Who Cleans Up After Construction and Water Damage In Your Home?

Commercial Water Damage in Austin, Texas

After any major construction or remodeling in your home, there’s probably a big mess that needs cleaning. Luckily, our Steam Team Professionals have the right experience and equipment to clean any post-construction water damage mess. Here’s our team’s process:

Detailed Surface Cleaning

Construction is a messy process after flooding, and your home or business may have been left covered with layers of dust and debris after a water damage. Dust knocked off of certain surfaces, pieces of wood, sawdust and chipped paint may be covering your counters or shelves. Our technicians will clean all windows, cabinets, shelves and countertops by hand until all debris is removed. Floors and walls will be sanitized with steam cleaners, vacuumed or mopped as needed to remove debris. Furniture will be cleaned according to its specific material. Our technicians won’t quit until the surfaces of your home or business are spotless!

Finishing Touches

After thoroughly cleaning all surfaces and furniture, our technicians will move on to the more detailed areas. If any debris of any kind remains in the ventilation system after construction, it could enter the air of the property and cause problems for anyone breathing inside the building. All vents will be cleaned and dusted to make sure this doesn't happen. Then our team will move on to things like electronics, small appliances, light fixtures, small decorative items and ceiling fans. At the end of the process, your home will be even cleaner than it was before the construction or remodeling took place!

More From The Steam Team

We do a whole lot more than just clean up after construction or remodeling! Here at The Steam Team, we provide a wide range of cleaning and restoration services including tile and grout cleaning, pet odor elimination, marble polishing and many, many more. For more information about our many services, visit The Steam Team website.

Oriental Rugs: The Importance of Proper Care

Our rug cleaning crew our supporting Austin Pets Alive.

Oriental rugs are beautiful, elegant additions to your home, but investing in such delicate, handmade artistry means you’ll need to take extra caution while caring for them! But don’t worry- if the task is ever too daunting (or too inconvenient) The Steam Team is always standing by, ready to help. In the meantime, here are a few helpful guidelines to caring for oriental rugs: 

Preventing Wear & Tear

Keep an eye on your pets, especially cats and puppies, who might try to scratch or chew on the rug. Give your pets fun alternatives, like a scratching post or a durable chew toy, and make sure their exercise and activity needs are met, to avoid destructive behavior. If one of your pets has an accident on the rug, take the rug to a professional cleaner. 

If you would like to use a rug pad for extra protection, try to find one made of polyester. Avoid rubber pads, which can become gummy over time and stick to the flooring underneath. 

Take your shoes off before walking on the rug, or get in the habit of leaving your street shoes at the door and wearing only dedicated house slippers. 

Rotate the rug 180 degrees once every few months or so. This is to ensure even fading from natural light. If the rug is in a spot that gets direct sunlight, try to minimize UV damage by installing curtains or blinds. 

Cleaning 

Vacuum regularly with the nozzle attachment. Avoid using any brush attachments or rollers on the rug, which can damage the fibers. Occasionally vacuum the back of the rug, too.   

In the event of a spill, blot—don’t scrub—with a white paper towel or cloth. If it’s a stain that water alone can’t remove, take your rug to a professional rug cleaner. 

Call the Professionals

And finally, it’s important to have your rug professionally cleaned every few years, to remove built-up dust, grime, and staining! Give The Steam Team a call today. You won’t be disappointed in our results!

How Do You Handle Leaking Appliances?

Commercial High-rise Water Damage Professionals Austin, Texas

Appliances are everywhere around our home. From the dishwasher to the washing machine and even our toilets- they help us move through our days easier. Unfortunately, they’re not perfectly designed (technology hasn’t advanced that far, yet) and they do breakdown occasionally. What happens when your appliances breakdown? What if your appliances start to leak? How do you handle a leaking appliance?

Don’t worry, these are all questions we’re here to answer for you on today’s blog.

Appliance Leak Cleanup

If you have an appliance that continually holds or filters water, it should be monitored regularly to check for leaking or malfunctioning. Even a slow, steady drip can turn into a major flooding problem if given enough time to develop. Fortunately, The Steam Team offers water damage restoration services to the following appliances: water heater, washing machine, AC unit, refrigerator or ice maker, and sink and dishwasher. Don’t stress; just pick up the phone instead! 

Plumbing Overflow

Plumbing is no exception when it comes to taking care of water overflow! Too often, our toilets leak, our shower tub stops up, or the sink floods the bathroom! It’s disastrous! Luckily, again, The Steam Team is here to help. We’ll help repair and clean up damage from leaky, broken, burst, or frozen pipes. We’ll also take care of your drain, sink, toilet, or water heater! You can count on us to get the job done right the very first time. 

Contact The Steam Team

We’ll inspect the situation, determine what to do, and get to work right away. You won’t need to worry about doing it yourself, dealing with the damage, or even dealing with mold- we’ll take care of everything for you. 

If any of your appliances have gone kaput, don’t hesitate to give us a call! We’re available 24/7 for anything you may need to repair or cleanup. Just contact The Steam Team right away. 

Cleaning Up After Construction or Remodelling

Have you recently had a construction or remodelling job done on your home or business, and now you’ve been left with a big mess? Are there paint chips, sawdust or other debris scattered around the property? If the answer is yes, who’s going to clean the whole mess up? Do you have the time or the equipment to take care of it all yourself? If not, it's time to start considering hiring professionals to handle the cleaning for you!

Surface Cleaning

After any serious construction or remodelling, you’ll need a deep clean of the property, starting with all the major surfaces. Floors, walls, countertops and shelving will all be cleaned accordingly. Our professional technicians will use high-powered steam cleaners, commercial vacuums and other top notch equipment to make sure that every surface in the home looks even cleaner than it did before the construction job. Furniture will also be vacuumed and cleaned as needed to remove any dust or debris.

Finishing Touches

With all surfaces and furniture thoroughly cleaned, our team will move on to the rest of the property. Since dust and debris from the construction can enter vents, causing respiratory issues, our cleanup crew will be sure to clean out the vents completely so that the air stays clean. Then we’ll move on to the commonly overlooked areas like small appliances, decorative items, electronics, lamp shades, light fixtures and ceiling fan blades. Our cleanup crew is going to make sure every inch of your home or business is cleaner than you’ve ever seen it, no matter how much of a mess the construction made!

The Steam Team

We’re proud of the cleaning restoration services that we offer all across the Austin, TX area and beyond. For a full list of all of our many services, or to contact us so that our team can clean and restore your home, please visit The Steam Team website.

Eliminating Mold Growth Following Water Damage

According to studies around the United States, 7 out of 10 homes suffer from water damage and mold issues, alone. After water damage, inevitably comes mold growth. Water damage unfortunately creates the perfect environment for mold spores, leaving homeowners health at risk. On today’s blog, we’re going over the risks of this mold growth and how we can help eliminate this risk for you and your family. 

The Risks of Mold Growth

If mold begins to grow in your home, it can cause some serious health risks- particularly for those who already have frequent lung or sinus issues. Living or working in a building with mold growth in the vents or nearby at all can cause eye irritation, throat irritation, allergies, cough, nasal irritation and plenty of other symptoms. If you already experience these in your daily life, there may be mold hidden somewhere in your home or workplace. With all of this in mind, it's important to have your home or business inspected for mold, and to have that mold eliminated if it’s found.

Our Mold Experts

When you call in The Steam Team, our technicians will get to work right away, inspecting the property and identifying the damaged areas. To begin our professional mold remediation process, they’ll extract all the water and seal off the area to prevent the mold from spreading. All affected materials will be disposed of, eliminating the mold at its source. Then the HVAC and AC systems will be fully inspected and have mold removed from them as well. A powerful disinfectant will be applied before the final step of repair and restoration. By the time our experts are finished, there won’t be any signs that you had mold to begin with, and you’ll be able to breathe freely again.

For more information on our mold remediation process, as well as our many other services, visit The Steam Team website.

Steam Team Tips For Battling Water Damage And Mold

The most common cause of damage to homes across the world is water damage. Odds are, you’ve already experienced some form of water damage in your home, but are you prepared if it happens again? And would you be prepared for the mold growth that water damage often brings with it? If not, remember theses useful tips we’ve compiled for dealing with water damage and mold.

Preventing Water Damage

Sometimes water damage can occur within walls or within the floor, and can cause structural damage that you may not notice for quite a while. To make sure you catch it early, keep an eye on your water bill. If you’re hit one month with an unusually high water bill, you may have a leak somewhere in the home. Be sure to have your pipes and appliances inspected for leaks if you can’t find one yourself.

Always keep your roof gutters clean. As long as you clean your roof gutters every few months, you should be okay. But if you allow your roof gutters to build up with leaves or other debris, they could become clogged and water may leak through your roof and cause damage to your home.

Use a drain snake rather than chemical pipe cleaners. While chemical products may be effective at cleaning out a pipe, they may also damage it over time. A drain snake is a safer way to keep your pipes clear.

Preventing Mold Growth

Since water just needs darkness, moisture and time to grow, always make sure you dry up water in the home as soon as possible. If flooding has occurred in your home and your carpet and walls were soaked, you’ll need high-powered fans to dry it out and a steam cleaner to sanitize walls and other flooring as quickly as possible.

Help From The Steam Team

If you’ve recently experienced water damage in your home and don’t have the high-powered fans, steam cleaners and other equipment necessary for the job, or you otherwise can’t do the work yourself, give us a call and we’ll send our best technicians. For more information just visit The Steam Team website.

How The Steam Team Handles Pet Odor

We love our pets but there are few things as irritating as coming home to find that your floor is riddled with urine stains and the air is filled with pet odor. In many cases, the urine can even soak through the carpet into the padding underneath, or even the subfloor underneath that, causing the odor to linger and allowing for bacterial growth. But don’t worry, The Steam Team can help.

Treatment

To begin treatment, the urine stained area must be removed or neutralized. In some cases, the entire carpet, padding, or even subfloor may need to be removed, and sometimes the odor still persists. But if the urine is allowed to sit in the carpet long enough, the odor will settle into other furniture in the home over time. Luckily, The Steam Team has a wide range of solutions for these issues.

Urine Control

Keep in mind, the cleaning and removal of urine spots and stains may not entirely remove the odor from the home. Pet urine is easier to clean when it is fresh, if it is allowed to sit for days or weeks it will become “alkaline”, and will permanently stain the carpet. This means that it may not be possible for all urine spots to be removed. To prevent permanent staining, blot urine spots with a white cloth or paper towel as soon as you notice them.

The Professional Method

In the case of deep “alkaline” urine stains that are harder to remove, The Steam Team professionals will follow all of these steps for stain removal. In less extreme circumstances, some of these steps will be left out:

• Pulling up the carpet.

• Removing the affected padding.

• Cleaning the back of the carpet.

• Treating the floor with a specialized enzyme treatment.

• Sealing the floor with an odor barrier.

• Treating the back of the carpet with an enzyme treatment.

• Installing new tack strip.

• Installing new padding.

• Re-installing carpet.

• Clean carpet.

• Topically apply enzyme.

For more information of what we can offer including full service water damage, visit The Steam Team website.

Best Area Rug Cleaning Austin Texas

Oriental rugs are known for their vibrant colors and unique designs. They look fantastic in our homes and are often family heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation! So it’s important that we protect our oriental rugs and learn to clean and care for them properly! You can keep your rugs looking great all the time by following these guidelines:

Check the Oriental Rug’s Care Label

The care label on your oriental rug is as important as ever. Oriental rugs are made of several different materials and this matters greatly when cleaning. For instance, silk rugs should be taken straight to the professionals, while cotton and wool rugs are more durable and can be vacuumed clean. Check your rug’s care label for special, important instructions!

Avoid Direct Sunlight

Keep your rug out of direct sunlight. Sunlight will cause the rug’s colors to fade over time. To let them “fade evenly,” rotate your rugs at least once a month!

Vacuum Regularly

Unless your rug is antique or silk, it should be vacuumed at least once a week. Vacuuming on the regular will help lift dirt and debris from the carpet fibers, and also prevent the fibers from becoming matted down!

Rearrange Your Furniture

To increase your rug’s longevity, try moving around your furniture once every six months. Heavy furniture that sits atop your rugs can cause damage over time- we certainly don’t want that!

Spot Clean Your Oriental Rug

Learn the best tips for spot treating your oriental rugs, and just like anything- clean up spills immediately after they happen!

Did you know that The Steam Team takes the best care of area and oriental rugs? It’s true! With over a decade of experience and expertise, we’re the absolute best choice for the job. So if your oriental rug is in need of a deep carpet cleaning Austin, don’t wait- just call The Steam Team!

Do's and Don't's for Natural Stone Flooring

Natural stone flooring gives us the aesthetic appeal that we crave in our homes! It can last a lifetime when given the proper treatment and care, and there are definitely things we have to watch out for. Below, you’ll find a list of Do’s and Don’t’s for caring for your natural stone flooring, and we hope this basic guide is helpful! Follow these guidelines and you’ll be good to go!

Do:

One of the most common questions regarding sealing tile and natural stone is “Do we need it?” Yes, absolutely! Do seal your natural stone flooring upon installation. Furthermore, check with the manufacturer to see when the sealant should be refreshed.

Do vacuum or sweep on a regular basis to remove abrasive materials like dirt and sand from the flooring. It’ll save you a lot of trouble in the long run, and help maintain that flawless appearance your flooring had upon installation.

Don’t:

Don’t use abrasive cleaning tools to remove dirt and grime from your natural stone flooring. Abrasive cleaning tools could be steel wool, microfiber scrub pads, or scrapers. Avoid all of these entirely!

Don’t use ammonia-based cleaners. They’re dangerous to the flooring’s surface; we certainly don’t want any harm done while cleaning!

Don’t use cleaning products that contain lemon juice, or vinegar. They tend to dull the surface of your natural stone flooring!

We get it- life is busy, and it can be difficult to not only keep up a regular cleaning routine, but also to clean our flooring properly. That’s where The Steam Team comes in. We have over a decade of experience caring for not only natural stone flooring but also tile and grout, carpeting, hardwood flooring and more! No task is too complicated or too daunting for The Steam Team. Give us a call today.

3 Steps After Water Damage Austin Texas

Flood Damge

With the recent devastation in Texas, homeowners are having to deal firsthand with water damage. Homes are flooded with water so high it’s historical- and roads, too. Water damage is the cause of mold, loss of important possessions, structural damage, and the list goes on and on… sadly. We were voted best in water damage in Austin. If you’re experiencing water damage in your home, give the professionals a call immediately, and follow these three initial steps:

Turn Off the Power

Here’s what you should do first: Immediately cut off the gas and electricity from its main source. This is for rather obvious safety matters. Luckily, you’re safer around puddles and leaks (turning off the power isn’t as necessary here), but if you’re already in standing water, don’t touch it; it could be dangerous. Consult with an electrician first!

Check for Standing Water

As soon as the scene is safe, survey the damage and check for any standing water, and then begin to pump it out. Standing water is notorious for causing damage and growing mold. Wear safety masks and of course, high quality boots. Flood waters are filled with debris and dangerous substances that we shouldn’t be wading around in, but unfortunately, sometimes we have to. We are #1 in water damage in Austin, Texas! 

Call the Professionals

The Steam Team is your leading professional steam cleaner in the Austin area, and we’ve been serving the city for over a decade now. We have plenty of experience with flood damage and cleaning up after natural disasters. If your home has been affected by the recent flood waters, don’t hesitate to give us a call. We’re always available to help you out, and we truly care about our customers. Give us a call as soon as possible! If you have water damage in Austin call us now at 512-451-8326. We provide professional water damage service. 

Is it Time to Clean Your House in Austin Texas?

Austin Cleaning Professionals

Is your Austin, Texas home dirty? Venetian blinds look beautiful in our homes, help to keep sunlight out (which in turn helps to preserve our furniture!), and they also provide us with the privacy we need. But window blinds are also notorious for collecting dust, dirt, dander- you name it! They often need to be cleaned, and it’s not the easiest chore in the world as the blinds usually need to be removed from the wall. Let’s take a glance at a few different ways to clean your window blinds, and explain how steam cleaning can help! Austin cleaning experts! We offer rug cleaning, tile and grout cleaning, air duct cleaning, carpet cleaning and fire and water damage. Call your Austin, Texas cleaning headquarters at 512-451-8326. 

Dry Dusting

This method is likely the most laborious, as it involves cleaning each slat by hand. But sometimes it must be done! Use a microfiber or dust cloth to wipe each slat over a couple of times, removing all dust and dirt. Use your vacuum cleaner to vacuum up the dust that falls from your cloth, or misses altogether!

Vacuuming

If your vacuum cleaner has an upholstery attachment, then you’re in luck! Use it to vacuum the dust off of your window blinds; it’s much easier than wiping each one individually.

Tub Washing

For this method, you’ll have to remove your window blinds from where they hang, and lie them in your bathtub. Fill the tub with warm water and a mixture of your favorite cleaning detergent, and scrub each slat from side to side. It certainly requires a lot of back work, but definitely gives you a more effective clean than merely dusting!

Steam Cleaning

The Steam Team can clean your window blinds without even removing them from where they hang! We’ll effectively remove that dust and grime from the slats, and they’ll look good as new when we’re finished! You can count on us for a job well done. We also service Round Rock Texas for carpet cleaning and water damage. 

The Scoop on Caring for that Area Rug and Upholstery in Cedar Park Texas

Area Rug Cleaning in Austin

Caring for that area rug and upholstery doesn’t have to be complicated! Oftentimes you can use the products you have at home, and as long as you’re consistent with your cleaning routine, keeping that brand-spanking-new sofa clean can be an easy peasy process! It doesn’t hurt to call in a professional steam cleaning company for some guidance and advice every once in awhile, but until then, let’s go over the basics. The best cleaning company in Austin, Texas located at 1904 West Koenig Ln. Austin, Texas 78756.

Vacuuming is Essential

This is the easiest way to maintain leather furniture. Use your vacuum’s attachment to cover every nook and cranny of your sofa. You’ll rid the sofa of dust, dirt, dander, and other debris without using much man power!

Dry Dusting Helps!

In between vacuuming, it can help to dry dust your sofa with a soft, clean microfiber cloth or brush. This is great for days when you don’t want to bring out the vacuum or don’t have too much time on your hands.

Moisturizing and Conditioning

Over time, the oils in leather furniture evaporate and dry out the material. This could lead to wear and tear, cracks, and other unsightly happenings. Conditioning the leather will keep it in optimal shape, but you’ll want to exercise caution. You may wish to seek the advice of a professional as to which type of cleaner and conditioner you should use. Call 512-451-8326 for cleaning in Austin.

How Can The Steam Team Help?

The Steam Team can restore your leather furniture  and area rugs to its newer, fantastic-looking state by removing dirt and grime, and restoring oils to the leather that are necessary to keep it in optimal condition. Our expert, certified technicians are available 24/7 for leather cleaning, conditioning, and overall maintenance. We’re also experienced in a variety of other cleaning and restoration projects including but not limited to area and oriental rug cleaning, drapery cleaning, and of course- carpet cleaning in Austin, Texas!