich-feather dusters do attract dust, but they’re expensive and are generally not as effective as lambswool or microfiber options. Most feather dusters just spread the dust around. Also, they tend to drop feathers which is just leaving you more to pick up.

Myth: Cleaning solutions work instantly

Fact: Nope. We recommend allowing any cleaning solution to sit on the surface for two to three minutes. Always follow the directions on the product’s label. Some solutions, like disinfectants, need a full ten minutes to truly kill bacteria.

Myth: String makes the best mops

Fact: Industrial-style string mops may look impressive, but studies have shown that microfiber mops are about 20 percent more effective at removing dirt and bacteria. String mops are very absorbent, so they’re great at cleaning up big spills, but if you want to make sure you’re not leaving anything behind on the floor, use a microfiber mop.

Why does my carpet smell?

3/2/2017 (Permalink)

Does your home have a mysterious bad smell?

If you've already checked the fridge and your trash bins and can't find the source, it could be that you're in need of a carpet cleaning or carpet deodorizer.

Just like stains, carpet fibers can trap odors, making them linger in your home indefinitely. If you think your carpet could be the problem, consider the possible sources of the odor.

Moisture or dampness

Sometimes, moisture can get underneath the carpet and carpet pad, leading to musty odors.

This moisture can come from humidity, spills or potted plants that drip onto the carpeting.

A flood can also cause carpet odor, such as when a finished basement floods during a rainstorm.

If not addressed properly, continued moisture exposure can cause mold and mildew to grow under the carpet padding. Not only will it increase the smell, it also creates a health risk.

Pet odor

When pets use the carpet as a bathroom, the smell can really linger.

Even after a carpet cleaning, the smell of pet urine may return. This is due to the gases released by the bacteria that are digesting the urine. If any of the urine remains in the rug fibers, it will continue to smell.

The same is true for vomit, another common problem associated with pets and carpeting.

These bacteria are activated by water, which is why the smell may intensify after a thorough cleaning.

Dry carpet cleaning treatments or treatments that use enzymatic odor removal products are the best solution for eliminating pet smells. Enzymes are particularly effective because they attack the bacteria, thus eliminating the source of the smell.

Cigarette smoke

If a smoker lives in the home, the carpet can collect the cigarette smoke odor.

While the homeowners may not notice the stench because they live with it, visitors or someone who purchases the home will definitely notice the smoke smell.

A professional carpet cleaner may be able to remove the smell, but if the smoking was excessive, a carpet deodorizer may not be enough, and the carpeting may need to be replaced.

Old age

Carpeting is made from fibers. Over time, those fibers break down. When the carpet begins to smell old, there is little that can be done.

Carpet cleaning cannot take the old, musty smell from carpet. This is when it simply needs to be replaced.

In addition to the smell, old carpet starts to release dust, which can contribute to indoor allergies.

Food and drink spills

Food and drinks that spill onto carpet can lead to odors.

Like pet smells, these organic products attract bacteria. As the bacteria break down, they release smelly gasses. Again, professional carpet cleaning is the best solution to remove the smell.

Once you find the source of your carpet odor, you can decide on the best treatment. For organic smells like pet odors or food spills, consider two professional cleanings to thoroughly remove the bacteria.

For other problems, like old age or mold, you may need to replace the carpet. Knowing where the odor is coming from will help you make the right decision for treatment.

What the Puff?!

2/14/2017 (Permalink)

The soot from a puff back is sticky, greasy, and grimy!

As the weather changes from summer to fall, shorts turn into pants, lemonade turns to hot cocoa, and the cool hum of an AC turns to the warm surroundings of heat. However, your furnace has just sat dormant for the past 6 months and this duration of time and non-usage can result in a puff back. The term "Puff back" refers to the sudden discharge of soot into the dwelling area caused by a malfunction in the heating system. The soot from a puff back is a sticky, greasy, grimy mess like you have never seen and it can create the risk of severe health hazards in your home. All those minuscule, oil based particles that just shot out of your furnace are now embed in your curtains, carpets, and clothing while contaminating the air with known carcinogens. Running a vacuum over it will only grind the soot deeper and create stains that will never come out. Wiping the soot from walls and ceilings creates a place where paint will no longer stick. Unless the soot is quickly and professionally removed, it can cause corrosion of metals on doorknobs, faucets, and even electronic equipment throughout the home. Due to the fact that every inch of the home is affected, a puff back is an overwhelming job to clean properly and should not be performed as a DIY.

This is where the SERVPRO team can help! You can trust SERVPRO to clean EVERYTHING. We are your one stop shop for puff back and smoke damage cleanup in the Orange County area. If your home has been affected by a furnace puff back - call us at 845-342-3333  we can help you get your home and possessions back to preloss condition - Like it never even happened.^® 

The Benefits of a Professional Carpet Cleaning

1/30/2017 (Permalink)

Carpet cleaning in process

A professional carpet cleaning can improve the appearance of your home or business, your health, and even extend the life of your carpet. Although a carpet cleaning machine may be cheaper, you miss out on a number of unique advantages that a carpet cleaning service can provide. Namely, with a professional carpet cleaning you will save time and ensure that your carpet is thorough and effectively cleaned.

Don’t Stress

One of the nicest bonuses of having a professional cleaner is that you won’t have to stress over moving furniture out of the room. Once the carpets are dry, your cleaner will move all the furniture back to where it belongs. You also won’t have to worry about removing stains, applying pre-treatment solutions, or carrying heavy cleaning equipment from room to room. Nope, with a professional cleaning service you save time on all of these things.

Restore Your Carpet’s Original Beauty

A professional carpet cleaner’s objective is to restore your carpet to its original quality. Not only will this leave your carpet with a fresh and clean look, but it’ll help extend the life your carpet. Furthermore, carpets are safe havens for mold and mildew. Often times mold will occur after someone attempts to clean their carpet themselves, and leaves it excessively wet. A professional carpet cleaner will make sure your carpets avoid becoming oversaturated with water.

Certified Equipment and Cleaning Solutions

With a professional carpet cleaner, you’ll get the promise of professional grade equipment operated by experienced cleaners. When it comes to removing tough stains, you’ll want to make sure you’re using the strongest machinery. Experienced carpet cleaners also have knowledge of different types of carpets and brands, so they can suggest the best methods and products for the job, rather than risking a rental or store-bought cleaning solution.

Professional Carpet Cleaning Services from SERVPRO

If you need professional carpet cleaning services then SERVPRO are the people to call SERVPRO of Orange County offers a range of cleaning services for jobs of any shape or size. We follow EPA codes and can help keep your air ducts clean and mold free in order to keep it a healthy and happy place to live. For more information on our services, call 845-342-3333 visit us online and follow us on Facebook.

Residents of Monticello - Rely on SERVPRO for Removal of Tough Tobacco Odor

6/30/2016 (Permalink)

Count on SERVPRO of Orange, Sullivan & S.Ulster Counties for removal of tobacco odor in your home.

One of the most offensive odors to people looking for a new home is cigarette smoke.  Most buyers will not even continue to look at or consider buying a home where the stench of cigarette smoke permeates throughout.  This odor has the potential to penetrate most materials in a home; such as carpets, furniture, window treatments, clothing, drywall, cabinets and doors.  

Because cigarette smoke is a gluey substance, it is difficult and time consuming to remove.  In order to completely eliminate the cigarette smoke odor, you must thoroughly clean the tobacco smoke residue from every surface and every nook and cranny in the home.

To start, allow fresh air to enter your home and then start systematically cleaning everything in the home.  

Try using baking soda to absorb smells from the carpets and upholstery and place bowls of white vinegar, coffee or activated charcoal around the house.  Keep in mind this is a temporary solution.  

Below are some tips on how to completely clean your home to get rid of the unpleasant tobacco odor:

• Keep fresh air flowing through your house as often as possible by opening all windows and doors.

• Clean or replace air, furnace and air conditioning filters.

• Use ammonia and glycol products to clean walls and ceilings.  Both of these ingredients will neutralize the tobacco order.  After applying, let the walls dry and check if the odor persists.  

• If you can still sense cigarette odor after cleaning, use a sealant designed to lock in odors and repaint the walls and ceilings.  Make sure you use latex paint.

• Try cleaning everything in the home: floors, windows, carpets, furniture, upholstery, draperies, blinds and other household surfaces, fixtures and items.  If the smoke is too difficult to remove, call SERVPRO of Orange, Sullivan & S. Ulster Counties to help you remove the odor.

If you do not have the time to dedicate to removing the tobacco odor currently, below are some shorter term, inexpensive solutions:

• Use an air purifier.

• To absorb bad smells, sprinkle baking soda on the carpets, leave it overnight and vacuum it up the next day.

• Place saucers of white vinegar around the home and leave them overnight to neutralize the smell.

• Get indoor plants.  Indoor plants can absorb up to 87% of indoor pollutants such as tobacco smoke.

• Place small bowls of coffee or orange peels throughout the house.

• Use scented or unscented candles.

• Place pineapple slices around the room with all doors and windows closed for 24 hours.

• Place bowls of activated charcoal around the home.

Removing cigarette smoke odor from a home can be extremely time consuming and difficult.  If the situation is severe, call SERVPRO of Orange, Sullivan and South Ulster counties to remove the odor.  You can visit us at http://www.SERVPROsullivanandsouthulstercounties or call us at 845-342-3333

Are Your Ducts in Order?

2/2/2016 (Permalink)

We are here to help when you need your ducts cleaned!

Your ventilation system is often the biggest culprit in poor indoor air quality.

Inspecting the ductwork in your facility or home 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.

A routine part of SERVPRO's service is inspecting the heating, ventilation and air conditioning unit (HVAC). Keeping the HVAC system and ductwork clean can potentially extend the life span of the equipment by allowing it to operate at peak condition, which may save you money. Duct cleaning may not always be necessary. SERVPRO will inspect your HVAC system and ductwork and make recommendations about the best way to address any indoor air quality concerns. This inspection can save you money and provide peace of mind on the health of your HVAC system and ductwork.

In some circumstances, such as after fire, smoke or suspected mold growth, duct cleaning becomes an essential part of the cleanup process. In these cases, your SERVPRO Professional can often restore the HVAC system and ductwork to pre-damage condition.

If you have a fuel burning furnace, stove or fireplace, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends they be inspected for proper functioning, and be serviced before each heating season to protect against carbon monoxide poisoning.

The SERVPRO Duct Cleaning System is proven and cost efficient. Unlike the majority of duct cleaning services, your SERVPRO Professional uses a portable ventilation and air duct cleaning system to examine ductwork and make a clean sweep, removing years of dust and grime.

For more information or to schedule a duct cleaning appointment, contact SERVPRO of Orange, Sullivan & S. Ulster Counties at 845-342-3333