Month: February 2019

How to Identify Different Types of Mold

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Mold is the last thing you want to live with in your home, as It causes musty odors, damage to your house, and dangerous health problems. Are you are worried about mold in your home? Keep reading for some tips from the professionals at RestoPros on how to identify different types of mold.

How to Identify Different Types of Mold by Color and Physical Symptoms:

The two easiest ways to identify which type of mold is in your home is by color and correlating symptoms. Here are the color qualities and related symptoms for common types of household mold:

Yellow-green/Brown Mold:

  • Scientific Name: Aspergillus
  • Coloring: This mold is a yellow-green color on the surface with brown coloring underneath.
  • Where it Grows: in air conditioning systems and on starchy foods like potatoes and bread.
  • Potential Symptoms: allergic reactions, respiratory infections, and inflammation of the lungs.

 

Pink and Black Mold:

  • Scientific Name: Ureobasidium.
  • Coloring: pink and black in color
  • Where it Grows: in damp areas like window frames, bathroom rugs, or caulk.
  • Potential Symptoms: eye irritation or respiratory problems.

 

Black and Green Mold:

  • Scientific Name: Cladosporium
  • Coloring: This mold is black and green in color and has a pepper-like appearance.
  • Where it Grows: on surfaces like toilets, fiberglass ducts, fabrics, and wood.
  • Potential Symptoms: watery eyes, a sore throat, or respiratory problems.

 

Dark Green, Brown, or Black Mold:

  • Scientific Name: Chaetomium.
  • Coloring: This type of mold is dark green, brown, or black in color and produces a musty odor.
  • Where it Grows: in buildings that have suffered extensive water damage.
  • Potential Symptoms: This type of mold rarely causes health problems in humans who are exposed to it.

 

Blue or Green Mold:

  • Scientific Name: Penicillium
  • Coloring: blue or green, this type of mold can easily transfer from room to room
  • Where it Grows: on wallpaper and textiles like carpets, mattresses, or curtains.
  • Potential Symptoms: This mold causes allergic reactions, sinus infections, and lung inflammation.

 

Black Mold:

  • Scientific Name: Stachybotrys chartarum
  • Coloring: It is dark in color and produces a musty odor.
  • Toxic/black mold is one of most common molds associated with health problems; it produces mycotoxins.
  • Where it Grows: in extremely damp locations (inside air conditioning systems, near leaky pipes, and on porous surfaces like drywall.)
  • Potential Symptoms: Exposure to black mold can cause allergic reactions, sinus infections, asthma symptoms, fatigue, headaches, and even depression.

 

Green or Bright Green & White:

  • Scientific Name: Trichoderma
  • Coloring: green or bright green color with white mixed in
  • Where it Grows: on wallpaper, carpets, and other porous surfaces.
  • Trichoderma produces mycotoxins causing serious health problems.
  • Potential Symptoms: allergic reactions, sinus infections, asthma, fatigue, headaches and depression.

 

Although you now know what to look for, it is always a good idea to have your house professionally tested if you suspect you have a mold problem. If you are looking for a professional to perform mold testing, remediation, or removal in your home, contact the experts at RestoPros! Call 855-587-3786 to make an appointment today!

My House Flooded! Now What?

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my house flooded

There are few things more liable to ruin your week than a flooded home. It’s overwhelming to deal with so much immediate damage, and you may find that you have no idea where to begin. Do not panic – the experts at Resto Pros are here to share some important first steps you can take toward getting your flooded home back in order.

My House Flooded! What Should I Do First?

1. Safety:

You may have to vacate your home if the flooding is bad enough; upon reentering your home, wear a pair of rubber gloves and boots to avoid contact with harmful chemicals, sewage or debris.

*Pro Tip: Prepare ahead for any flooding disaster by having an emergency bag with rubber gloves and boots in a place you can easily access.

2. Find and Stop the Source of Water:

If your flooding has happened due to a problem inside your home, find the source of the water and turn it off or seal it up. The easiest way to do this is turning off your home’s main water valve.

*Pro Tip: Learn where the main water valve is in your home so you will know how to stop the water source in the event of a flood.

3. Turn Off Your Electricity:

Now that you have turned off your water source, you need to turn off all electrical sources in your home. If you are unable to reach the fuse box without walking through water call an electrician.

4. Evacuate the Property

Especially if the flooding is a result of a burst pipe or sewage leak, you should evacuate the house and property, making sure that all occupants, including your four-legged friends, are safe and accounted for.

My House Flooded! Who Do I Call?

1. If You Are a Renter:

Call your landlord and tell them what has happened.

*Pro Tip: Make sure you have your landlord’s number in your phone; you could also include a laminated card with the contacts you may need in your waterproof “emergency bag”.

2. If You Are a Homeowner:

Call your insurance company and tell them your house has suffered water damage due to flooding. Make sure to let them know if you need to wait for an adjuster to visit your home before the cleanup process begins.

*Pro Tip: Document everything – this is an important step to take before starting the cleanup process so you can show your insurer the extent of the damage. This may mean including a waterproof camera in your emergency bag, in case you are unable to access a working phone.

My House Flooded! How Do I Handle Cleanup?

1. Dry Your Floors and Air Out Your Home:

For this step, you and your family may need to stay a couple of nights with a friend or family. You will want to begin the process of drying your floors and airing out your home ASAP, so you should contact your local flood remediation experts and schedule an emergency water extraction and structure drying visit.

*Pro Tip: Local flood remediation and repair companies usually offer inventory storage and processing so you can have a safe and dry place to keep your salvaged items during the water extraction and drying process.

2. Professional Inspections

Once you have dried your floors, ceilings and walls, have your water damage experts inspect and remove any mold and test the air quality to make sure it is safe for you and your family to get back in your home. Then, you should call a contractor to inspect your home for any additional repairs that will need to be made.

3. Sanitize Everything

Everything in your house that was affected by the flood water – walls, floors, closets, shelves, kitchen contents, appliances – should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. While some of these can be done by you, you should have a professional cleaning crew do a deep cleaning and sanitization of your home, from top to bottom.

*Pro Tip: For the non-professional cleaning process, tackle one room at a time, and enlist the help of family and friends who you can assign to specific cleaning tasks. Use one bucket for the cleaning solution and another for the rinse water, changing that rinse water bucket frequently.

You are now armed with the knowledge and safety tips to say to yourself: “My House Flooded! I got this!” Don’t take these steps alone – contact the professionals at Resto Pros and allow our skilled and dedicated technicians to tackle the damage in your home!

Places You Didn’t Think to Check for Water Damage

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Water damage is one of the most devastating and expensive problems that you could encounter. While floor and ceiling damage is easy to spot, there are places that you may not have thought to look. To help you avoid water damage in your home, the experts at Resto Pros are here to advise you on where to check for hidden water damage, and to offer our professional assessment and repair services.

Spotting the Signs

  1. Mold or Mildew Odor: One of the most detectable signs of water damage is odor. If you can detect the smell of mold, mildew or other muggy odors, it is likely that you have a water damage problem in your home.
  2. Accumulation of Water: This is one of the most visible signs of potential water damage, and usually occurs as a result of malfunctioning or improperly installed appliances (such as dishwashers, tubs, showers, toilet connections, etc.).
  3. Pooling Water: This is another form of water accumulation that is easy to spot. Pooling water is usually a sign of a leaking roof or faulty drainage pipes.
  4. Discoloration: Water spots and stains are a major sign of ceiling water damage. These stains may appear wet or dry and are usually a yellow or brown color. In addition to these ceiling stains, you may observe that your wallpaper or paint is bubbling, cracking or peeling.
  5. Texture Changes: To spot floor water damage, look for warping of floorboards, buckling of wooden floorboards, Sagging or sinking, and expansion of wood and laminate floors.

Hidden Places to Check in Your Home

Now that you know what signs you need to look for, here are some often overlooked places in your home to examine for water damage:

Behind Your Refrigerator

Even if you do not move your refrigerator that often, over time the water line connection to the icemaker can still weaken or break. This will cause leaks behind the refrigerator that often go undetected.

Plastic P-Traps

This is an important one, because every sink in your home will have a plastic p-trap. Usually made of expanding and contracting PVC pipe, the plastic p-trap connects your sink to your home waste drain pipe. Over time, the p-trap will become loose, resulting in water leaks.

*Pro Tip: Periodically check plastic p-traps under the sinks in your home and tighten any loose connections to avoid potential leaks.

Hot Water Heater

If you have an older water heater, you will need to keep track of your overflow pan that is piped to drain outside the house. If the pan is not tilted at least ¼ inch, you cannot be ensured that the water is draining properly. For newer water heaters, you will need to periodically check and maintain the quick connectors to keep them properly tightened and lubricated. This will keep the shut-off valve from leaking.

Washing Machine Connections

Because we don’t often move our washing machines unless we are replacing them or moving in or out of a home, leaks and water damage can often go unnoticed until it is too late.

*Pro Tip: During installation process always install a new hose using the rubber washers recommended by the manufacturer. Tighten the connection with vice grips so there are no leaks or drips.

To Review:

-Pay attention to signs of potential water damage such as:

  1. The odor of mold or mildew
  2. Accumulation or pooling of water
  3. Discoloration or stains on ceiling surfaces
  4. Texture changes in your floors

Make sure to check those unexamined places in your home for leaks to stay ahead of water damage. Even though you have now learned about some of the unexpected places to look for water damage and how to detect the signs, it is always a good idea to have a professional fully assess damage that you may have missed.

If you are in need of such an expert, contact the knowledgeable team at Resto Pros to help you take the next steps in addressing your water damage.

4 Things to Do for Valentine’s Day in North Dallas

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Things to Do for Valentine’s Day in North Dallas

Valentine’s Day always seems to sneak up on you, doesn’t it? Does  your spouse or significant other expect an elegant night out? If so, the realization that there are just a few days left until the big day can hit you like a ton of bricks.

We’re here to save the day! Instead of scrambling to come up with plans so this Valentine’s Day doesn’t become one to forget, here are a few excellent options in North Dallas to make sure it’s one to remember!

Steps to Romance, Learn to Dance!

Always wanted to learn how to dance with your partner? There’s no time like the present! This fun activity, which is hosted by Maggiano’s Little Italy in NorthPark Center at 7 p.m., includes a two-course dinner for you and your sweetheart.

Hors d’oeuvres and a champagne toast are followed by foxtrot lessons. After that, you will enjoy a delicious dinner together. Following the meal, it’s time to take the floor!

A second toast as well as a dessert buffet will cap the fun-filled evening. Tickets are $75 per person, or $150 per couple.

St. Valentine’s Day Cocktail Class

Perhaps the extravagance of ballroom dancing isn’t quite your speed, but you’d still prefer to keep it classy. With this cocktail-making class from the folks at The People’s Last Stand (in Mockingbird Station), you’ll learn how to make some delicious cocktails with your partner while enjoying some appetizers and champagne.

For just $50, you’ll gain skills that you’ll be able to use for a lifetime! And you’ll get to do it together. Email holler@peoplesdallas.com to get more information and a detailed schedule about the class.

Dark Hour Haunted House

A haunted house? Yep, this Plano mainstay will open its doors for three days starting on Valentine’s Day. Their holiday-themed production this February is called “Fever.” In this scenario, a deadly virus has broken out, infecting all who encounter it! And you and your date are right in the middle of the nightmare!

If traditional Valentine’s Day-related outings aren’t you and your partner’s cup of tea, this may be just what you’re looking for! Tickets start at $37 for the core attraction, but you can pay $10 more to go through “Annabelle’s Asylum” if you’ve got a haunted-house “fever” that just won’t go away.

“Chocolate in Your Heart” Tour – presented by Dallas by Chocolate

What’s more romantic than a chocolate tour together? Thanks to Dallas by Chocolate, you and your partner can enjoy a private motorcoach tour through several stops around Dallas. You’ll search for the best chocolate in the area, sampling the finest Dallas has to offer. The tickets are just $40, and they include the aforementioned motorcoach and samples, plus some terrific beverages.

Here at RestoPros, we want to wish you and yours a truly happy Valentine’s Day! We’re proud to call North Dallas our home, and we hope these tips can help you and your partner have a day to remember.

And of course, don’t hesitate to call us at 855-587-3786 for any questions or feedback you may have for us. We love to hear from our north Dallas neighbors!