Month: March 2022

When your home suffers water damage, you need an experienced water damage restoration team to help fix it up. But getting water damage restored can be a complicated process. You may not always know what to expect. When you hire a water restoration team, you are inviting strangers into your home to do work you don’t know much about. By knowing about the restoration process itself, you can feel more confident in the work they’re doing on your house.

Water Extraction

The first step in many water damage restoration cases is to extract the water. This may not always be necessary if the damage is small, such as a leaky pipe. But in the instance of floods or burst pipes, your team will need to extract the water in order to fully evaluate the damages and begin repairs.

Your team will use industry-standard tools, including pumps, drains, and hoses to remove the standing water from your home. Then, they’ll use high-powered fans and dehumidifiers to remove the excess water from the air and any furnishings, carpets, or upholstery. In some cases, it’s impossible to accurately assess the damages without fully extracting the water.

Inspections

Once your team has removed the water, a qualified home water damage inspector will assess the area. Your inspector will check for any telltale signs of water damage. These include mold, structural damage, and even electrical concerns. Depending on where the water damage is in your home and how large of an area it impacts, it can cause a lot more problems. It’s important to have your home inspected after it suffers water damage. You need to ensure that there are no hidden problems left behind.

Restoration

Now that your team has removed the water and discovered the damages, they can begin the restoration work. This will depend mainly on the types of damages your home sustained. Restoration can involve replacing sections of your floors or walls that became damaged or discolored, removing mold, replacing electrical outlets or wiring, and repairing damages to your home’s supports.

Before any work is started, your inspector will provide you with a report detailing the damages they found and the estimated time and money cost to repair them. With this list in hand, you can confidently contact your home insurance company to see what your policy will cover. Many policies include protection from floods and burst pipes. They may not cover damages from leaky pipes and other smaller sources.

Experiencing a flood, leaky pipe, or other water damage in your home can be stressful. Insight Restoration is here to help alleviate that stress. Our phone lines are open 24/7 at (208) 427-3042 to respond to any emergency water damage situation. Our team of highly trained water damage restoration specialists is standing by.

Your carpets are an integral part of your home. They can make any room feel comfy and cozy. They are also a great way to add some of your own unique styles to rooms or entire floors of your house. However, carpets can be fickle when it comes to cleaning. It’s important to use professional carpet cleaning services regularly to help maintain the health and integrity of your carpets. Without keeping them clean, carpets can degrade and even cause health problems for you and your family.

Wear and Tear

Over time, your carpets are naturally going to wear down with use. This is especially true for carpets in rooms that see a lot of foot traffic. How quickly your carpets degrade can be determined by how clean you keep them. A dirty carpet is going to show signs of wear much faster than a clean carpet.

Carpet fibers have many layers to them. It’s possible that your carpets can look clean on the surface while hiding dirt and dust in lower levels. Simply vacuuming and spot cleaning your carpets isn’t enough to reach the embedded dirt below. Each time someone steps on the carpet, the fibers rub together from the motion. Dirt and other debris create an abrasive surface. When the fibers rub against that surface, it damages their integrity. Carpets can lose their luster and strength if not kept clean.

Health Problems

Dirt and allergens cause issues for your family’s health as well as the health of your carpets. Because carpet fibers trap dirt and dust, not everything is cleared away by a vacuum or spot cleaner. The allergens can then become dislodged with movement, such as when you walk along your carpets. The particles of dust, dirt, and other debris join your home’s atmosphere. You and your loved ones can then breathe the particles in. Even those who aren’t commonly allergic to dust and dirt can experience allergic reactions. In order to keep your family healthy, you need to have regular, professional carpet cleaning services in your home.

Protection

An added benefit of utilizing a professional carpet cleaning service is the option to provide protection for your carpets. Many companies offer protective products that will help keep your carpets cleaner for longer. You can prevent dirt and dust from ingraining in your fibers, as well as making food and drink cleanup a breeze. By hiring a carpet cleaning company today, you help save your carpets, and your wallet, in the future.

Insight Restoration has been keeping homes clean and healthy in North Idaho for years. Our phone lines are open 24/7 at (208) 427-2962 to respond to any cleaning or restoration emergency. Our team of trained carpet cleaning technicians is ready to jump into action and help. We offer a wide range of carpet cleaning services, including pet mess cleaning, to cover any needs you may have. Call us today to clean, restore, and protect your carpets.

Floods are dangerous disasters that can damage both people and property. Residential water damage caused by floods is often difficult and costly to repair and restore. As a result, in areas that experience heavy rainfall, shifting tides, or flooding riverbeds, it’s necessary to protect your home against flooding. And even if floods are not a regular occurrence where you live, knowing that a strong storm is coming should encourage you to shore up your home’s defenses. Generally, properly preparing for a possible flood is the best way to keep your home and your goods safe from water damage.

Insulation and Sealants

Water can find its way into your home through the smallest of cracks. This means even a small leak during a flood or heavy rain can cause severe water damage. If your home floods or you suspect a flood could happen, then contact a water damage company to inspect the foundation of your home. They can locate any cracks or damages that are allowing water to enter your house. These technicians can then offer you services to fix these issues. As a result, when your home is secured, floods are less likely to cause damage.

Exterior Protection

There are always going to be a few places that can’t be completely sealed off. These are mostly around doors and some windows. For these areas, it’s best to use some external protection. Sandbags are a great way to defend exposed areas. They also help redirect water away from your home. You can get them at many local hardware or home repair stores. Certain places may also offer them if a strong storm is on the way. Make sure your yard is free of debris and loose objects are stored/tied down. This can help prevent broken windows that let floodwaters in.

Minimizing Damage

In some cases, no amount of protection will defend your home from floodwaters. Your home’s location, the materials used, and what kind of flood you’re expecting can all play a factor in how protected your home is. If your home is going to flood, you can take steps to minimize the amount of damage it can cause. For example, if the flooding takes place primarily in your basement, you can install a sub-pump to help remove the water as soon as it flows in. Also, ask your home repair company what options you have to minimize residential water damage in the event of a flood.

Experiencing a flood in your home can be exhausting and frustrating to deal with. The best way to defend your home from residential water damage is to ensure the foundation is secure and the outside is prepared. Insight Restoration’s trained and certified flood specialists can help you protect your home from flood damages. Call us today at (208) 427-2825 to discuss your home’s needs. Our phone lines are also open 24/7 to respond to any emergency flood situation.

When your house floods, you’re often left to deal with a lot of aftermath. Any kind of disaster in your home can make you feel panicked, which makes the clean-up and restoration more difficult. When you’re facing the task of flood damage restoration, time is of the essence to make your home safe and healthy again. Keeping a clear head and handling tasks in the proper order can help you stay calm during the process. Here are the steps you need to take when your home experiences a flood.

Water Extraction

Removing the water from your home is the first and most important step in flood restoration. The longer water sits in your home, the more damage it can cause. Floodwaters can cause mold, structural damages, electrical issues, and disease or illness. It’s imperative that you call a flood damage restoration company as soon as possible to begin the water extraction process. The company will drain the water out of the flooded area and start drying out the room. Acting quickly can help you avoid further damages and repair costs.

Take Stock

While the flooded area is drying out, it’s time to take stock of your belongings and the damages sustained. Your flood damage restoration company can provide you with an inspection of the area. They’ll give you a detailed list of what was damaged. It’s also a good idea to go through the furniture and stored items that were in the room to see if anything of value was damaged.

Many insurance policies will cover flood damage repairs up to a certain point. After you get the quote from your inspector for the cost and duration of the repairs, call your insurance company. Having a list available of what else was damaged will help you get the most from your insurance and replace anything that was affected.

Prevention

Once you have dried out the area and repaired the damages, it’s a good idea to work on preventing future floods. Many home repair companies offer such services. The inspector who determined the damages will likely be able to tell you where and why the water came in. You can have your home restoration company add additional insulation and sealants around any cracks, windows, or doors to keep floodwaters out. If you are unable to prevent the water from getting in, you can install a sub-pump. This will help drain the water as soon as it comes in.

If your home experiences a flood or other disaster, you want the best in flood damage restoration. Call Insight Restoration at (208) 427-2825. Our phone lines are open 24/7, ready to respond to any emergency flood situation. Our trained and certified flood damage technicians can remove the water from your home, restore any damages, and help prevent future floods from happening. Time is of the essence, so don’t wait to call us if your home floods.

Mold is a hazardous household growth that can cause serious damage to your home and health. Mold damages are among the top concerns whenever there is water damage in a home. Because mold thrives in a moist environment, anywhere there is a leak or flood could be host to any number of mold spores. Mold comes in a variety of species, and many can be dangerous. When you discover mold in your home, you need to act fast to have it removed, lest your home and your health be at risk.

Structural Damages

One of the dangers mold poses to your home is structural damage. Leaky or burst pipes and flooded basements are the most common causes of mold growth. This means that when mold grows, it is often growing on your home’s foundation. Not only will the initial water damage cause your home’s structure to weaken, but the mold itself can eat away at wooden supports. Mold also invites a host of pests and vermin into the environment. Many of the animals attracted by mold will also weaken your house’s foundation and cause further damage.

Allergic Reactions

Mold can be a serious health concern, even if you don’t directly touch it. While many molds will cause skin irritation and infection, nearly every mold can cause health issues simply by being in the air. Mold spores tend to be microscopic and can circulate in your home’s ventilation system without you even knowing about the problem. Mold spores carry an old, musty scent with them, and once you breathe them in, you’re opening your respiratory system up to serious danger. Breathing in mold can cause anyone to have allergic reactions, even if they don’t have allergies. Reactions include:

-Stuffy or runny nose

-Dry throat

-Coughing

-Dry, itchy eyes

-Difficulties breathing

The longer the mold is allowed to affect your body, the more damage it can do. Given enough time, mold could cause serious, irreversible damages to your health.

Visual Discrepancies

The look of your home affects the way it feels, and mold can disrupt both. Mold comes in a variety of colors, shapes, and patterns, all of which tend to be displeasing in visual appearance. Mold can cause your walls and floors to become discolored. It can even cause bubbling wallpaper or warped floorboards under the right circumstances. As a homeowner, you want to feel proud of the way your home looks, and mold can cause visible issues.

Mold is a serious threat to your home and health and should never be left to grow. If you or your home are experiencing mold damages, call Insight Restoration today at (208) 427-2962. Our phone lines are open 24/7, and we never leave a voicemail unanswered. Our technicians are trained and certified to remove mold and repair the damages it has caused safely and efficiently. We also provide services to help prevent future mold growth, keeping you, your home, and your family safe from further harm.