Community Spotlight: ServiceSource

6/1/2023 (Permalink)

Our owner Bill Warnecki is also proud to be ServiceSource Board Member.

ServiceSource is a non-profit organization near and dear to our hearts here at SERVPRO Team Warnecki. The important work they do for the disabled community and their families is truly inspiring! First founded locally in Virginia, they have now expanded across the east coast and Utah, offering services tailored to help those with disabilities enter the workforce.  From working with employers to ensure proper accommodations are met, to helping future employees with skill-based training, ServiceSource is constantly working towards a more inclusive world for the disabled.

Our owner Bill Warnecki, who is also a proud ServiceSource Board Member, traveled to Utah last week to witness firsthand the impressive programs run by ServiceSource’s affiliate PARC. He was humbled to meet all the hardworking staff and participants there and couldn't be prouder of them!  And we couldn’t be prouder to support such an outstanding organization as ServiceSource!

Please feel free to visit their website and learn more at https://www.servicesource.org/

Bill Goes to the Capitol

6/1/2023 (Permalink)

Over the past couple of months, our President, Bill Warnecki, has been lobbying on Capitol Hill on behalf of the Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI) in efforts to solidify and expand the rights of our front-line workers.  This is a very personal mission for us because all of our employees are family. 

The pandemic helped recontextualize the incredible and important work our Crew Chiefs and Production Technicians do every day, and whether they need more comprehensive protections on our worksites or clearer roadmaps for their citizenship, we will fight for them.  Our employees are the lifeblood of our family, and even though their issues may not be as visible or understood by our legislators up on the Hill, Bill will proudly continue to champion their needs.

Our Warehouse

6/1/2023 (Permalink)

Not to brag, but our warehouse has an enormous capacity to fit all the dehumidifiers, air movers, and air scrubbers to fully mitigate any job that comes our way.  This means we are eminently prepared with the proper equipment for your property’s water, fire, or mold damage. 

Not only does the space afford us the ability to stock our equipment, but it also allows us the ample real estate to securely store any of our customers’ belongings that may need to be removed during the mitigation process.  From large bed frames, armoires, and dinner tables to small chairs and packed boxes of books, we can tightly wrap, protect, and store our customer’s most valuable items.  And once we finish mitigating and restoring a property, all possessions will be returned in the same condition they were in when taken. 

This Year’s Women’s Forum at SERVPRO Convention

5/31/2023 (Permalink)

We are so proud of our inspiring owner, Jennifer Rueda Warnecki!

Every year, SERVPRO holds a national convention as a way to bring the whole SERVPRO family together, celebrate the brand, and learn the latest ways to give our customers the best experience possible.  This year’s Convention, held in Tampa on June 28th, is particularly special to us.  Our inspiring owner Jennifer Rueda Warnecki has been invited to be a panelist on the SERVPRO Women’s Forum!

Hosted by the SERVPRO Women's Initiative, the forum was created last year to highlight and support the wonderful women in the SERVPRO family and to discuss, among other things, the challenge of "taking their own seat at the table" in a traditionally male dominated industry.  Having experience building our Construction Department from a dream into the foundational cornerstone it is now, Jennifer is a proud example of the potential women have in our industry to not only succeed, but to flourish.  It is a humbling honor to be a part of this panel and to help support the next generation of SERVPRO women!

How Do We Dry a Water Heater Leak?

9/16/2022 (Permalink)

Flood cuts allow us to completely dry areas affected by water damage.

Many of our customers have little to no experience when it comes to mitigation.  We get many questions everyday about how we do what we do.  In an effort to pull back the curtain on our process, we’re going to detail one of our recent jobs in this blog post.

In this particular case, a water heater on the first level of a house had a major leak that pretty much affected the entire floor.  Luckily, the owners had installed water resistant floor tiles, so the floor didn’t retain any of the water.  The drywall, however, was not so lucky.  Using our moisture meters, our Production Technicians found substantial moisture readings behind the walls.  The readings were high enough to require us to make a two-foot flood cut in almost every wall. 

A flood cut removes the bottom two feet of drywall, not just to remove irreparable damage, but also to allow us to aim our air movers and dehumidifiers directly behind the wall.  When done right, this ensures all potential moisture is removed and no pesky mold forms.  Once we were able to completely dry all the walls, our Construction Team went in and replaced all the cut-out drywall and baseboards.  Then we matched the paint job, so all of the rooms looked just as they did before the leak.

Hopefully, this helps you understand some of the steps we take to mitigate your water damage.  It’s one of the many ways we make any disaster “like it never even happened!”

We Mitigate and Repair Damage from Heavy Rainstorms

9/16/2022 (Permalink)

Heavy rainstorms can clog storm drains with debris.

As the Spring season continues, we are starting to see more and more rainstorms pop up.  If you’re not prepared, they can cause severe flooding damage.  Just like this job we recently received. where a storm drain right outside this family’s basement was clogged by storm debris.

The clog caused a massive amount of water to pour into their basement, completely ruining their wood floors and leaving four-inch-high water line marks on all the walls.  Our Mitigation Team had to tear up all the wood floors and make a two-foot-high flood cut in all the drywall to ensure all the moisture in the basement was removed.  Our Construction Team then went in and installed brand new wooden floor panels, new drywall and even a new door to their basement bathroom.

While we were able to leave this basement better than it was before the storm, it goes to show how devastating heavy rainstorms can be.  You can never be too prepared.  And if you find yourself in a similar situation, gives us a call and we will make it “like it never even happened!”

Electrical Fires Are No Joke.

9/16/2022 (Permalink)

Even the TV was melted in this electrical fire.

We here at SERVPRO encounter many different fire damage emergencies, from gas stoves improperly turned off, to faulty heaters.  Arguably, electrical fires can be the most sinister.   They are mostly preventable if you take the proper precautions, like not overloading any one outlet or not running cords underneath carpets.  Sometimes though, they just short out, like at this job we finished recently.

When the wall outlet on the second level bedroom of this townhouse blew, it started a fire that consumed the whole floor.  The walls, ceiling, and floor of each room suffered massive damage and were beyond repair.  Our mitigation team was forced to completely gut the entire area, stripping away everything to just floorboards and studs.

The only precaution that may have avoided this disaster is making sure that every ten years, a licensed electrician checks the home’s entire electrical system.  Aside from that, you can always count on our mitigation team to clear out the damage, and our construction team to then rebuild it.

What is the IICRC?

9/16/2022 (Permalink)

Our IICRC Certified sticker is the first thing you see when you walk up to our front door.

You may already know that SERVPRO is proudly an IICRC certified firm, but what exactly is the IICRC and how does it ensure our customers get the best service?

To start off, IICRC stands for the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration.  Founded in 1972, It is the governing body of the mitigation/restoration industry, setting the procedural standards by which all cleaning, inspection, and restoration work is measured.  Considered “state of the art” in the contamination field, the IICRC is also an accredited member of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) which verifies the regulation process.  In short, these entities quicken the acceptance of new products and methods while keeping them safe and effective for all consumers. 

By continually maintaining our IIRC certification, SERVPRO can offer our customers the most technologically advanced products and techniques in the restoration business.  More importantly though, these rigorously tested standards help keep our customers safe, another reason why SERVPRO is the premier restoration company.

Drywall Water Damage and Mold Growth

11/30/2020 (Permalink)

Floods can cause some lasting damage to your walls as well as ruining your carpets, furniture, and personal belongings. Drywall, which can easily collect and trap moisture inside, if you act quickly enough, you can avoid having to deal with black mold. 

Conditions for Mold Growth

Though it may not look that way, mold is alive and it needs food, water, and oxygen to survive. Usually, homes can provide two of these things — oxygen and food. Mold typically feeds on organic matter, such as paper and wood, commonly used for the structural elements of a house. Drywall acts like a sponge so that even 1” of flooding could cause the drywall to become wet up to 4’ from the floor. Also, the paper backing of drywall is a perfect food source full of nutrients for mold.

But of course, when your home is dry, there’s no need to worry. No matter how much organic matter you have in the house, mold won’t start growing without water. But remember — even the smallest excess moisture could spell trouble. That’s why it’s crucial to keep your home dry at all times!

What to Do in Case of Drywall Water Damage

Try as you might to keep your home dry, sometimes things can go wrong. For example, you could experience a flood, or a pipe could suddenly burst in your bathroom, or you could experience a slow leak from your water heater.  Either way, you might find yourself having to deal with serious drywall water damage and potential mold growth.

To prevent black mold growth, the first thing you need to do is dry out the area as quickly as possible. If you have any paintings, furniture, or other décor hanging or leaning on the wall, remove them. The damaged area needs to be exposed to air in order to dry faster.

Unfortunately, you need to take down your wallpaper too. That can be time-consuming, but it’s necessary because moisture could accumulate behind it. For that same reason, you should remove all baseboards and molding — they provide perfect hiding places for mold.

Now that your drywall is completely bare, you may begin the drying process. Open the windows to allow air to circulate or get some fans and dehumidifiers to help. Don’t stop until you are 100% certain that the drywall is fully dry. If you’re not sure how to tell, call SERVPRO of Winchester today and we can check for you and give you advice.

Once your walls are dry, you can hang your paintings back and re-apply wallpaper. Of course, make sure that no items you put up are wet. 

In Conclusion

Black mold on drywall can cause serious damage to your home’s structure, but more importantly your health. If you’ve discovered mold growth despite your best efforts to avoid it, give us a call. Sometimes the problem can be too difficult for you to handle alone but easy enough for a professional mold cleaning company. So don’t hesitate — put your health and the health of your family first and call us today!

Biohazard Clean-up & Safety Precautions

11/30/2020 (Permalink)

One of the lesser known types of jobs we face at SERVPRO of Winchester are those that pertain to biohazards. Biohazard is defined as a biological substance that poses a threat to the health of living organisms, primarily humans and could include blood and bodily fluid.

Part of the precautions that we take to keep our techs safe, is proper training, and continuing education; we are never done learning how to be even better at our jobs. Another part to how we keep our techs safe is through proper PPE, also known as “Personal Protective Equipment”. One of the important requirements for our techs is to have or acknowledge the need for a Hepatitis B vaccination. For extreme biohazard risk, our techs will apply a suit, gloves, face mask, and then seal it with tape, to ensure full security from biohazard elements.

We at SERVPRO of Winchester always ensure the safety of not just out customers, but our employees too!

SERVPRO of Winchester is there to clean up after deaths, sickness, sewage, or accidents, so you don’t have to.  Call us today!