One of the most devastating things that can happen to a home owner is a house fire. And more often than not, you would have to either replace or attempt to restore fire or smoke damaged items. If you choose to simply clean the items, you must make sure that you clean them thoroughly before you make use of them again. While it may be quite a chore to try and restore most fire damaged items in the house, clothing is an almost entirely different story. Cleaning smoke damaged clothing is a very simple thing to do, and is most dependent on when you decide to wash them, and with what cleaning agent you employ to wash them.
While it is very easy to clean to clean the clothing, the task in of itself can be very daunting and, quite frankly, boring. However, one thing that can make the task easier to accomplish in a timely manner is to simply sort out your clothes by fabric types. This will help to determine how to care for each individual fabric type. This helps to ensure that you do not cause more damage than there already was. There are some things that are important to have dry cleaned as opposed to the others that will simply need to placed in a washer in your laundry room.
It is best if you sort out the clothing in accordance to how much soot or ash the clothes have managed to absorb. You should group the lightly soiled items together with other lightly soiled items. And, obviously, you should clean them together as well. However, you should break the lightly soiled items down into other groups based on fabric types, because some fabrics may not need to be as strongly cleaned because it could cause more damage.
However, you should shake out heavily soot soiled clothing before you attempt to wash them. This will help to remove as much of the soot as possible. It is also very important that you break the more heavily soiled clothes up into groups, as you did with the lighter soiled clothes. You should also make sure and wash the items twice at the very least. This is to help make sure that the clothes are completely clean.
It is a good idea to use the full recommended amount of laundry detergent for each wash load. Depending on the clothing’s material, you will have to adjust the water’s temperature.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York water damage restoration contractors and other states and cities such as
Connecticut mold remediation and water damage restoration companies across the united states.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Venting Is a Good Thing
If you do not have a ceiling exhaust fan installed in your bathrooms, it will not be long before you realize why you need one. There are so many reasons that they are a necessary item. Have you ever tried to blow dry your hair in a steamy bathroom? If you could see yourself in the mirror it might help, but with all that moisture in the air it’s not likely. Then there are also those unspeakable bathroom odors that almost anyone would rather not speak of, but they go along with the natural procession of things and the exhaust fan is a marvelous invention, if only to dispel an unpleasantness that remains even after its last occupant is gone!
A bad hair-do will be the least of your worries if the moisture problem is not corrected.
A consistently steamy bathroom can result in shrinking the edges of wallpaper and peeling paint. These minor complications are bad enough in themselves, but with prolonged exposure, it can actually cause wooden window frames to swell, preventing them from opening easily, or not at all. Other wood, such as door frames, crown molding, and baseboards can swell and be damaged also, and then there is the scary mold that can grow on the ceiling and walls. It can be much cheaper in the long run to install exhaust fans rather than wait around for more costly repairs to show up later. Rest assured, any unresolved water problems in a home will not result in any thing good.
The exhaust fan is something that is rarely overlooked in newer homes, but not so in older ones. If you are a do it yourselfer, this could be a project you can handle. However, it does involve some electrical wiring, cutting holes through your ceiling and possibly through your outer wall in the attic. Home improvement stores have them with or without lights. If there is any existing light fixture in the ceiling of your bathroom, it is an advantage. If not, it will be a little more involved. In any case, if you are not familiar with electrical wiring and reciprocating saws, then hiring someone to install it for you might be the easiest and safest option. Saving money doing it yourself is great if your work is done properly. Just remember it is only home improvement if you are fixing old problems and not creating new ones!
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood and water damage cleanup and
water damage restoration> companies across the united states.
A bad hair-do will be the least of your worries if the moisture problem is not corrected.
A consistently steamy bathroom can result in shrinking the edges of wallpaper and peeling paint. These minor complications are bad enough in themselves, but with prolonged exposure, it can actually cause wooden window frames to swell, preventing them from opening easily, or not at all. Other wood, such as door frames, crown molding, and baseboards can swell and be damaged also, and then there is the scary mold that can grow on the ceiling and walls. It can be much cheaper in the long run to install exhaust fans rather than wait around for more costly repairs to show up later. Rest assured, any unresolved water problems in a home will not result in any thing good.
The exhaust fan is something that is rarely overlooked in newer homes, but not so in older ones. If you are a do it yourselfer, this could be a project you can handle. However, it does involve some electrical wiring, cutting holes through your ceiling and possibly through your outer wall in the attic. Home improvement stores have them with or without lights. If there is any existing light fixture in the ceiling of your bathroom, it is an advantage. If not, it will be a little more involved. In any case, if you are not familiar with electrical wiring and reciprocating saws, then hiring someone to install it for you might be the easiest and safest option. Saving money doing it yourself is great if your work is done properly. Just remember it is only home improvement if you are fixing old problems and not creating new ones!
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood and water damage cleanup and
water damage restoration> companies across the united states.
Replacing Molded Carpet
For a homeowner there is nothing more unsightly then mold. Even worse, still, is mold growing on your carpet. The first thing one usually decides to do upon discovering mold is to have it thoroughly cleaned. However, this can be far more difficult than it actually sounds. One of the biggest problems you can face may be that the mold isn’t simply on your carpet. It may also be on the padding beneath the carpet, and this could just cause even more damage than the original carpet. And if this is the case, the whole carpet should be removed. The padding should also be removed and thrown away.
Fortunately, removing carpet is a relatively simple task that can be achieved by someone who has never worked with carpet in their life. All the process takes is a little bit of common sense, and perhaps some patience.
The first thing you should do when removing the carpet is to take up the moldings that go all around the floor and to begin to take the doors from off of the hinges. The only real purpose behind taking the doors off of the hinges is to create more space for you to work with as you take the old carpet out of the floor and put the new carpet in its place. It is probably a good idea to employ the use of a utility knife to cut the carpet up into strips. Cutting the carpet will make the task of taking the carpet out much easier. However, when using the knife, it is very important to be careful, as you might have a hardwood floor underneath and it would be a tragedy to cut it.
You should always start at one end of the room and to pull the carpet from off of the tackless strips and to roll it up neatly. You can install new tackless strips later on if you make the decision to put a new carpet in later. You should install them around the perimeter of the room you’re working in, but make sure that you do not put them in front of any doorways. There needs to also be at least one half inch of space between the stips and the wall. The tack points should be facing the wall.
You should check the floor underneath for mold damage. It may be refinished if damage is found.
You won’t have to reinstall carpet where the old carpet had been, but only depending on the condition of the floor.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood and water damage cleanup and
water damage restoration> companies across the united states.
Fortunately, removing carpet is a relatively simple task that can be achieved by someone who has never worked with carpet in their life. All the process takes is a little bit of common sense, and perhaps some patience.
The first thing you should do when removing the carpet is to take up the moldings that go all around the floor and to begin to take the doors from off of the hinges. The only real purpose behind taking the doors off of the hinges is to create more space for you to work with as you take the old carpet out of the floor and put the new carpet in its place. It is probably a good idea to employ the use of a utility knife to cut the carpet up into strips. Cutting the carpet will make the task of taking the carpet out much easier. However, when using the knife, it is very important to be careful, as you might have a hardwood floor underneath and it would be a tragedy to cut it.
You should always start at one end of the room and to pull the carpet from off of the tackless strips and to roll it up neatly. You can install new tackless strips later on if you make the decision to put a new carpet in later. You should install them around the perimeter of the room you’re working in, but make sure that you do not put them in front of any doorways. There needs to also be at least one half inch of space between the stips and the wall. The tack points should be facing the wall.
You should check the floor underneath for mold damage. It may be refinished if damage is found.
You won’t have to reinstall carpet where the old carpet had been, but only depending on the condition of the floor.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood and water damage cleanup and
water damage restoration> companies across the united states.
Protecting Your Stuff from Mold
It is well known that there is no such thing as a “mold free” environment. It is in the air we breathe, on our furniture, on our clothes, and definitely in our homes. It is simply a matter of whether or not the mold actually starts to grow on our property that determines if there is a problem. Mold likes to grow in wet environments, so wet kitchen floors are potential breeding grounds, as well as un-dried dishes in your kitchen.
Even items that you might use to take care of an infant with are susceptible to mold contamination. Things like baby clothes and even food are targets for contamination. Baby bottles are no longer just round cylinders, as they used to be. To accommodate twenty first century styles, plastic companies that produce these products have changed to using several different odd shapes and designs which make the bottles more difficult to clean in some cases. If these bottles are not completely dry and are placed back into a refrigerator, they can become a veritable breeding ground for mold and other bacteria. However, there is a way to prevent this. After drying the bottle as best you can, simply place the bottle into the freezer and let it sit in there until you are ready to use it again. These cold temperatures are, for lack of a better word, unfit for mold to grow in. This is the same reason why it is popular to put common items like flour, cornmeal, and sugar in the freezer.
Clothes that have not been attended to in a long amount of time that gather in the back of the closet are hotbeds for molds. It is important that you do not pack clothes close together, as it can cut off air circulation in the closet and that will create warmth which is essential in order for mold to survive. If there is warmth, and if there is enough humidity in your home, this can cause further mold infestation. A good way to prevent mold in this area is to install a vent inside of the closet.
Damp and dirty clothing left in a bathroom closet or hamper is another breeding ground for mold. The same goes for damp carpets, as well. While having a carpet in the bathroom is not a good idea when mold is involved, it can be worsened with wet clothing. It’s important that you take the laundry out of the closet or hamper constantly.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York flood water damage restoration and other states and cities such as
South Carolina mold remediation companies across the united states.
Even items that you might use to take care of an infant with are susceptible to mold contamination. Things like baby clothes and even food are targets for contamination. Baby bottles are no longer just round cylinders, as they used to be. To accommodate twenty first century styles, plastic companies that produce these products have changed to using several different odd shapes and designs which make the bottles more difficult to clean in some cases. If these bottles are not completely dry and are placed back into a refrigerator, they can become a veritable breeding ground for mold and other bacteria. However, there is a way to prevent this. After drying the bottle as best you can, simply place the bottle into the freezer and let it sit in there until you are ready to use it again. These cold temperatures are, for lack of a better word, unfit for mold to grow in. This is the same reason why it is popular to put common items like flour, cornmeal, and sugar in the freezer.
Clothes that have not been attended to in a long amount of time that gather in the back of the closet are hotbeds for molds. It is important that you do not pack clothes close together, as it can cut off air circulation in the closet and that will create warmth which is essential in order for mold to survive. If there is warmth, and if there is enough humidity in your home, this can cause further mold infestation. A good way to prevent mold in this area is to install a vent inside of the closet.
Damp and dirty clothing left in a bathroom closet or hamper is another breeding ground for mold. The same goes for damp carpets, as well. While having a carpet in the bathroom is not a good idea when mold is involved, it can be worsened with wet clothing. It’s important that you take the laundry out of the closet or hamper constantly.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York flood water damage restoration and other states and cities such as
South Carolina mold remediation companies across the united states.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Do It Yourself Books
Today’s homeowners can have a much easier time doing those repairs that used to require calling a plumber, a carpenter, or electrician. Basic tips and instructions from minor to major undertakings can be found in a wide variety of do it yourself books. Every home should have at least one good one that deals with a range of subjects. They can help you learn to do the small things that can go wrong in the home before they can turn into bigger problems.
For example, a small leak from a bathroom pipe. Usually they start out small and progressively worsen. A drip around a toilet valve can eventually cause enough water damage to rot the flooring around the entire toilet. It will cause it to become unstable and slowly sink into the floor. This can be avoided if you know how to fix the problem immediately. Sometimes tightening a loose fitting or replacing a deteriorated washer will do the trick, but if not, even replacing an entire toilet is really not that difficult if you know how.
Do it yourself books tell you exactly what you will be getting yourself into before you start a repair. They will show in detail how difficult it will be and the tools you will need to do the job right. This will help you decide if it is something you are brave enough to take on yourself or if you would be better off to hire a professional.
Other than just small home repairs, these books can show you how to make improvements that will add to the value of your home. Things like adding exhaust fans to help prevent mold and moisture damage in your bathrooms. You can add sprinklers and soaker hoses to your lawn and plant beds. A deck or patio are very beneficial things that will allow you to enjoy them now while you live there and get additional pay offs if you sell your home later.
All in all you can not go wrong when you buy one or more of these great books. Whether for small repairs or some creative projects, they can be a small investment that can save you time and money in the long run, add beauty and value to your home and give your ego a little boost from just knowing that you really did it yourself!
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors.
For example, a small leak from a bathroom pipe. Usually they start out small and progressively worsen. A drip around a toilet valve can eventually cause enough water damage to rot the flooring around the entire toilet. It will cause it to become unstable and slowly sink into the floor. This can be avoided if you know how to fix the problem immediately. Sometimes tightening a loose fitting or replacing a deteriorated washer will do the trick, but if not, even replacing an entire toilet is really not that difficult if you know how.
Do it yourself books tell you exactly what you will be getting yourself into before you start a repair. They will show in detail how difficult it will be and the tools you will need to do the job right. This will help you decide if it is something you are brave enough to take on yourself or if you would be better off to hire a professional.
Other than just small home repairs, these books can show you how to make improvements that will add to the value of your home. Things like adding exhaust fans to help prevent mold and moisture damage in your bathrooms. You can add sprinklers and soaker hoses to your lawn and plant beds. A deck or patio are very beneficial things that will allow you to enjoy them now while you live there and get additional pay offs if you sell your home later.
All in all you can not go wrong when you buy one or more of these great books. Whether for small repairs or some creative projects, they can be a small investment that can save you time and money in the long run, add beauty and value to your home and give your ego a little boost from just knowing that you really did it yourself!
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
