How Do You Eliminate Odor After A Fire?

If you’ve ever experienced fire damage in your home, you’re no stranger to the lingering odor that follows clean up. Depending on the materials that have been affected around the home, you may be dealing with several different odors - whether it be wood, plastic, or something else. So, how do you get rid of these odors? First thing’s first, call a professional restoration company!

It’s important to know that the fire damage isn’t over as soon as the fire is put out. In fact, extensive damage can still occur just from the smoke and soot alone - but what causes that odor you can’t seem to get rid of?

There are actually several factors that contribute to the odor, including the materials that have been burned as we previously covered. However, it also greatly depends on how long the fire, smoke, and soot are left around the house and the size of the area affected. The longer smoke is left around the home, the more time it has to absorb into your belongings and the structure of your home - causing a lingering odor.

How The Professionals Will Handle It

Immediately after the fire is put out, your professional restoration company will come in a assess the damage. The Steam Team has a five-step process in which we clean, clean, and clean some more - so where does the odor elimination come in?

That’s the last step. After the smoke and soot are completely out of your belongings (the one’s that are salvageable) and the structure, the house will undergo deodorization. Throughout this final step, The Steam Team professionals will ensure that your home becomes odor-free.

If you’ve suffered from fire damage, we understand how devastating it can be. We encourage you to reach out to your local restoration company so we can start recovering your belongings and getting your home back to its original condition.

How Does Soot Damage Your Home?

Water and Fire Damage Austin, Texas

When it comes to dealing with a fire and its aftermath, many homeowners are concerned about the damage the fire itself causes. However, what you may not think about, is the damage the soot that’s left around your home can cause.

After firefighters finish putting out the fire, soot immediately begins to absorb into the walls, belongings, flooring, and other materials around the home.

Why is this dangerous?

Soot is acidic - not only does it cause discoloration, but it can also cause deterioration in these materials themselves. For example, the structure of your home is made out of wood - when soot is absorbed into the walls and left untreated, it can begin to break down that wood, causing harm to the overall structure.

But, wood isn’t the only material that soot can damage. In fact, within seconds, any materials that are affected will become discolored. While some of these are only temporarily stained, others could suffer permanent yellowing.

Now, these are only the damages that soot can cause to your home - what about the damage it can do to your health? Since the particles that make up soot are so tiny, they can very easily find their way into your lungs. Unfortunately, this can cause a number of respiratory issues and even heart disease.

So, what do you do?

When treated promptly by a professional restoration company, the soot can be removed altogether. But, it’s important to remember that professionals know the proper precautions to take so as to protect themselves from any health complications - because of this, it’s always advised that you stay out of your home until a restoration company is able to come and assess the damage.

If you’ve suffered from fire damage, the best thing you can do is call your local restoration company!

3 Signs It's Time to Clean Your Leather Furniture

Leather furniture isn’t cheap - and should be treated as such. However, you don’t want to over-do it and clean or condition your furniture too much - so, how do you know when it’s time to invest in that cleaner or conditioner? Do you need to hire a professional for help? We’ve got all the answers for you, just look for these 5 signs!

1. Rough or Dry Texture

Over time, leather loses its moisture - causing it to feel rough and dry. There are certain factors that can cause the material to dry out faster than others, like sun exposure, for example. However, leaving the dryness untreated could cause it to become cracked in severe cases. The best thing to do when your leather furniture starts to look or feel dry - whether it’s a sofa, chair, ottoman (or something else) - is to clean and condition the material.

1. Worn Color

If you start to notice that the original color of your leather furniture is fading or changing, it’s time to take action! Often times, this discoloration is caused from dirt and grime build up. In order to restore your leather to its previous condition, you’ll need a mixture of cleaning and conditioning as well.

1. Watermarks

Where there are watermarks, there may be mildew - but sometimes they’re inevitable. Your kiddos jump on the couch, spill a glass of water, and forget to tell you or clean it up! When it comes to water and leather, the best thing you can do is try and soak up the water before it sets in. If you’re noticing watermarks on your furniture, it’s likely time for a good, thorough cleaning!

Now, how do you clean or condition your leather? Call your local steam cleaning company - The Steam Team. We’re happy to help!

3 Ways to Keep Your Home Clean During Spring

Air Duct Cleaning

You may have done a good, thorough spring cleaning when the season first rolled in. But now, you’re noticing that the dust and grime is building back up (even if you don’t have kids or pets)! There are several things you can (regularly) do to keep your home clean - and they don’t take much time either!

Wipe the Counters

Not necessarily after every meal or every time you’re in the kitchen, but definitely every evening, at the end of each day. Throughout the day, you spend countless time in the kitchen - prepping, cooking, eating - and lots of that is done on the counters. After a while, the grime builds up, making it more difficult to clean the longer it’s left. A simple, quick wipe-down every night should solve that problem!

Sweep the Floor

You may be sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming once a week or so - maybe more if you’ve got multiple pets and kiddos. But, there’s a lot of dirt and other particles that get tracked through your house - especially when they’re left on the floor. To protect your flooring (whether it’s tile, hardwood, or carpet), do a quick sweep through the house each day. Nothing too time-consuming, but it’ll keep the dirt from accumulating and causing any damage.

Dust Fixtures and Shelves

It doesn’t take very long before dust begins to build up on light fixtures, fans, and shelves. But, just like sweeping or wiping the counters - a quick dusting of these places a few times each week will minimize the dust collection around your house (and keep it out of your air ducts).

And for those of you who haven’t gotten started on your spring cleaning checklist, don’t forget the carpets and furniture! Assuming they haven’t been cleaned in awhile, it’s a good time to consider steam cleaning.

Have You Cleaned Your Office Carpet Lately?

Commercial Cleaning

As we previously wrote about in another blog, your flooring at home isn’t the only flooring you need to clean and protect. In fact, your office flooring probably gets much more traffic! So it only makes sense that it should be cleaned more often, right?

Right!

It can be difficult to tell when your carpet needs to be cleaned. In fact, most people wait until they can see stains and other dirty spots to call a professional crew. But, this can actually be harmful to your carpets because these particles damage the carpet fibers long before they’re visible to you. So how can you know when it needs to be cleaned?

The best way to go about commercial cleaning is to have a regular schedule, like every six months or so (depending on the amount of traffic and size of your office), for example. You’d be surprised how much cleaner your floor will look just with this added maintenance! So maybe you don’t want to have your carpets cleaned too often, we can understand that. But, think about this way - cleaning your carpets isn’t just about the way they look, it’s about protecting your investment.

Now, there are things that you can do to keep your carpets protected for some time (although they won’t eliminate the need for a thorough, professional cleaning every once in awhile). For example, using a protective floor mat in a high-traffic area is a great way to minimize the amount of dirt and dust that goes into your carpet fibers. If you want to do this - don’t forget about the areas where you deal with food or water too!

Is it time for your regular cleaning? Don’t wait - give us a call today! The Steam Team can thoroughly clean your office carpets and even help you figure out a good schedule for future cleanings.

How To Prepare for A Flood

Carpet Cleaning Since 1983

Did you know that floods are the most frequent and costly natural disasters? While you may not be able to prepare for any type of water damage, there are certainly safety measures you can take to protect your home and belongings when you know bad weather is on the horizon (which seems to be quite often in Texas lately).

When preparing for a natural disaster like this, you can never be over-prepared! If your home floods, chances are the streets and roads are probably flooded, too. Unfortunately, that means it’ll be difficult to make it to the grocery store (or anywhere else, for that matter). In some cases, you may even need to evacuate your home (and quickly), so having the necessities packed and ready to go is important.

But, what are the ‘necessities?’ Things like; water, non-perishable food, medications, important documents, first-aid kit, rain gear, extra clothes, etc.

Now, what about your house? Is there a way you can try to keep the water from coming into your home? Well, unfortunately, it’s difficult to keep the water outside - especially when it’s rising and moving. But, you can protect certain items in your home by moving them to higher ground (or getting them out of the house entirely). This is more difficult when it comes to the structural aspect of your house, like the walls and flooring. There isn’t much you can do prior to the water damage that can protect your flooring (whether it’s carpet, hardwood, or another material) from suffering - except call a cleaning and restoration company immediately afterwards!

When water is extracted from the house promptly, it decreases any health risks, structural risks, and minimizes the overall damage that the water can cause. Here at The Steam Team, we understand the timeline you’re on and we’re available to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Call 512-451-8326

How To Prepare for A Flood

Did you know that floods are the most frequent and costly natural disasters? While you may not be able to prepare for any type of water damage, there are certainly safety measures you can take to protect your home and belongings when you know bad weather is on the horizon (which seems to be quite often in Texas lately).

When preparing for a natural disaster like this, you can never be over-prepared! If your home floods, chances are the streets and roads are probably flooded, too. Unfortunately, that means it’ll be difficult to make it to the grocery store (or anywhere else, for that matter). In some cases, you may even need to evacuate your home (and quickly), so having the necessities packed and ready to go is important.

But, what are the ‘necessities?’ Things like; water, non-perishable food, medications, important documents, first-aid kit, rain gear, extra clothes, etc.

Now, what about your house? Is there a way you can try to keep the water from coming into your home? Well, unfortunately, it’s difficult to keep the water outside - especially when it’s rising and moving. But, you can protect certain items in your home by moving them to higher ground (or getting them out of the house entirely). This is more difficult when it comes to the structural aspect of your house, like the walls and flooring. There isn’t much you can do prior to the water damage that can protect your flooring (whether it’s carpet, hardwood, or another material) from suffering - except call a cleaning and restoration company immediately afterwards!

When water is extracted from the house promptly, it decreases any health risks, structural risks, and minimizes the overall damage that the water can cause. Here at The Steam Team, we understand the timeline you’re on and we’re available to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

Water Damage and Your Health

24 Hour Water Damage Austin

Whether you’re dealing with a relatively small flood from an appliance or a major flood from a natural disaster, water can damage more than just your home - it affects your health, too. The longer water is left to sit, the more bacteria it grows.

There are different levels of water contamination, which will vary depending on the source of the water. Often times, floodwaters are the most contaminated as they pick up sewage and other dangerous bacteria along the way. However, any water that is left standing can accumulate bacteria and become more contaminated!

It’s important to understand the health risks that floodwater can cause before re-entering your home or trying to do any clean up. Water doesn’t just stay on the floor and then leave once a professional comes to remove it, it soaks into the walls and many other materials around your home (furniture, cabinets, etc.) - and this is where the mold begins to grow.

While you may not have an allergy to mold, everyone can experience health effects from mold when it’s spread in large quantities. Just like water, when left without treatment, mold can become more dangerous with time (and rapidly). In severe cases, you could even be dealing with toxic mold - which can not only cause health complications, but death as well.

So, how can you protect your health in times like these?

Surprisingly, it’s relatively simple. The first step is to contact a professional cleaning and restoration company (like The Steam Team). Let the professionals assess the damage of your home and any safety concerns before you try to do anything yourself. When water damage isn’t dealt with immediately, the dangerous contamination can actually stay in your walls for years to come, so don’t hesitate to make that phone call if you find yourself in this situation!

Do You Need Cleaning for a Commercial Property?

Commercial Cleaning Janitorial

Your house isn’t the only place that can collect dust, dirt, and other grime. In fact, you probably spend an equal amount of time at the office (if not more). No matter the size or type of flooring - The Steam Team can help you restore it’s beautiful and clean look. You probably know that part of professionalism is your appearance, but that also includes the office space you work in. If you expect your customers to think you’re a professional, keeping your office pristine is one of the first steps!

How is Commercial Cleaning Different?

When it comes to restoring flooring in a commercial setting, you may not think it would be very different than restoration at your home. However, the frequency in which you’ll need cleaning and the process itself definitely vary.

As opposed to cleaning your home, cleaning your office space will likely need to be done much more often. At home, your floors probably receive less than half of the amount of traffic that your office floors do. With all of this additional foot traffic, your floors are collecting scuffs, dirt, dust, and other particles that could be damaging over time.

What About Regular Maintenance?

Just like you would at home, no matter what kind of flooring you have, regular maintenance is always recommended. For example, vacuuming carpets regularly can help to decrease the amount of dirt and debris that’s collecting. Decreasing this debris can also help elongate the lifetime of your flooring, as it minimizes the damage the debris can cause.

How Often Do You Need Commercial Cleaning?

Aside from the regular maintenance, however, how often do you need commercial cleaning? It’s recommended to deep clean your flooring anywhere from every month to annually - depending on the amount of traffic in each area. If you’re noticing odors or see stains or other damage to your flooring, it’s probably time for a good, thorough, deep cleaning.

What To Do When Your House Floods

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Unfortunately, many homeowners are unsure of what to do when faced with a flood. If water starts to come into your home from a storm or natural disaster, you may need to leave the house for an extended period of time. But, before you do - let’s explore the steps you should take should you find yourself in this situation.

Step One

If you’re dealing with a natural disaster, this can be difficult because you’re at the mercy of the weather. However, if the flood is caused from a broken pipe or appliance, you’ll want to stop the source of the water first.

When water starts entering your home, you’ll probably want to begin moving things to a higher level so the water won’t touch them. For smaller belongings, this is ideal, but for larger furniture, it’s often not possible in the moment. The most important part of dealing with floodwater, is to remove the water itself from your home as soon as you can.

Step Two

After you’ve contacted a crew to properly extract the water from your home, you should take pictures (before the water is removed). This is purely for insurance purposes - when you make a claim with your insurance company, they’ll want to see the extent of the damage. If you begin to clean up prior to the pictures, you could hinder the amount of coverage you’ll receive from your insurance company.

Don’t Forget Your Health!

Often times, homeowners get caught up in saving their belongings and material items that they don’t protect their health. Regardless of the source of water, it’s likely contaminated (and will continue to grow bacteria and mold the longer it’s left to sit). If you’re going to stay in your home, you’ll want to wear protective clothing - like boots and gloves, for example. Of course, it depends on the severity of your situation, but in most cases - it’s safer to stay outside the home and let the professionals get to work.

Now, you’re ready to call your insurance company and begin cleanup! If you’re experiencing flooding or water damage, don’t hesitate to give us a call!

When Should You Polish Your Marble Floors?

Tile Cleaning Austin

Chances are, you chose marble flooring for its shiny luster and appealing finish. When light moves throughout your house, the marble reflects and creates a luxurious feel - it’s the perfect flooring for your home. That is, until it loses its glossy appearance. Over time, regular wear and tear is going to scratch marble floor - just like any other flooring. The scratches take away from the finish, creating this lackluster appearance and even making it more difficult to clean. But while cleaning may not restore that glossy look you want, that doesn’t mean it’s not possible!

How to Restore Your Marble Floor

First and foremost, it’s always recommended to consult with a professional about your marble floors. There are many products that you should avoid - especially harsh chemicals and acids as they’re extremely tough on marble. It’s important that you use gentle cleaning methods, because marble can easily become damaged. All of this to say; hiring a professional cleaning company will take a lot off your shoulders!

If you’re not sure how to properly clean marble - a professional will have the right tools, experience, and knowledge to get the job done effectively and efficiently.

How Should You Regularly Clean Marble Flooring?

Now, for the times in between those professional cleanings, you may be wondering; how am I supposed to clean marble on a regular basis?

Just like with carpet, dirt and debris (like sand and other hard, gritty material) are the most damaging. As long as you can minimize these materials on your marble flooring, regularly cleaning is relatively simple. Frequent mopping and dusting should get the job done well - but don’t forget to quickly clean up any spills!

If you have any questions about cleaning your marble floors or are just looking for the right product - don’t hesitate to give us a call here at The Steam Team.

Why a Professional Should Deal With Water Damage

Hiring Water Damage Restoration Technicians

People are often amazed at the amount of damage water can cause - especially when left for extended periods of time. Not only can your belongings and home be subjected to this damage, but your health can, too. When you’re dealing with something as serious as water damage, don’t wait to call a professional for help. Trying to restore your home yourself (or hiring someone who may be posing as a professional) could result in even further damage.

How Professionals Handle Water Damage

The amount of time water sits in your home is the most critical aspect when it comes to water damage restoration. The longer it’s left, the more bacteria can grow and the more contaminated it becomes - putting your health at risk. Professionals are experienced and knowledgeable - they know how to handle these situations so as to minimize any health risk or concern.

First, they’ll inspect the damage and find the source of the water (if it’s from inside your home). After the water has stopped flowing, they can identify the ‘type’ of water by its level of contamination. Then, they’ll move around your home, potentially moving furniture to protect it or your flooring. Finally, the water is extracted entirely from your home and your professional restoration company will begin the drying and cleaning process.

During cleaning, everything must be sanitized to ensure that no bacteria or mold are left behind. Often times, water damage can cause a musty feeling and odor around the home - causing discomfort. But, this odor is eliminated through deodorization during the cleaning process.

There are many steps to restoring your home from water damage, including disposing of certain belongings unfortunately. Don’t put the extra stress on yourself and call a professional company - you won’t regret it.

The ‘Right’ Professional Should Be:

• Licensed and Certified

• Insured

• Full-Service

• Available 24/7

Have you suffered from water damage? Don’t let it sit any longer - give your local professionals, The Steam Team, a call! 512-451-8326

How Fire Damage Restoration Works

24 Hour Fire Damage Restoration Austin Texas

Restoring a home from fire damage is often a two-part process - recovering from the fire and smoke itself, and recovering from the water that was used to fight the fire. Depending on the size of the fire, the water used could even cause flooding - but the moisture alone is concern enough, especially when it comes to mold growth. It can be difficult to imagine the restoration process when you’re facing damage and a leftover smoke odor - so here’s how it works.

First, the most important thing to know about fire and smoke damage is that it only progresses the longer it’s left there. Different materials and fabrics around your home have chemical reactions to the smoke and fire, increasingly breaking them down over time. However, when you call a restoration company as soon as the damage occurs, they can often salvage many of these fabrics, materials, and belongings.

The Danger of Re-Entering Before the Professionals

If you haven’t heard it from us, you’ve probably heard it elsewhere - re-entering your home after fire damage is extremely dangerous to your health, especially if there’s moisture from water involved. The professionals are trained and experienced to safely handle these situations, eliminating any health risks to themselves or to others.

Upon entering your home, a professional restoration company will begin inspecting the overall damage. Once they’ve covered every inch, they can give you a more accurate estimate for how long the process will take and how much it will cost. The longer the damage is left to progress, the longer it’ll take to clean and the more expensive it’ll be.

Then, they’ll begin to clean the materials and fabrics that are salvageable. Often times, when people try to do this themselves, they end up keeping belongings that can continue to cause damage or they throw out belongings that could have been cleaned - but, the professionals know exactly what to look for and how to treat the materials.

Fire & Water Damage: How to Choose Your Restoration Company

Fire Damage Austin

When you’re dealing with a devastating experience like fire or water damage, the last thing you want to deal with is choosing a restoration company.  You probably just want your house back to the way it was before - and we’re here to help it get there. What should you look for in a professional restoration company?

Emergency Services

These situations rarely happen at convenient times and their immediate cleanup is essential to restoring your home. That’s why it’s important to find a restoration company with an emergency line available 24 hours every day 7 days a week for prompt cleanup!

Certification

Professional companies will carry a certification from an industry organization - like the Institute for Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC). Here at the Steam Team, our technicians are all trained and certified by the IICRC.   

Provided Services

It’s important to find a restoration company that offers a wide range of services - especially because fire and water damage is an extensive restoration process. If you hire a company that specializes in one area, like odor removal, because you may end up needing to hire other companies to cover the other areas, like water extraction, mold removal, and even just a thorough carpet cleaning. Going with a company that handles it all is often the most cost-effective and efficient choice.

Insurance

Lastly, a professional company will have liability insurance. If you choose a company that doesn’t have insurance, any potential liabilities will likely end up coming out of your pocket. Unfortunately, this disaster could take a turn for the worse without insurance coverage - don’t forget to ask about it!

Here at The Steam Team, we know that dealing with this kind of extensive damage is never easy. We try to do everything we can to make it as simple as possible for the homeowners and family involved. If you’re experiencing any fire or water damage - don’t hesitate to contact us!

It's Time for Spring Cleaning!

Cleaning

Often times your carpets need a little more TLC than just a regular vacuuming. In fact, for most carpets, the manufacturers require an annual steam cleaning to maintain their warranty. If you haven’t cleaned those carpets in a while - it may be time for some spring cleaning! What are some of the best ways to refresh your home this season?

Steam Clean Those Floors

Whether you have carpet, tile, or hardwood - it all needs a periodic steam cleaning - even your rugs! Many homeowners wait to thoroughly clean (especially the floors) until there’s visible stains or damage. However, regular maintenance can significantly increase the lifetime of your floors - but we’re not just talking about weekly vacuuming or sweeping.

Regularly steam cleaning your flooring can help to eliminate any dirt, dust, and debris from damaging it - especially when it comes to carpet.

Don’t Forget The Furniture!

No matter the material of your furniture - whether it’s leather or another fabric - it can always use a good cleaning. Furniture is surprisingly overlooked when it comes to house cleaning, but it shouldn’t be - we spend a lot of time sitting on our furniture - if anything, it needs to be cleaned more often!

What About The Rest of Your House?

These are areas that can benefit from steam cleaning - although certainly not all of them. So what about the rest of your house? When’s the last time you wiped down the kitchen cabinets or cleaned out the washing machine? It’s the seasons for spring cleaning now, so it’s the perfect excuse to take time and really scrub down those countertops.

Should You Hire a Professional?

When it comes to deep cleaning like this, you may be better off hiring a professional in certain instances. For example, steam cleaning is always done more effectively (and efficiently) by an experienced professional (versus renting your own machine). However, you may be able to get away with cleaning the appliances and other areas of your house by yourself.

Is it time for a spring cleaning? Don’t hesitate to contact your local steam cleaning company - like us, here at The Steam Team, today!

The Best Way to Remove Pet Odors

Pet Order Cleaning

We’ve all been there - you bring home the new puppy and it isn’t 5 minutes before they’ve marked their territory - on your new carpet, nonetheless. Trying to soak up any excess liquid will only do so much, once the urine seeps into the fibers and carpet padding - you’ll be smelling it around the house for a long time. Even if you take several different cleaning products to it, it can still linger! How are you supposed to get that pet odor out of your carpet?

We’ve got just the answer: steam cleaning.

While renting a machine to do-it-yourself from a local hardware store may be cost-effective, it may not completely remove the odor just yet. That’s because the machines that your hardware store have are much less powerful than those that a professional company is equipped with.

Hiring a professional steam cleaning company - like us, here at The Steam Team - is always in your best interest, especially when it comes to removing those pet odors. The powerful suction that the vacuum gets from the truck-mounted system has been known to lift odors - even out of carpet padding!

Your Results

The exact result of your odor treatment will depend on each individual situation. For minor urine spots and smells, a thorough regular steam cleaning may just do the trick! It’s when the situation is severe that it gets tricky. When pet urine isn’t dealt with immediately, it can begin to set in - and even grow bacteria over time. In these extreme cases, you may actually need to replace the carpet altogether. Don’t lose hope for your carpets just yet - your steam cleaning professionals can assess the situation and give their recommendation based off of their knowledge and experience.

Are you dealing with an overwhelming pet odor? Have you been looking for just the right treatment? Don’t hesitate to contact us at The Steam Team - we’re always happy to help!

A Quick Guide to Fire Safety

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Fire safety is important no matter where you are - in a house, apartment, college dorm, etc. - but unfortunately, it’s often overlooked. In order to prevent fire damage, we’ve put together this quick guide for fire safety.

Fire Alarms

While you may be aware of the fire alarms around your house, you’re probably also (very) annoyed when they have low batteries (thanks to their repetitive noises). However, fire alarms are essential to fire safety around your home - it often takes longer to notice fires when you’re asleep as it is, having a fire alarm can alert you much quicker (and potentially save your life and your belongings).

Now, when they’re properly taken care of, you may never hear those annoying noises again! Make sure to test them periodically (once every week or every other week) and change their batteries at least once each year.

Kitchen Safety

Over half of house fires are started in the kitchen, believe it or not. The easiest way to avoid these fires, is to take precautions when cooking. Keep your eyes on the stove at all times, don’t leave children alone near the burners, etc.

Escape Plan

When you move into a new house, the best thing you can do to ensure your safety is to plan an escape plan. If there were to be a fire, what would be the best route to exit the house?

Fire Hazards

Lastly, eliminating fire hazards around the house is actually easier than you’d think. For example, don’t smoke cigarettes inside - and if you do (even if it’s outside), make sure you’re disposing of them properly. Other hazards include candles, which are best kept in a candle holder and away from anything that could catch on fire - like curtains or any other fabrics.

Don’t forget that if your home does suffer from fire damage - it’s important that you contact a professional restoration company as soon as you can (and avoid re-entering your home)!

What Causes Water Damage?

Water Damage Emergency Service

Water damage occurs when excess amounts of water pool throughout the home. There are several things that can cause this added amount of water - many of them out of our control. However, there are certainly steps you can take as a homeowner to prevent damage.

Busted or Leaking Pipe

Whether your pipes are old or your drains and toilets have been backing up - you could have a busted (or leaking) pipe on your hands sooner rather than later. In fact, busted pipes are commonly a cause for water damage and are difficult to prevent. Your sewer lines can actually be affected easier than you might think - do your sewer lines run under roots in your yard? Is something wrong with your garbage disposal? Both of these can damage the pipe structure under your home and unfortunately, lead to water damage.

Natural Disaster

As homeowner’s, you may have no control over natural disasters (storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.) - but you can certainly take preventive measures. If you know a big storm is coming, moving all of your belongings away from the floor will help to protect their integrity. Additionally, you may want to double check any basements or attics to ensure they’re properly sealed, and avoid additional water buildup.

Malfunctioning Appliances

Just like old pipes in your home can break, older appliances’ pipes can too. Over time, they wear and rust, becoming more susceptible to breakage. Focus on the appliances that frequently use water - such as your water heater, washing machine, dish washer, etc. - and make sure they’re properly functioning. The older the machine is, the more likely it is to malfunction.

Are you dealing with water damage? If you are (or have in the past), taking preventive measures in the future can help to avoid water damage altogether. However, to avoid further damage now, you’ll want to call the professionals - like us, here at The Steam Team - mold growth and water contamination pose huge risks to your health and should only be handled by people who know proper safety precautions.

Do You Need to Use Different Cleaning Methods on Tile Flooring?

Tile cleaning

When it comes to regular upkeep around your home, you probably have several different cleaning solutions that you use. Although there are several types of tile materials - ceramic, porcelain, glass, etc. - they can generally be cleaned using the same products. While some tile may absorb color and stains differently than others, they all need grout - a porous material - to fill the space between them. Unfortunately, grout can become easily stained (much easier than tile), but using the right methods and products is key to removing stains from both grout and tile.

Why Does Grout Need to be Placed With Tile?

Although there has been tile placed without grout, it’s never recommended. The grout helps to hold the tile in place and keep it from shifting. When tile moves without grout, it can come in contact with surrounding tiles - potentially causing cracks and breaks in the flooring. Grout is an essential part of tile, whether it’s on the floor or placed as a backsplash.

Is There a Cleaning Method Safe for Grout and Tile?

Many household products won’t remove deep-rooted stains, especially in grout. However, steam cleaning - also known as hot water extraction - has been known to lift stains out of both grout and tile. While you may not need to steam clean regularly, hiring the professionals every once in awhile can make a huge difference in the appearance of your flooring.

How Does it Work?

Steam cleaning differs for each floor type - what works for tile, won’t work for hardwood floors or carpet, and vice versa. The first step in any cleaning process is to remove any dirt and debris. When you hire the professionals, they’ll do this for you - thoroughly vacuuming and sweeping. As with other floors, the cleaning solution is then applied - although this solution is specific for tile flooring. Steam cleaning uses a high-pressurized system, rinsing the floor with water and suctioning up excess moisture. Depending on the condition of your flooring, your technicians may advise colorizing the grout - but if not, they’ll go ahead and seal your tile.

The process is pretty simple - don’t hesitate to contact The Steam Team for an estimate today!