Saving Susie’s Teddy Bear After He was Soaked – SERVPRO is HERE to HELP

10/24/2018 (Permalink)

There is more to your home than the walls and floors, we are here to help restore the whole home.

Immediately after an incident with fire or water damage, you might be more inclined to think about the large price tag associated with replacing your carpet or hardwood flooring. However, all the little price tags associated with boxes and boxes of memories that were stored in the basement can add up quickly and include years of memories. SERVPRO of Charlottesville is here to help restore these items (along with that damaged flooring) so you don’t have to consider the possibility of losing those memories.

We have multiple strategies and techniques we can use when we begin the restoration process for belongings that were damaged in a disaster. In a water damage, this involves removing the moisture before it can do more harm. In the event of a fire, SERVPRO of Charlottesville may choose to do a pack out to be able to better restore the belongings that were damaged in the fire. A pack out involves inventorying all the belongings and transferring them to our facilities where we can more effectively restore them, and then returning them to your home. This process allows our technicians to access all the resources we have available at our facility without carting these machines and products to your home.

Multiple Methods

We train our technicians on multiple methods to clean your belongings so they have the options and the expertise to chose the correct method depending on the type of damage and the item that needs restoration. Our first resort method is a dry cleaning method. This method is used for items that have light residue. We might use this process on items that have been affected by soot or items that were affected by water, have already been dried, and require further cleaning to remove any residue.  

If the damage is slightly worse than a dry cleaning can handle, we would move to a wet cleaning method. This category is broad as it involves a wide array of products that we might use depending on the type of item that has been damaged and in what way. We would consider wet cleaning if the residue is greasy or if the residue needs to be broken down before it can be removed from the item. A reliable method, the wet cleaning process can handle many different kinds of damage. However, we also want to consider the well-being of your belongings as well as the condition of the damage. Removing the soot from your antique vase is less impressive if the coloring from the vase comes off with the soot. We have multiple other methods we can consider as we approach a more delicate item and we can discuss these options with you if the need arises.

With this in mind, we also have the ability to clean contents ultrasonically if the situation requires it. This method is perfect for contents that are delicate or have lots of intricate, small parts and crevices that traditional cleaning methods cannot properly clean. This technique uses ultrasonic sound waves to agitate a water and detergent solution. Bubbles created in the solution then disturb the dirt and other small particles, removing them from the items that need to be cleaned.

What Can Be Saved?

Of course, we cannot assume that all belongings that were affected by a disaster can be saved. While we remain optimistic and will do our best to restore all items. We will also go through belongings with a discretionary eye to determine what can and cannot be saved. Some damage is too severe to save. After sustaining some kinds of damage, items must be properly destroyed to assure the safety of your family. These decisions are sometimes not clear upon first glance, but we will come along side you as you make these decisions about what to discard and what to save.