Month: December 2018

The Facts About Raw Sewage in Your Home

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Raw Sewage in Your Home

Your home’s sewage system is probably not something that remains top of mind in the day to day. In fact, most homeowners would rather not think about it at all. But what happens when you are confronted with raw sewage in your home or yard? The devastating repercussions should be enough incentive for you to do a bit of research into the matter. Fortunately, the professionals at RestoPros have experience in dealing with a variety of water and sewage damage concerns. They have detailed the most important facts in case it happens to you.

There are a few reasons why raw sewage might flood your home. Backflow from your system, clogged or damaged plumbing, or sceptic tank issues can result in a sewage leak. In addition to expensive structural damage, the health issues that can result from exposure are myriad. Raw sewage contains harmful microorganisms that can spread parasites, viruses and deadly bacteria. Exposure to humans and animals can result in illness, some of which can prove fatal.

When dealing with raw sewage in your home, here are some facts to keep in mind:

  • When you notice a sewage leak inside your home, make sure that children and pets are evacuated immediately (or kept far away from the affected area). You will know the difference from a typical plumbing leak immediately – either by the smell or the dark color.
  • Turn off the electrical power in your home (if this can be done safely).
  • If possible, turn off the water supply to your home. Make sure that you also turn off any running water – and do not drink any water from your plumbing system.
  • Contact your local sewage department or municipal authority. Request emergency services in Dallas.
  • Wear protective equipment such as rubber gloves, protective eyewear and rubber boots before securing the affected area. This includes removing any electrical equipment and furniture that was not directly contaminated by the leak.
  • Add some chlorine bleach to any areas containing standing water. This will help a bit with disinfection.
  • Be proactive about cross contamination and close doors between rooms. Also make sure that you do not use your central air system to keep airborne toxins from traveling throughout the home.
  • During an emergency it is easy to forget the big picture. After you have made the necessary calls and secured the area, make sure that you properly document the damage with photos – and any essential notes for the insurance claim. Your insurance company should also be alerted the day of the incident.
  • Open windows and doors to get fresh air into the home – and to aid in drying out the standing water.
  • If sewage has leaked into your front or back yard – make sure that the neighbors are made aware of the problem. Consider making a sign or roping off the contaminated area if possible.
  • Seek medical help immediately if direct contact has been made with the sewage.
  • Do not attempt to clean/repair your home yourself. Make sure that you contact a reputable water/sewage restoration company with experience in all aspects of remediation.

If your home is affected by a raw sewage leak, don’t panic! Follow the notes listed above – and make sure to contact the most respected mold and water remediation company in Dallas! Call RestoPros at 855-587-3786 to schedule an appointment today!

5 Myths About Mold in Your Home

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myths about mold

No one wants to see mold growing in their home. Mold is unsightly. It can damage your foundation, and it can wreak havoc on the health of your household. But for all the negative effects of mold, there are several exaggerated and even completely false beliefs that should be pointed out. The professionals at RestoPros, the most trusted mold remediation company in Dallas, have collected five of the most common myths about residential mold.

Read the facts below and educate yourself before attempting to clean or diagnose a mold outbreak in your home.

Myth 1. Black Mold Is Deadly

There are over 20,000 different species of “black mold,” which is technically not even a scientific term. Black is simply the color of certain strains – and one of the least common colors of fungal growth. Stachybotrys, which is considered to be the most toxic strain of mold, can be any color depending on the surroundings. In most cases this toxic mold is a greenish-black color, but attempting to identify it by the color is futile. Aside from testing the mold directly, the only sure test for the toxicity of a mold in your home is a direct allergic reaction.

Myth 2. Bleach Kills All Mold

Bleach is the go-to product many people use to clean a mold outbreak. While it works well enough to “clean” mold off of a non-porous surface, bleach can irritate the skin and the fumes are dangerous if inhaled. Bleach is also not an ideal cleaner for porous surfaces – and can exacerbate the situation by seeping into wood, plasterboard, wall paper and other materials. Hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar are both preferred mold cleaners for mold growth on both porous and non-porous surfaces.

Myth 3. Mold Will Make You Sick

This is partly true, but not all mold will make you sick. In most cases, the person is suffering from an allergic reaction to the mold. The “toxic mold” mentioned above, which is rare, can cause all sorts of respiratory problems, chronic fatigue, eye irritation and rashes among other symptoms. Toxic mold can make you sick, while most common mold outbreaks are more likely to trigger allergy symptoms. Mold allergies can include sneezing, itching, running nose and throat irritation; basic allergy symptoms generally associated with seasonal allergies.

Myth 4. A Small Amount of Mold Is Not A Problem

If you notice mold anywhere in your home, you need to clean it immediately. Even a small amount can do damage to the surface area and will continue to spread. Sometimes mold will grow in an area that was left damp (usually places in the kitchen or bathroom). But mold on the ceiling or a wall might indicate a separate problem that also needs to be dealt with. Roof and plumbing leaks are major causes of mold – and until they are fixed, the growth with only return if cleaned.

Myth 5. Mold Remediation Is a DIY Project

If you are experiencing a serous mold outbreak, do not attempt to clean and eradicate the growth on your own. Mold that is the result of serious flooding or a major leak needs the attention of a professional remediation company. Mold can be an insidious intruder. It can ruin homes and greatly compromise the health and happiness of a household. Never attempt a DIY fix when dealing with a mold infestation. Trained experts can offer a full assessment (including diagnosing the root of the problem) and will have the latest equipment to deal with the growth. Experienced mold remediation technicians can also help file insurance claims to help cover the cost of the damages.

Now that you have a clearer understanding of these common “mold myths,” you can be better prepared to deal with an infestation. While the mere sight of mold in your home should not be cause for alarm, it is important that it is dealt with right away. If you discover widespread growth, do not hesitate to call the professionals at RestoPros. We can send someone out to assess the problem and offer solutions for all aspects of the problem. Call us at 855-587-3786 to schedule an appointment today!

Benefits of a Humidifier This Winter

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Humidifiers can have many benefits for you and your home in the fall and winter. The trick is finding the right balance of humidity. Dry air can trigger allergies, cold, flu, and snoring, so we recommend a humidifier to fight those and other ailments and effects on your home.

Too much humidity can lead to a whole host of mold-related problems – and RestoPros can solve them! Continue on to read the benefits of a humidifier.

Replenish Dry Air from the Heater

In the winter, you turn on your heater and the air starts to dry out. Along with the air your skin, hands, lips, and eyes can all get very dry. A humidifier can add an invisible mist to the air to add moisture and prevent some dryness. If you already have cracked hands or lips, we recommend trying your favorite lotion or hand cream!

Prevent Cold/Flu

With dry air your system has a harder time functioning, meaning your sinuses don’t drain properly. Humidifiers can help correct the drainage issues and in turn prevent cold and flu. Unfortunately, if you already have a cold or flu, you’ll need to rely on a doctor’s advice to cure it!

Alleviate Snoring

Snoring can be triggered by many different things. Dry air can dry out your airways and cause you and your partner to begin to snore. Adding a humidifier to your home will introduce moisture to the air, and you’ll sleep soundly in no time.

Prevents Allergies

Just like spring, winter comes with its own set of allergies. The dry air your heater creates in your home, partnered with closing your windows and blocking out fresh air, causes the same air to circulate in your home.

Effects on Your Home

If you have wallpaper in your home, you want to be sure to have a humidifier in the winter so that it doesn’t peel. Your wooden floors or furniture can crack without some humidity in the air.

Tips for Your Humidifier:

-Recommended humidity levels are usually somewhere between 30-50%.

-Refresh water frequently. Humidifiers use about a gallon of water daily, so to avoid mold and bacteria, change the water and wash the buckets a few times a week.

-Change the filter at least every month, if not sooner. In the same way that your HVAC filter can get clogged if it’s not changed frequently, the humidifier filter can get clogged and eventually will contribute negatively to your indoor air quality.

The moisture a humidifier adds to your home alleviates a host of issues, introduces positive particles to the air, and can make your home an overall more comfortable place to live. However, too much moisture can lead to mold and other issues, so you need to be careful to watch how much you use.

Whether you’ve begun to realize that mold is present, or if you’ve got any other type of moisture-related issues, give RestoPros a call at 855-587-3786 for the best remediation services in the Plano area!

The Science of Mold

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The Science of Mold

People often talk about mold, but they usually do so in very general terms. It’s one of those things that you know of but don’t really know anything about. You may even be able to spot mold when you see it, but determining which kind and whether it’s dangerous or not is harder. Usually, these things become easier to understand and identify the more you know.

 

It’s like the old saying goes: know your enemy. For homeowners, mold is definitely the enemy – costing America millions each year in remediation costs. Fortunately for you, the leading mold, water, and bio and trauma remediation company for the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex – RestoPros – knows the enemy all too well. Today, our experts are going to teach you the science of mold.

 

  1. The Evolution of Fungi.

Fungi has been on earth for a very long time. It’s ancient, in fact. Fungi first diverged from other life somewhere around 1.5 billion years ago, with symbiotic fungi taking off roughly a billion years later. Because fungi are not biomineral (organisms that produce minerals), it does do not appear in the fossil record until the Paleoproterozoic period, which was about 2,400 million years ago.

 

Fungi held a stable but relatively unimpressive foothold on Earth for the next 2,335 million years. However, following the massive extinction of the Cretaceous-Tertiary which took place 65 million years ago, fungi basically took over the world. When the dinosaurs and plants from that event were killed off, it created the opening and conditions for a massive colonization of Earth by fungi. This is refereed as the Great Fungi Bloom, and it’s responsible for people’s mold problems today.

 

  1. How Mold Spores Travel.

Mold spores travel in very interesting ways. The spores are released and are carried by the wind, people, or pets to a new location. Mold spores are released in the greatest abundance when dried out. As the mold dies, spores are released into the air. Under UV lights, the spores look a lot like a cloud of dust.

 

However, because mold spores are relatively heavy, they are not carried too far from the original colony. If you find mold in your home, the best thing you can do to prevent it from spreading is not touch it. Call in a remediation company like RestoPros, so it can be safely removed from the home.

 

  1. How Mold Affects Your Health.

Mold affects our health in much the same manner as when it spreads. It’s not the mold itself that poses a threat to human health; it’s the spores that are the problem. When mold spores are released, we breathe them into our bodies. Generally, this just causes coughing, itchy eyes, and wheezing in people and isn’t too dangerous, though it is irritating.

 

However, when people who have respiratory problems like asthma breathe in mold spores, it can cause an acute health risk – and in some cases –  even death. That’s why it’s important to call in a professional mold remediation company if you discover a mold colony in your home.

 

While we hope this information on the science of mold will give you a better understanding of the enemy, if you discover a mold problem, it’s best to call in an experienced professional. The fact is, proper mold removal may be too difficult and dangerous for the average homeowner. The CDC recommends calling a professional mold remediation company in most cases. The mold remediation experts at RestoPros have a long-standing reputation for expertise, professionalism, and hard work.

 

If you’re looking for a skilled and highly trained technician for mold testing, mold remediation, water damage restoration, or HVAC duct cleaning anywhere in the Dallas Metroplex, call us at (855) 58-RESTO (855-587-3786) to schedule your appointment today!