Recent Posts

Frozen Pipe Tips to avoid water damage

12/11/2023 (Permalink)

A few more steps to prevent frozen pipes from SERVPRO® of Kankakee County.

February has snuck up on us and we have been experiencing crazy weather! SERVPRO has been very busy cleaning homes with water damage due to frozen pipes. Did you know that an 1/8 inch crack in a pipe can spew up to 250 gallons of water a day? This can cause flooding, serious structural damage and the immediate potential for mold.

Here are a few tips you can take to prevent your pipes from freezing:

· Insulate pipes in your homes crawlspace and attic.

· Heat tape can be used to wrap pipes.

· Disconnect garden hoses and use and indoor valve to shut off and drain water from pipes leading to outside faucets.

· Keep your thermostat set at the same temperature during both day and night.

· A trickle of hot water might be all it takes to keep your pipes from freezing.


By taking these safety steps, you can help save yourself the mess, money and aggravation frozen pipes cause.

Keeping your business safe from fire in Bradley

2/19/2023 (Permalink)

The fire services recommend this checklist to assist your small business in preventing damage that could be caused by fire:

  • Avoid storing or stockpiling flammable materials such as packaging materials or waste where they could be accessed by the public, including areas immediately outside your business premises.
  • Make sure all machinery is serviced as recommended by manufacturers and is kept clean. If possible, switch machinery off when the business is unattended.
  • Secure all doors, windows or other access points when the business is unattended, and make sure your business has adequate lighting to deter trespassers.
  • Ensure your business has an adequately serviced and functional fire alarm system that is suitable to your small business eg: Remote serviced alarm systems, sprinkler systems, thermal or smoke alarms etc.
  • If your business stores dangerous goods, ensure their storage and use adheres to legislative requirements.
  • Make sure your business has a written and practiced fire escape plan that includes full staff lists and designated meeting points.

Local Businesses can count on SERVPRO

2/19/2023 (Permalink)

Commercial Property owners and Property Managers are entrusted with keeping their businesses operational. When Disaster Strikes, SERVPRO of Kankakee County is here to help make it “Like it never even happened.” We've assisted some of the Kankakee Area's largest properties following disasters. Riverside, Olivet Nazarene, Presence St. Mary, Sears, Bungi Oil, Denny's and many others have utilized our Commercial and Industrial Services. Facilities Managers rely on us to be Ready for Whatever Happens.

General Adjusters and Consulting firms from around the Chicago and Northwest Indiana region trust SERVPRO of Kankakee County with their must complex claims. Some of our specialties include

  • Small Office Buildings
  • Large Office/High-Rise Office Buildings
  • Apartment Buildings
  • Restaurants
  • Hotel/Motels
  • Small Retail Stores
  • Large Retail/Big-Box Stores
  • High-Rise Residential
  • Manufacturing & Industrial
  • Government/Military
  • Universities
  • Schools
  • Restaurants
  • Commercial Disaster Recovery Services 
  • Commercial Reconstruction

We are available around the clock to get your business back up and running. Our expertise includes restoration services for fire and water damage, including electronics restoration and document drying. We are also your business’s best resource for mold remediation. Learn more about our commercial restoration services by calling SERVPRO of Kankakee County at (815)935-0077.

The ERP Plan from SERVPRO helps against Fire Damage for your home in Gilman

2/19/2023 (Permalink)

The ERP Plan from SERVPRO is a Valuable Tool Against Fire and Water Damage in Gilman

What is your preference if disaster strikes -- prepared or panicked? When fire or water damage threatens your property, knowing you have a detailed action plan solidly in place gives you confidence that your home or business is on the road to a speedy and sure restoration. We partner with you to get a complete recovery blueprint crafted and in place. 
 
Developing a SERVPRO Emergency Ready Profile and Plansafeguards your investment by streamlining our response to your troubles. Select us as your SERVPRO Franchise Representative, and start by scheduling a free, no-obligation walk-through of either your home or your business with one of our professional assessors. A review of your physical plant sharpens our focus on how to best respond to your property’s unique needs in the event of a catastrophic fire event in Gilman. We also recommend adjustments for you to better prepare for loss based on our experience. 
 
The next step is to create your account online. Complete an Emergency Ready Profile for your property, following the template provided. Owning or operating more than one property simply means you fill out a Profile for each. The Profile app directs the procedure, including prompts to take and archive pictures and layouts of all areas. Utility locations and shutoffs are pinpointed, and sprinkler and alarm systems are delineated. Key managers or employees to whom you delegate decision-making authority are determined. Identify the owner of the building if you lease space. 
 
We suggest the use of a tablet or phone to record the data requested in the SERVPRO Ready Plan Application, including taking pictures. A Field Form downloaded, printed, and completed as you tour the property also is acceptable for you to use as a preliminary source of information. Once you finish the walk-through, log into your account and load the details online, adding the pictures taken per the prompts. 
 
Once your Emergency Ready Profiles and Plan (ERPs) are saved our SERVPRO will hit the ground running when you or your representative contact us after a disaster or mishap. Use the mobile app to log into your account and alert us about the specific situation. The app speedily leads you through the process, using the information you previously inputted. We have a clear and concise plan at our fingertips, permitting our technicians to get to work immediately to restore the damage. The established plan is vastly preferable to our crew familiarizing themselves with the building under stress and needing many questions answered. 
 
Being "Ready for whatever happens" inspires faith in your customers, employees, and family. It is clear your business recovers and thrives, or your home again provides comfort and shelter. Work with the professionals at SERVPRO of Kankakee County to devise an Emergency Ready Profile and Plan to protect your business, home, or other property from fire damage by calling (815) 935-0077 before a disaster occurs.

 

Fire damage to your Kankakee home

2/19/2023 (Permalink)

Having a fire event on your property can produce some pretty destructive and violent results. Regardless of how large or small the damage is, you never hear a property owner say that they are glad it happened to them. 
 
What you need is a team that can respond quickly to your request and starts taking care of the fire damage to your Boulder property immediately. Our technicians arrive on site within four hours and give you the benefit of having a company with IICRC certified technicians working for you. 
 
Due to the extensive damage received throughout the duration of a fire, professional restoration services are your best bet to returning your home to a quality pre-damage condition in the quickest most efficient way possible. 
 
Heat alone does a significant amount of damage to your structure; it can warp your flooring and cause extensive damage. The contents of your home may be affected in various ways, requiring specialized item restoration services only available at SERVPRO. 
 
Smoke can reach into cracks and crevices throughout your home, leaving soot residues behind, staining surfaces and cause odors to penetrate various materials, SERVPRO can help. With a variety of deodorization and cleaning methods designed to return things to normal quickly. 
 
SERVPRO gives you access to technicians with the experience and training required to present you with the quality services you need to make your fire damage disappear, "Like it never even happened." 
 
We help you manage your insurance paperwork and communicate with your insurance company. Taking care of you and your family along the way to ensure a smooth restoration process. 
 
SERVPRO technicians also answer any questions you have about our services and only present you with those that you need. We have certified technicians to handle every aspect of your restoration, from water removal to finishing touches. 
 
Remember, we are a locally owned and operated company. We live, work, and play in the same places you do. Giving us a unique perspective towards your restoration needs. 
 
Give us the opportunity to provide you with a unique solution to your problem by calling SERVPRO of Kankakee County today. (815) 935-0077

Be Prepared for a storm in Bourbonais

9/5/2022 (Permalink)

Emergency preparedness is for everyone. The more basic preparedness needs that each family or individual can prepare for themselves, the less stress there will be placed on emergency management services. Summer storms, tornadoes and hurricanes often come with damaging winds and rain, and have similar preps even though they occur in different areas of the country. (Side note – the United States has more tornadoes each year than any other country, averaging over 1000 per year, but the United Kingdom has the highest number of tornadoes per unit of land area, per foreignpolicy.com). Everyone should take the time to make these basic emergency preparedness preps, no matter what region you live in. They may just save your life and the lives of those you care about.

Step One:  Have am Emergency Preparedness plan

Step Two: Prep Your Emergency Preparedness Essentials

Step Three:  Prepare Your Home for Summer Storms and High Winds

Flood Damage in your Bradley Home

9/5/2022 (Permalink)

Removing Basement Flood Damage in Bradley

As many as 98% of basements are prone to water-related damage throughout the average home's lifetime. Whether it comes in through loose window seals, cracks in the foundation, or clogged gutters redirecting water toward the home, this type of damage can be both costly and far-reaching with only consumer-grade products. When the cause is flooding, however, homeowners have much more to worry about than mold growth or musty odors due to potential contaminants present in the water.

If your Bradley home's business needs flood damage mitigation, you can count on the IICRC-certified professionals at SERVPRO to get the job done right. These technicians receive both extensive training and continued learning opportunities through SERVPRO learning modules based on the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification standards and protocols. Not only does this education ensure that technicians, staff, and franchise owners are knowledgeable, but that homeowners benefit from a consistently high standard of cleanup and restoration.

Vulnerabilities in Your Basement
    •    Check your gutters. While the gutters are not part of your basement, clogged gutters and downspouts can allow water to penetrate your home during storms and flood conditions.
    •    Seal cracks. Hairline cracks are often not an issue, but anything 1/16" or larger should be thoroughly sealed as soon as possible.
    •    Monitor foundation damage. Have a professional evaluate the foundation of your home for potential damages that could be exacerbated by flooding.

Want to minimize the damage of flooding? Install water sensors so you can be alerted as soon as flooding starts, keep your possessions elevated with shelves and cinder blocks, and install a sump pump in your basement.

SERVPRO's Drying Process
SERVPRO technicians typically use two industrial-grade tools for structural drying: centrifugal air movers and dehumidifiers. In flood situations, these are utilized after water extraction and disinfection to minimize the spread of microbes in the air.

Air movers can pull moisture from walls most effectively when placed at a 45-degree angle in relation to the surface. If your basement is insulated with organic material like cotton or cellulose that may have been affected by flooding, removal is recommended to prevent the spread of mold and contaminants.

SERVPRO of Kankakee County has the tools and techniques to leave your home looking, “Like it never even happened.” Call (815) 935-0077 for cleanup you can count on at any time of the day or night, including holidays.

For more about Bradley click here.

 

Water Damage Can Warp and Buckle Flooring

9/5/2022 (Permalink)

Water Damage to Wood and Laminate Flooring is Very Common

When your bathroom fixture or dishwasher leaks, the basement floods or a window is left open during a torrential downpour, your flooring can get quite wet. When these things happen, your flooring can sustain enough water damage that it has to be cleaned, repaired or even replaced. The guide below to flooring water damage costs can help you understand what steps will have to be taken to bring your floor back to a preloss state, if possible.

Water Damage to Hardwood Flooring
In humid or wet locations like the laundry area, bathrooms or the basement, flooring contractors try to discourage homeowners from installing hardwood flooring. When there is high humidity or a significant amount of water present, moisture gets into the wood, causing it to expand and producing separating, warping and cracking.

Flooring which is engineered handles humidity a lot better since the underlayment attached is made to expand and contract with normal humidity changes without damaging the solid wood layer on the top. It is however still not a good choice in locations that are humid and wet. In rooms with high RH, avoid wood. Concrete, tile or vinyl is preferred in these areas.

Water Damage to Laminate Flooring 
Laminate flooring is composed of layers of material which will absorb water readily and swell, making the layers separate. This happens when water penetrates past the water-resistant barrier of the laminate top. This is often the result when a flood causing standing water to collect for an extended length of time. In this case, laminate flooring needs to be replaced, as there is no cost-effective way to repair the loss. Therefore, this flooring isn’t recommended for areas that are often humid or wet, either.

Tile Water Damage
Grout and tile are quite water resistant, and this is one of the reasons it’s such a good choice for pool areas, showers, entryways, and bathrooms. Your primary concern is the subfloor, as water can get through cracks in the grout, or around the tile field edges. The subfloor will swell if damaged, and the tile and grout can crack or the tile field in this area will be raised.

Linoleum and Vinyl Flooring Water Damage
These both can stand up to water quite well. It can be dried by using a wet vacuum to get rid of the standing water and fans can be placed in the area to dry up water which could have seeped into the subflooring while increasing the evaporation rate.

Hiring the Professionals
Professional water restoration companies, such as SERVPRO, specialize in drying out flooring of all kinds with pumps, fans, wet vacuums and desiccants. We have the right equipment and knowledge to dry out each kind of flooring properly if it is possible to salvage it, and we also know when it needs replacing. We can also sanitize and deodorize your flooring to stop mold and mildew from growing and to eliminate any potential odors.

When water damage in your Bourbonnais home affects your flooring, call SERVPRO of Kankakee County right away at (815) 935-0077 so we can come out to your property and perform the water removal and remediation services that you need. We can restore your beautiful home "Like it never even happened."

SERVPRO's Commercial Alliances

8/30/2022 (Permalink)

Involvement by our SERVPRO at all levels in the community can not be understated. One of these levels is at the city and county economic level. Every town and city has a vested interest in trying to help their local business survive and thrive, providing much needed jobs to the members of their communities and also providing economic stimulus and tax revenue generation. 

These needs get interrupted when disaster strikes a business and it is vital to get their operations back up and running, as quickly as possible, "Like it never even happened." This is where the relationships you form with SERVPRO prior to the disaster striking are so important. Does your business already have a SERVPRO Representative (SMR) assigned to you? If not, complete a internet search for your local SERVPRO franchise and ask for one to be assigned to you. This SMR will go through the process of educating your business about all that they can do in advance of the coming disaster, to help you prepare so that when it happens, it is not as costly to you in downtime and lost production.       

There are many different ways to get involved with your community business members. Recently two of our SMR's attended the Kankakee County Economic Alliance meeting that was hosted at Olivet Nazarene University (ONU). Local and County business members and community leaders participated, where current happenings and futures plans were discussed. Building relationships at this level is key for when large events happen at this level, those leaders run in small circles and great relationships are needed here, so those business leaders can get their business's back up and running and restore their communities to like it was before the disaster.... "Like it never even happened."

Commercial Business Services in Bradley

8/30/2022 (Permalink)

Commercial Property owners and Property Managers are entrusted with keeping their businesses operational. When Disaster Strikes, SERVPRO of Kankakee County is here to help make it “Like it never even happened.” We've assisted some of the Kankakee Area's largest properties following disasters. Oliver Nazarene, Presence St. Mary, Sears, Bungi Oil, Denny's and many others have utilized our Commercial and Industrial Services. Facilities Managers rely on us to be Ready for Whatever Happens.

General Adjusters and Consulting firms from around the Chicago and Northwest Indiana region trust SERVPRO of Kankakee County with their must complex claims. Some of our specialties include

  • Small Office Buildings
  • Large Office/High-Rise Office Buildings
  • Apartment Buildings
  • Restaurants
  • Hotel/Motels
  • Small Retail Stores
  • Large Retail/Big-Box Stores
  • High-Rise Residential
  • Manufacturing & Industrial
  • Government/Military
  • Universities
  • Schools
  • Restaurants
  • Commercial Disaster Recovery Services 
  • Commercial Reconstruction

We are available around the clock to get your business back up and running. Our expertise includes restoration services for fire and water damage, including electronics restoration and document drying. We are also your business’s best resource for mold remediation. Learn more about our commercial restoration services by calling SERVPRO of Kankakee County at (815)935-0077.