Recent Fire Damage Posts

The Importance of Proper Documentation During the Fire Damage Restoration Process for Insurance Claims

Name: SERVPRO of Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, Golden Valley
Address: 6031 Culligan Way, Minnetonka, MN, 55345
Telephone: (952) 473-4837

12/26/2024 (Permalink)

Article at a Glance:

Comprehensive documentation after a fire is crucial for insurance claims and requires immediate attention within the first 24 hours, including detailed photos, videos, and written records of all damage.
Fire damage restoration in St. Louis Park involves specialized documentation needs based on family situation - whether you have young children, elderly family members, or pets - each requiring unique consideration and detailed record-keeping.
Digital organization of documentation is essential, including cloud storage backups, home inventory apps, and systematic filing of all communication with insurance adjusters and restoration professionals.
The emotional journey through fire damage documentation requires a balanced approach between practical tasks and self-care, with specific strategies for different family situations.
Professional fire damage restoration support in St. Louis Park works best with thorough documentation, helping ensure a smoother recovery process and fair insurance compensation.

This guide walks you through every step of the documentation process while acknowledging both the practical and emotional challenges of recovering from fire damage. Whether you're dealing with this crisis now or preparing for the future, you'll find actionable advice tailored to your specific situation.

The harsh blare of a smoke alarm shatters your peaceful Minnesota night. The acrid smell of smoke hits your lungs as you gasp awake, and the crackling sounds of fire echo through your home. In those terrifying moments, as you rush your family into the bitter cold – the icy Minnesota wind stinging your face, snow crunching under your hastily-grabbed shoes – watching orange flames dance across the home you've filled with memories, documentation is the furthest thing from your mind. Your heart races, your hands shake, and the familiar scent of your home transforms into a choking cloud of loss and uncertainty.

Take a deep breath of the crisp winter air. While this may feel like the end of your world, it's not - it's the beginning of a journey back to normalcy. Thousands of St. Louis Park families have found their way through fire damage restoration in St. Louis Park, and with proper documentation, you'll find your way back home too.

Special Considerations for Different Family Situations

Families with Young Children

Document children's immediate needs:
Special medical equipment
Comfort items (beloved toys, blankets)
Educational materials
Daily routine necessities
Keep kids' routines as normal as possible while documenting
Consider documenting through their eyes (let them safely photograph their rooms)
Create age-appropriate documentation activities to help them process

Families with Elderly Members

Prioritize documenting:
Medical equipment and supplies
Mobility aids
Prescription information
Specific environmental needs
Account for accessibility requirements in temporary housing
Document any modifications made to the home
• Keep detailed records of medical-related expenses

Pet Owners

Document all pet-related items:
Food and supplies
Medical records
Special equipment
Pet medications
Track additional boarding costs
Record any pet-related home modifications
Document pet anxiety or behavioral changes

Understanding the Road Ahead: More Than Just Paperwork

The lingering scent of smoke in your clothes serves as a constant reminder of what's happened. While experienced professionals handling fire damage restoration in St. Louis Park will guide you through the technical aspects, understanding the documentation process helps you maintain control of your recovery journey.

Key Terms for Your Journey

As you navigate this path, certain terms will become familiar companions:

Public Adjuster: Your personal advocate who understands the weight of your loss and works solely for you, not the insurance company.

Proof of Loss: The detailed story of everything affected - from the smooth wooden banister your children slid down to the family photos that lined your hallway.

Mitigation: Emergency first aid for your home - protecting what remains while you plan the path forward.

Restoration: The healing process that transforms charred remains back into the warm, welcoming spaces you remember.

Those Crucial First 24 Hours: When Every Moment Counts

Safety First - Always

The pull to rush in and salvage your belongings feels overwhelming. The sight of your home, the place where birthday candles were blown out and holiday memories were made, standing damaged, creates an almost irresistible urge to act. Resist this natural impulse. Instead:

Wait for the fire department's clear signal
Protect yourself with proper safety gear:
An N95 mask to shield your lungs from the bitter, acrid particles
Heavy-duty gloves to protect your hands from sharp debris
Sturdy, closed-toe shoes to guard against hidden dangers
Long sleeves and pants to protect your skin

Telling Your Home's Story Through Documentation

Each room holds its own sensory story that needs recording:

1. Photo Documentation: Capturing More Than Images

Note the way smoke has traced patterns on walls
Document how fire has transformed familiar textures
Capture the contrast between damaged and undamaged areas
Record how winter's cold affects the damage
Remember: Each photo preserves a piece of your home's story

2. Video Documentation: A Sensory Record

Capture the sounds of damaged structures
Record the different textures of burned
and melted materials
Note changes in air quality between rooms
Document temperature variations and their effects
Pro tip: Narrate what you're experiencing - smells, sounds, textures

Finding Professional Support

When selecting a company for fire damage restoration in St. Louis Park, proper documentation becomes even more crucial. Your detailed records will help restoration professionals understand the full scope of damage and develop a comprehensive recovery plan.

Creating Your Recovery Haven

Whether you're staying with family or in temporary housing while undergoing fire damage restoration in St. Louis Park, create a space that helps you focus on documentation:

Set up a quiet area for organizing papers
Create a clean workspace for photo reviewing
Establish a calm environment for making phone calls
Maintain a dedicated spot for emotional breaks

A Final Note of Hope

The familiar scent of home may be temporarily replaced by other odors, the comfortable sounds of daily life disrupted by reconstruction noise, but remember this: Through professional fire damage restoration in St. Louis Park, countless families have rebuilt their lives, one documented step at a time.

Your journey forward might include the crunch of snow under your feet as you photograph winter damage, the whisper of pages as you organize documents, or the tap of keys as you update digital records. Each sensation, each action, brings you closer to restoration.

You're not just documenting damage - you're creating the foundation for your family's fresh start. With every careful record, every detailed note, you're moving forward. And though it may not feel like it now, there will come a day when these challenging sensations fade into memory, replaced by the familiar comfort of home once again.

Take heart, take pictures, and take it one day at a time. Your journey to recovery has begun, and you will make it through.

Ready to Start Your Recovery Journey?

At SERVPRO of Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, Golden Valley, we understand that documentation is just one part of your recovery process. Our experienced team specializes in comprehensive fire damage restoration, focusing on your safety and preventing secondary damage through efficient cleanup and restoration.

"I am glad my mom recommended your company after a fire in my apartment. Excellent job to all of the technicians." - Cody F.

We're here to help residents throughout Minnetonka, Groveland, St. Louis Park, Golden Valley, Hopkins, and Wolfe Park navigate the restoration process with care and expertise. Our professional team can guide you through each step while ensuring thorough documentation for your insurance claim.

Take the First Step Toward Recovery

Don't face this challenging time alone. Contact us today for expert guidance and support with your fire damage restoration needs. For additional restoration tips and community updates, follow us on Facebook and explore our website to learn more about our comprehensive restoration services.

The Role of Fire Damage Restoration in Recovering from Industrial Accidents

11/11/2024 (Permalink)

Article at a Glance:

Industrial fires pose unique challenges and can have far-reaching consequences for businesses in St. Louis Park.
Professional fire damage restoration in St. Louis Park is crucial for minimizing downtime and financial losses after an industrial accident.
The restoration process involves multiple steps, from initial assessment to equipment salvage, requiring specialized expertise.
Swift action in fire damage restoration can significantly affect a company's recovery time and bottom line.
Advanced technologies and local expertise are key factors in choosing an effective restoration service in St. Louis Park.

Understanding the complexities of fire damage restoration in industrial settings is essential for business continuity and resilience in St. Louis Park's vibrant industrial sector.

In the heart of Minnesota, St. Louis Park's thriving industrial sector is a cornerstone of the local economy. However, with industrial activity comes the ever-present risk of fire – a threat that can devastate businesses in mere hours. When disaster strikes, fire damage restoration in St. Louis Park becomes the lifeline that can mean the difference between a swift recovery and prolonged operational disruption. Let's dive into the world of industrial fire damage restoration and explore why it's crucial for businesses in St. Louis Park.

Understanding the Impact of Industrial Fires

Industrial fires are a different beast compared to residential blazes. They often involve complex structures, specialized equipment, and potentially hazardous materials. In St. Louis Park, where manufacturing plants and warehouses dot the landscape, the consequences of such fires can be far-reaching.

Consider this: A fire in a manufacturing facility doesn't just damage the building. It can destroy custom machinery, ruin inventory, and release smoke that contaminates every surface. The ripple effects can impact supply chains, employee livelihoods, and even the local economy.

The Hidden Costs of Industrial Fire Damage

When we talk about fire damage, it's easy to focus on the visible destruction. But the hidden costs can be just as significant:

Business interruption and lost revenue
Potential loss of market share to competitors
Employee layoffs or reduced hours
Damage to brand reputation
Increased insurance premiums

These factors underscore why professional fire damage restoration in St. Louis Park isn't just a service – it's a critical component of business continuity planning.

The Fire Damage Restoration Process: More Than Meets the Eye

Fire damage restoration is a complex, multi-step process that goes far beyond simply cleaning up soot and smoke. Let's break down the key stages:

Initial Assessment and Safety Protocols: Before any restoration work begins, experts conduct a thorough evaluation of the damage and ensure the site is safe for entry.
Water Removal and Drying: Surprisingly, water damage is often a significant issue after a fire due to firefighting efforts. Industrial-grade pumps and dehumidifiers are used to extract water and prevent mold growth.
Smoke and Soot Cleanup: Specialized techniques and equipment are employed to remove soot and neutralize smoke odors from all surfaces, including hard-to-reach areas in industrial settings.
Structural Repairs and Reconstruction: This may involve anything from minor repairs to major rebuilding, depending on the extent of the damage.
Equipment and Inventory Salvage: For many businesses, saving specialized machinery and inventory is crucial. Restoration experts use advanced techniques to clean and restore equipment where possible.

Each of these steps requires expertise, especially in an industrial context where the stakes are high and the challenges unique.

The Economics of Swift Action in Fire Damage Restoration

Time is money, and nowhere is this truer than in the aftermath of an industrial fire. Let's look at an illustrative scenario to understand the economic impact of quick action:

Imagine two manufacturing companies in St. Louis Park, both hit by similar fires. Company A calls in a professional restoration team immediately. Company B decides to handle things internally to save money.

After six months:

Company A is back to 90% operational capacity, having lost an estimated $500,000 in revenue.
Company B is still struggling at 40% capacity, with losses exceeding $2 million and counting.

This example illustrates a crucial point: the initial investment in professional restoration often pays for itself many times over in reduced downtime and minimized losses.

Technology in Industrial Fire Damage Restoration

The field of fire damage restoration is constantly evolving, with new technologies enhancing the speed and effectiveness of the process. Here are some cutting-edge tools being used in St. Louis Park:

Thermal Imaging Cameras: These devices detect hidden hotspots and moisture by measuring surface temperatures. They can identify areas of water damage behind walls or under floors, ensuring no damage goes unnoticed.
Advanced Air Scrubbers: Industrial-grade HEPA filtration systems remove even microscopic smoke particles from the air. These units can process thousands of cubic feet of air per hour, significantly improving air quality.
Ultrasonic Cleaning Technology: This method uses high-frequency sound waves to create microscopic bubbles in a cleaning solution. When these bubbles implode, they create intense scrubbing action, effectively cleaning fire-damaged items, especially intricate machinery parts.
Hydroxyl Generators: These machines use UV light to produce hydroxyl radicals, which break down odor-causing molecules at a molecular level. Unlike ozone generators, hydroxyl generators are safe to use in occupied spaces, making them ideal for businesses that need to maintain operations during restoration.

These technologies, combined with expert knowledge, allow for more thorough and efficient restoration, particularly crucial in complex industrial settings.

Choosing a Fire Damage Restoration Service in St. Louis Park

When selecting a fire damage restoration in St. Louis Park, consider the following:

Experience with Industrial Sites: Look for companies with a proven track record in handling complex industrial restorations.
Rapid Response Capabilities: In St. Louis Park, you need a team that can be onsite quickly to minimize damage.
Comprehensive Services: Choose a provider that can handle everything from water extraction to structural repairs.
Advanced Technology: Ensure they use the latest restoration technologies for the best results.
Understanding of Local Regulations: Familiarity with St. Louis Park's building codes, such as the 2020 Minnesota State Building Code, and environmental regulations like the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's guidelines for fire debris disposal, is crucial.
Proper Certifications: Verify that the company holds relevant certifications, such as those from the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC).
Insurance Coverage: Ensure the restoration company has adequate insurance coverage to protect your business in case of any issues during the restoration process.

Here are some key questions to ask potential fire damage restoration providers in St. Louis Park:

What is your average response time for industrial fire emergencies in St. Louis Park?
Can you provide references from other industrial clients in the area?
What specific measures do you take to ensure compliance with local regulations?
How do you handle hazardous materials that may be present in an industrial fire scene?
What steps do you take to minimize business interruption during the restoration process?

Remember, the right restoration partner is an investment in your business' future.

The Bigger Picture: Fire Damage Restoration and Business Continuity

Fire damage restoration isn't just about repairing physical damage; it's a critical component of business continuity. A well-executed restoration process can:

Minimize operational downtime
Preserve valuable assets and data
Maintain customer relationships and market position
Protect employee jobs and morale
Ensure compliance with safety regulations and insurance requirements

By viewing fire damage restoration through this lens, it becomes clear that it's not just a reactive measure, but a proactive strategy for business resilience.

Conclusion: Preparedness is Key

While we hope your St. Louis Park business never faces the devastation of an industrial fire, being prepared is crucial. Understanding the fire damage restoration process and having a relationship with a trusted restoration provider can make all the difference if disaster strikes.

It's worth noting that the St. Louis Park Fire Department offers valuable resources for businesses regarding fire prevention and safety. You can find more information on their website at https://www.stlouisparkmn.gov/government/departments-divisions/fire.

Remember, in the world of industrial fire damage, time is more than money – it's the future of your business. By prioritizing swift, professional fire damage restoration in St. Louis Park, you're not just recovering from a disaster; you're investing in your company's long-term success and stability in St. Louis Park's vibrant industrial landscape.

Take Action: Protect Your Business with Expert Fire Damage Restoration

Don't let fire damage derail your business operations in St. Louis Park. SERVPRO of Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, Golden Valley is your trusted partner for professional fire damage restoration services. Our team of trained experts is available 24/7 to provide comprehensive cleanup, repair, and construction services, ensuring your safety and preventing further damage to your property.

With years of experience serving Minnetonka, Groveland, St. Louis Park, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Wolfe Park, and surrounding areas, we understand the unique challenges faced by local businesses. Our specialized knowledge in water, fire, mold, and storm damage restoration means we're equipped to handle even the most complex industrial fire damage scenarios.

Don't just take our word for it. Here's what one of our satisfied customers had to say:

"I am glad my mom recommended your company after a fire in my apartment. Excellent job to all of the technicians." - Cody F.

Ready to safeguard your business against the devastating effects of fire damage? Contact us today to learn more about our fire damage restoration services. Our team is standing by to answer your questions and provide the expert help you need to protect your business and ensure a swift recovery.

Explore our website to discover the full range of our restoration services and how we can help you maintain business continuity in the face of unexpected disasters. With SERVPRO of Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, Golden Valley, you're not just restoring your property – you're securing your business's future in St. Louis Park.

Fire Damage Repair for Restaurants: Addressing Unique Challenges and Minimizing Downtime

10/15/2024 (Permalink)

A fire in your restaurant can be a devastating blow. The flames not only damage your physical space, but they threaten the very heart of your business: serving delicious food to happy customers. However, with the right approach, you can overcome this challenge. This guide will explore the unique challenges restaurants face after a fire and provide actionable steps to minimize downtime and get your restaurant back on its feet – faster.

Unique Challenges Restaurants Face After a Fire

Restaurants are complex environments with specialized equipment and strict health regulations. Here's what makes fire damage repair for restaurants particularly demanding:

Health and Safety Concerns: Fire and smoke can contaminate food prep areas and cooking surfaces. Ensuring a safe and sanitary environment for food handling is paramount.

Specialized Equipment and Kitchen Infrastructure: Commercial kitchens are filled with specialized equipment, from ovens and fryers to ventilation systems. These require expert cleaning and restoration to ensure proper functionality and safety.

Loss of Perishable Inventory: Fires often damage or destroy perishable inventory, leading to significant financial losses.

Minimizing Downtime – Key to Restaurant Recovery

Time is money, especially for restaurants. Here are strategies to minimize downtime and get your doors open again:

Prompt Fire Damage Repair: The faster you begin repairs, the sooner you can resume operations. Contact a professional fire damage restoration company immediately. Look for a company like SERVPRO of Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, Golden Valley that specializes in fire damage restoration in St. Louis Park, Minnetonka, and Golden Valley.

Temporary Relocation or Alternative Service Options: While repairs are underway, consider offering limited-service options like takeout or delivery. You could even explore temporary relocation to a smaller space to maintain customer connection.

Communicating with Customers and Maintaining Brand Reputation: Be transparent with your customers about the fire and your recovery efforts. Regular updates through social media and your website can help maintain brand loyalty and goodwill.

Restaurant-Specific Fire Damage Repair Considerations

Beyond the standard tasks of fire repair, there are additional concerns for restaurants:

Professional Cleaning and Restoration of Kitchen Equipment: Specialized equipment requires meticulous cleaning and restoration to ensure proper function and prevent foodborne illness risks.

Ensuring Compliance with Health and Safety Regulations: Health inspectors need to sign off before you can reopen. Work with your restoration company to guarantee your restaurant meets all health and safety regulations.

Addressing Smoke and Odor Removal in Dining Areas: Smoke and odor can linger and negatively impact the dining experience. Professional odor removal services are essential in restoring your restaurant's pleasant atmosphere.

Getting Back on Track

Fire damage is a serious setback, but with a strategic approach and the right help, you can overcome this hurdle. By understanding the unique challenges restaurants face and focusing on minimizing downtime, you can get your restaurant back to serving the community. Remember, professional fire damage restoration services with experience in handling restaurant needs are invaluable partners in your recovery journey.

Key Takeaways:

Restaurants face unique challenges after a fire, including food contamination risks and specialized equipment damage.
Minimizing downtime is crucial to maintain the customer base and revenue.
Professional fire damage repair services are essential for addressing restaurant-specific concerns and ensuring a safe and thorough recovery.

FAQ:

Que: How can I ensure my restaurant is safe to reopen after a fire?

Ans: Work with a qualified fire damage restoration company that understands restaurant-specific cleaning and sanitation protocols. They can ensure your establishment meets all health and safety regulations before reopening.

Que: What steps can I take to minimize downtime during the fire damage repair process?

Ans: Act quickly, contact a professional restoration company, and explore temporary relocation or alternative service options. Effectively communicate with your customers about the situation and your recovery efforts.

Que: How can I communicate with my customers about the fire and our recovery efforts?

Ans: Utilize social media and your website to update customers on the situation. Be transparent, express your appreciation for their understanding, and highlight your plans for reopening.

Que: Are there any special considerations for restoring kitchen equipment after a fire?

Ans: Yes. Specialized cleaning techniques and equipment are needed to ensure proper function and prevent food contamination risks. Professional restoration companies have the expertise and experience to handle this task effectively.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Rushing to reopen without proper cleaning and restoration. This puts your customers and staff at risk.
Failing to communicate with customers about the fire and recovery timeline. This can damage customer trust.
Not seeking professional assistance for restaurant-specific fire damage repair needs. Expert help is crucial for a successful recovery.

Myths and Facts About Fire Damage Restoration in St Louis Park

Myth: Restaurants can quickly bounce back from a fire without professional help.
Fact: Professional fire damage repair services are essential for addressing unique challenges and ensuring a safe and thorough recovery.

Myth: Customers will always return to a restaurant after a fire.
Fact: Effective communication and a swift recovery process are crucial for maintaining customer loyalty.

The Importance of Professional Odor Removal After a House Fire

9/13/2024 (Permalink)

A house fire is a devastating event that can leave homeowners feeling overwhelmed and uncertain about the future. While the visible damage is often addressed quickly, the lingering effects of smoke odors can persist long after the flames have been extinguished. These pervasive odors serve as a constant reminder of the traumatic event and can significantly impact the quality of life for those affected. In this blog post, we'll explore why professional odor removal is a crucial component of fire damage restoration in St Louis Park and the surrounding areas.

The Science Behind Smoke Odors

To understand the importance of professional odor removal, it's essential to grasp the science behind smoke odors. When a fire occurs, it releases a complex mixture of chemicals, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and microscopic smoke particles. These elements can penetrate deep into porous materials such as wood, fabrics, and drywall, becoming trapped in fibers and surfaces. The persistence of smoke odors is not just an aesthetic issue; it can also pose significant health risks. Prolonged exposure to smoke residue and its associated odors can lead to respiratory problems, headaches, and other health concerns. This is why professional fire damage restoration in St Louis Park is crucial for ensuring a safe and healthy living environment.

The Limitations of DIY Odor Removal Methods

In the aftermath of a fire, many homeowners attempt to tackle odor removal themselves using readily available products. Common DIY methods include using air fresheners, scented candles, or cleaning with household products. While these approaches may provide temporary relief, they often fail to address the root cause of the problem. DIY methods typically only mask odors rather than eliminating them. Moreover, using harsh chemicals or inappropriate cleaning techniques can potentially cause further damage to surfaces, or compromise indoor air quality. Professional fire damage restoration in St Louis Park experts understand the complexities of smoke odor removal and use specialized techniques to address the issue effectively.

Specialized Equipment and Techniques Used for Fire Damage Restoration In St Louis Park

Professional fire damage restoration in St Louis Park utilizes advanced equipment and techniques to neutralize smoke odors at the molecular level. These methods include:

Ozone Generators: Produce ozone, a powerful oxidizing agent that breaks down odor-causing molecules.
Hydroxyl Machines: Use UV light and moisture in the air to create hydroxyl radicals that neutralize odors safely.
Thermal Fogging: Disperses a fine mist of deodorizing agents that can penetrate porous surfaces.
HEPA Air Filtration: Removes tiny smoke particles and VOCs from the air, improving overall air quality.

The Importance of Thorough Cleaning and Decontamination

Effective fire damage restoration in St Louis Park goes beyond just addressing odors. It requires a comprehensive approach that includes thorough cleaning and decontamination of all affected surfaces. Professional restoration companies employ techniques such as ultrasonic cleaning for items that can be safely immersed in water, specialized dry cleaning methods for delicate fabrics, and industrial-strength HEPA vacuuming for carpets and upholstery. Professionals also use eco-friendly and non-toxic cleaning agents to ensure a safe and healthy living environment. This comprehensive approach is essential for effective fire damage restoration in St Louis Park and surrounding areas, as it addresses both visible and invisible damage caused by the fire.

The Role of Odor Removal in the Overall Restoration Process

Professional odor removal is an integral part of the fire damage restoration process. Failing to address smoke odors can lead to ongoing discomfort and potential health issues for occupants. A comprehensive approach to fire damage restoration in St Louis Park addresses both the visible and invisible effects of fire damage, ensuring that your home is truly restored to its pre-fire condition. By prioritizing professional odor removal, homeowners can eliminate health risks associated with lingering smoke particles and VOCs, restore a sense of normalcy and comfort to their living space, prevent long-term damage to building materials and personal belongings, and improve overall indoor air quality.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

When dealing with fire damage and odor removal, it's important to be aware of common mistakes that can hinder the restoration process. These include underestimating the persistence of smoke odors, relying solely on DIY methods, failing to address all affected areas, neglecting professional cleaning techniques, and not prioritizing odor removal as part of the overall fire damage restoration in St Louis Park process.

FAQ

How long does professional odor removal typically take?
The process can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on the extent of the damage.
Can professional odor removal address smoke odors in furniture and textiles?
Yes, specialized techniques can effectively eliminate odors from upholstery, carpets, and other porous materials.
Will professional odor removal methods damage my home or belongings?
When performed by experienced professionals, these methods are safe and effective, with precautions taken to protect your property.
How can I tell if the smoke odor has been effectively removed?
You should notice a significant improvement in air quality and the absence of smoke odors. Professional companies often conduct post-treatment inspections to ensure effectiveness.
Are the chemicals used in professional odor removal safe for my family and pets? Professional fire damage restoration in St Louis Park companies uses EPA-approved, eco-friendly products that are safe when used as directed.

Myths and Facts

Myth: Smoke odors will eventually dissipate on their own over time.
Fact: Smoke particles and VOCs can remain trapped in materials and continue to release odors without professional intervention.

Myth: Masking smoke odors with air fresheners or scented candles is an effective solution.
Fact: These methods only temporarily cover up odors and do not address the underlying cause.

Myth: Professional odor removal is an unnecessary expense after a house fire.
Fact: Investing in professional odor removal is essential for maintaining a healthy living environment and preventing potential health risks.

Myth: Professional odor removal methods can damage your home or belongings.
Fact: When performed by trained professionals, these methods are safe and effective, utilizing specialized techniques to protect your property.

Myth: Once the visible signs of fire damage are addressed, the odor removal process is complete.
Fact: Effective odor removal requires a comprehensive approach that addresses both visible and invisible effects of fire damage.

Professional odor removal is a critical component of fire damage restoration in St Louis Park and the surrounding areas. By addressing smoke odors at their source and utilizing specialized equipment and techniques, professional restoration services can help homeowners reclaim their living spaces and ensure a safe, healthy environment for their families. Don't let lingering smoke odors compromise your quality of life or your health. Prioritize professional odor removal as part of your fire damage restoration plan. For expert fire damage restoration in St Louis Park, including comprehensive odor removal services, visit SERVPRO of Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, Golden Valley. Our team of trained professionals are ready to help you restore your home and your peace of mind.

Be Aware of Your Fire Pits!

9/14/2022 (Permalink)

Though we’re still feeling the summer heat and fall seems to be far away, we’ll start to experience colder temperatures as we approach October. Fall is prime time for s’mores, apple cider, time spent outdoors, and of course, fire pits. According to the National Fire Protection Association, fire pits and campfires can facilitate accidents that may lead to injury if safety guidelines are not followed. Keep reading to learn ways in which you can safely use a fire pit and prevent fire damage to your property this fall.

Fire Safety at the Fire Pit

Two different types of fire pits can be purchased for properties: in-ground and above-ground. Both types must be kept at a safe distance away from your home, in addition to any combustible objects on your property, like sheds, trees, bushes, and other types of brush. Your fire pit should also be built from a non-combustible material, heavy metal, brick, or stone, in order to reduce fire risks. To prevent a fire emergency, a responsible adult should supervise the fire pit at all times whenever a fire is actively burning in the fire pit.

Make Safety a Priority

Be informed about your fire pit’s fuel safety protocols in order to protect your property. If you have a wood-burning fire pit, be sure that you use dry, clean wood. If your fire pit is not wood-burning, it is crucial that you follow the safety guidelines of your fuel type. These safety precautions may seem obvious, but a small oversight can have a significant impact on the safety of your property. Taking fire safety precautions such as those listed in this blog can decrease the risk of fire damage to your property, but accidents happen. For this reason, it is beneficial to always have a fire extinguishing device at the ready when using your fire pit. A fire extinguisher is a helpful tool, but a garden hose or bucket of water sitting nearby are also sufficient tools that can quickly douse a fire in an emergency.

Have a Fire? Call SERVPRO

Emphasizing fire safety is of the utmost importance, but if disaster strikes unexpectedly, SERVPRO Team Wall has your back. Available to you 24/7 with our 24-Hour Emergency Services, our professional team of experienced fire damage restoration technicians will work diligently to restore your property to its preloss condition. make it “Like it never even happened” after fire emergencies large and small. To learn more about our fire restoration services, pick up the phone and call us today at 952-473-4837!

SERVPRO of Minnetonka: Count on Us for Fire Damage Restoration

5/18/2022 (Permalink)

As a water and fire restoration company, our number one priority at SERVPRO of Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, Golden Valley is returning water and fire damaged areas back to preloss condition. Every single day we strive to make it "Like it never even happened."

How do we handle Fire Damage Restoration?

Structural Cleaning: After smoke damage or fire damage occurs, ceilings, woodwork, walls, carpets, and flooring will often need to be thoroughly cleaned. Our professionals at SERVPRO of Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, Golden Valley will begin to clean from the source of the damage and move outwards. They will scrub every last inch until it is cleaned! By determining the extent of the damage first, our team can determine the most cost efficient and time efficient method for your individual circumstance. Our team are highly-trained individuals who will clean any damage and prepare it for painting. By ensure that locations such as walls are deodorized and properly cleaned, the new layer of paint will adhere properly to the surface and you will never be able to tell that there was smoke damage or fire damage!

Contents Cleaning: Another one of our top concerns here at SERVPRO of Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, Golden Valley is to repair versus replace. Our technicians will sift through the damaged contents and determine if it is salvageable or not. If the contents are repairable, not only will the affected areas be cleaned but items such as rugs, furniture, draperies, and upholstery will be cleaned and deodorized, too! We are vigilant when it comes down to wiping all content materials of soot as we know that soot residue can be hard to see or extremely overwhelming. We will use our documentation process to inventory all "to be claimed" items if requested so that handling insurance is less of a nightmare.

Deodorization: You can count on SERVPRO of Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, Golden Valley to use the best quality specialized services that will rid your home or place of business of offensive odors that are often left by smoke damage or fire damage. Every technician is trained to use top of the line deodorization equipment and environmentally friendly chemicals to remove the source of odor.

We're a one stop shop!

If significant fire damage has erupted in your home, you can call us for the remediation and for all of your reconstruction needs! Our Construction Division has exploded this year and we have built out a team of intelligent, capable individuals to handle all of your needs.

When disaster strikes, don't hesitate to give the professionals a call! SERVPRO of Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, Golden Valley is available 24/7 at 952-473-4837

Proper Ingredients for Fire Safety

5/2/2022 (Permalink)

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) research, cooking is the leading cause of home fires. Two of every five home fires begin in the kitchen-more than any other place in the home. Cooking fires are also the leading cause of home fire-related injuries. Most of these fires start because people aren't paying attention. While a few minutes may not seem like much time to be away from what's cooking, that is all it takes to start a fire.

Leaving cooking unattended and other unsafe kitchen practices are a recipe for disaster. Review the cooking safety tips provided below to learn how to help prevent kitchen fires before they start.

- Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food.

- When you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly, stay in the home, and use a timer to remind you.

- Keep cooking areas clean and clear of combustibles such as towels, drapes, and pot holders.

- Keep children away from cooking areas by enforcing a "kid free zone" of three feet around the stove.

- If an oven fire starts, turn off the heat and keep the door closed. If the fire does not go out, get out of the home and call the fire department.

- If you have a fire in your microwave, turn it off and keep the door closed. Don't open the door until the fire is completely out. If in doubt, get out of the home and call the fire department.

- Always keep an oven mitt and a lid nearby. If a small grease fire starts in a pan, smother the flames by carefully sliding the lid over the pan (wearing the oven mitt). Do not move the pan. To keep the fire from restarting, do not remove the lid until it is completely cool. NEVER pour water on a grease fire.

There is no substitute for training and experience. Here at SERVPRO of Minnetonka, we are built on a foundation of fire damage restoration expertise. If your property suffers from fire damage, smoke damage, or anything in between, give us a call at 952-473-4837! We're here to service Minnetonka, Golden Valley, Groveland, St. Louis Park, and the whole greater Twin Cities.

Fire Safety Tips for the Warmer Months

3/19/2022 (Permalink)

Warm weather is on the horizon! It's time to switch from sweaters to shorts, deep fryers to grills, and indoor parties to backyard barbecues. Just because we're less inclined to switch on the heat does not mean that we shouldn't be vigilant when it comes to protecting ourselves and our property from fire hazards. See below for high-risk areas for fire damage and how to maintain them.

Spring Fire Safety Tips

Fire cannot be avoided when you're preparing a perfectly cooked steak or patty on the grill. From the get-go, you've got inherent risks. Before starting a grill, be sure to check all potential problematic points including the propane tank, the hose, and all connecting points. You can do this while your meat is marinating or while you're trimming your chicken!

We understand that every house has a pyro-happy Boy/Girl Scout around. When starting a charcoal grill, charcoal should only be soaked with charcoal starter fluid. Avoid using lighter fluid as that can create a burst of heat and flames can get out of control quickly!

Every Dad loves a shiny, clean grill. Nearly 20% of all grill structure fires occur due to failing to clean the grill before and after use. Give your grill a nice scrape down while it's hot so it's ready to go for next time!

There's nothing worse than dropping your smore into a fire, right? Wrong! There's nothing worse than falling into a fire yourself! Never leave young children unattended near a fire pit.

Safety first, safety first, safety first! Fill a bucket with water and set it next to your put before your even build a fire. Avoid throwing leaves, pine cones, pine needs, and paper into a fire pit as they catch fire quickly and can result in dangerous floating embers.

When things go awry, we're your guy!

In any emergency situation, always call 9-1-1 before calling SERVPRO of Minnetonka / St. Louis Park / Golden Valley. Once a fire has been properly handled by the fire department, give us a call at 952-473-4837! We're always "Here to Help!"

Maintaining Your Smoke Alarm

2/4/2022 (Permalink)

To avoid a total fire damage disaster, properly maintain your smoke alarms so that you're notified of any suspicious situations immediately!

Experiencing a fire on your property can be one of the most stressful situations you can have as a property owner. Smoke alarms that are properly installed and maintained play a vital role in reducing fire deaths and injuries. Not only can fire damage restoration be expensive, but the process can take much longer than drying out a flooded room.

Smoke and Fire Alarms

In more than half of the homes that reported fires to U.S fire departments, the fire alarm sounded to alert the residents of the property. The death rate per 1,000 reported home fires was more than twice as high in homes that did not have working smoke alarms (NFPA).

Here's what you need to know!

Smoke alarms should be interconnected. when one sounds in the basement, all other alarms around the house should alert you of potential smoke damage.

Test your smoke alarms at least once a month. As you're sweeping the floors, vacuuming, or moving around the house doing chores, take a second to press the test button to be sure the alarm is working.

Replace all smoke alarms in your home every 10 years. With the advancement of time, smoke alarms will be more technologically advanced to respond to a multitude of fire conditions, in addition to mitigating false alarms.

What do you do when you experience fire damage?

Call us, of course! We are one of the top fire damage restoration companies near you. We are available 24/7 and have crews ready round the clock to respond to any emergency that you might have. We've got the committed people and the most advanced tools to make restoring your home as painless as possible.

We Handle All Cases of Fire Damage!

12/9/2021 (Permalink)

We specialize in the tough jobs and never lose site that a person's home is their most prized asset.

Fires are one of the most destructive events that can happen in anyone's life. Whether a fire damage event occurs in a residential home or commercial building, we are the fire damage restoration experts that have the power to change your life!

Not All Fire Damage is Created Equal

Nuances in technique, equipment, and technology can make a drastic difference in cost and results. Read the following techniques that we use to get results in the best timeframe, in the most cost efficient manner, and to help more people who have experienced the devastating destruction of fire.

Matterport Scanning

We take pride in using the most technically advanced and up-to-date equipment as possible. The Matterport camera allows us to take high-quality 3D images in a virtual reality platform, allowing us to examine the site without ever having to step foot in the actual building. By creating a doll house view of the property, documentation reaches a higher level for all materially interested parties. Not only can this aid in the speed at which the scope for restoration and fire repair occurs, but it can be used to create a plan for returning the job side to pre-fire condition.

Choosing Deodorizing Tools and Products Sensibly

We take full advantage of having a full network of franchises to discuss the efficiency of tools and products to use when it comes to repairing fire damage or deodorizing the affected areas. We have access to suppliers that have products ranging from odor absorbent crystals, smoke odor counteractant and deodorants, degreasing cleaners, woodcraft cleaners, and many more options.

Caring for Contents

If your personal belongings have been affected by fire or smoke damage, we have the capabilities and mindset to restore rather than replace your precious items. Our technicians are cert-ified through the IICRC and are experienced in removing smoke damage that can cause long-lasting health hazards for the occupants. We use activated carbon or charcoal filters for maximum results when addressing odors, making the site easier and healthier to work in.

Here at SERVPRO of Minnetonka, we're always "Here to Help!"

When fire damage ravages your property, give us a call at 952-473-4837. Our certified team and fast disaster response will save you precious time and money.

Incorporating Pets into Your Fire Evacuation Plan

11/22/2021 (Permalink)

Pictured is a ceiling damaged by a raging fire. All 3 levels were affected after a fire broke out while a family was cooking.

Although not everyone may entirely agree... pets are family too! It is crucial for families to create a fire evacuation plan that they can quickly put into action in the event that there is an emergency. When you ensure that all members of your family understand what to do if a fire breaks out in your home, it decreases the need to take unnecessary risks and is a helpful tool to use in case of panic. Even if you do have to consider fire damage restoration in the aftermath, you will find excellent consolation knowing that you have created a plan to follow. In case of a fire emergency, the tips below will help you include every family member - even the ones with paws, wings, or scales!

Planning with Pets

Prepare an Emergency Food Kit

When a fire sparks in your home, you won't have time to think about how many cans of wet food to grab or be able to count out a sufficient amount of daily cups for your pet. By compiling these items beforehand, you will be able to grab and go, saving you precious time in a dangerous situation. Don't forget to pack water, bowls, doggy bags, potential litter. A spare collar with your animal's information wouldn't be a bad idea either!

Create a Form of Shelter

By putting your pet's emergency kit into a crate or some form of travel shelter, you won't have to think about grabbing multiple bags and forgetting the necessities. Even something as simple as a blanket will help keep your pet comfortable in a stressful situation like a fire.

Medication

Fire damage can sometimes make it impossible to return to your property until it is safe, which may take longer than you think. If you are unable to return to your home, you won't be able to access your pet's vital medication. A simple plastic bag will do the trick - just toss it in with your food and other essential materials.

Many people become extremely overwhelmed during and after a fire damage event. We know that coping with the aftermath can be confusing, scary, and just plain difficult. That's why we're always here to help whether you are in downtown Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Groveland, Hopkins, or anywhere in the greater Twin Cities area. Our team can assist you in every step of the way.

Shakopee Career Expo - On Fire!

11/19/2021 (Permalink)

aimee and tierney hosting a booth at the shakopee career expo

Here are Aimee and Tierney with their fully setup table with freebies and informational flyers!

Getting Involved

Shakopee High School, through the Academies of Shakopee, hosted the 2021 Career Expo this November! The Career Expo is a free annual event for high school students and community partners alike, serving as an opportunity for students to learn about occupations and businesses, and partners to provide information on their industries and companies. The Expo also serves as an opportunity for employers/partners and students to discuss future internship and career/job openings.

Aimee and Tierney had an awesome time being a part of the Shakopee High School Career Expo. with a focus on fire damage, these two were able to share finer details about the processes of our company with prospective employees. Although most students are currently too young to be hired, it gives them a golden opportunity in the future.

Aimee and Tierney were asked questions ranging from simple processes to detailed methods of fire damage restoration. Some examples include:

How long does fire damage restoration take?
Is fire damage cleanup a dangerous process?
How many people does it take to clean up after fire damage?
What products do you use to clean soot damage?
What is the most difficult part about smoke damage cleanup?

We promise you - that list barely scratches the surface!

Overall, the opportunity to engage students and inform them about how our company works was a blast! We're very fortunate to be able to educate anyone at any age about the restoration industry.

Do you have more questions about our company? Give us a call today!

Preventing Winter Fire Damage

11/17/2021 (Permalink)

As fire and water restoration specialists, we have the training, experience and specialized equipment necessary to restore your home or business!

Believe it or not, fire damage occurs more often during the winter months. Many homeowners will light their chimneys, cook out, and crank up the thermostat when the temperature drops. In the event of fire damage, timely mitigation is the best way to reduce your fire damage costs. We know that restoration is virtually a requirement after fire damage occurs, but how about measures to prevent fire damage? Look no further!

Main Fire Hazards

Holiday Lights - for those of us who put up holiday lights right after Halloween (Thanksgiving, who?), your home's holiday lights might become hazardous. While hanging up your lights, be sure to double-check any wires or bulbs that might become hazardous.

Electronics - technology is always advancing and you might receive a fancy new piece of electronics for the holidays. Untested electronics are a major fire hazard and every single year people light up their living rooms with more than their Christmas tree.

The Holiday Tree - Speaking of trees.... many people begin their holiday season with a bushy, green, pine-smelling bunch of branches. However, as time goes on, these supple branches die and can become a nasty problem (and we're not talking about the cleanup). Be sure your tree is properly watered, at least a couple feet away from an outlet, and for Pete's sake don't put any candles nearby!

Holiday's never stop our fire restoration services!

Here at SERVPRO of Minnetonka, even if it is the holiday season, we are still faster to any sized disaster! The fire department will have to put our your fire, but we will zip in immediately after it is safe to handle deeper restorations. As your local water damage and fire damage company, we can handle it all! From start to finish (yes that means reconstruction services, too!), we're here to help. Call 952-473-4837 today with any questions about our services.

A Little Lesson About Fire

11/16/2021 (Permalink)

The fire triangle illustrates the three elements a fire needs to ignite: heat, fuel, and an oxidizing agent.

A Little Lesson About Fire

When the leaves begin to fall and snowflakes begin to flurry around, people begin to dread the cold weather. "Time to crank up the heat!" As much as we adore our HVAC heating systems and indoor fireplaces, it is important to be cognizant of the hazards of fires.

Each year, from 2017 to 2019, there was an estimated average of 106,700 multifamily residential building fires. These fires results in 400 deaths, 3,875 injuries, and over $1.7 billion dollars in property losses. Wow!

It is important to be aware of the obvious concerns like avoiding crowding your furnace or keeping things by an open flame, but it is important to consider other threats. Cooking (around 74%) was the leading cause of multifamily residential building homes. In addition to cooking, cooking areas and kitchens were the primary areas of origin for non-confined multifamily residential building fires. Holiday lights are also on the list! Be aware of how many cords you're plugging into an extension cord.

24/7 Fire Restoration Services

Our certified technicians are on the clock 24 hours a day, seven days a week year round. Even though multifamily residential building fires occur most commonly from 4pm-9pm, you could be in the 3% that occur at 1am. In that case, we are the ones to call! Once the firefighters take care of business, we will follow with the water damage and fire damage mitigation steps.

If your property has been affected by fire damage, call SERVPRO of Minnetonka today at 952-473-4837. We're here to service Minnetonka, Groveland, and the greater Twin Cities area in general. We're "here to help!"

Source

Get Your Furnace Ready for Winter!

11/12/2021 (Permalink)

We're back in full swing for school, the leaves are dropping like flies, and your Starbucks Pumpkin flavored beverage is only doing so much to stave off the morning chill. It's that dreaded time of year again: turning your HVAC system from "Cool" to "Heat." Take a quick moment to check the following list to be sure that your furnace is good to go for the upcoming winter and dropping temperatures.

Tips to Prepare Your Furnace for Winter

Change your air filters. More than likely, you have air filters behind a vent grill in a wall or ceiling, or potentially a single filter in the HVAC system itself. By cleaning or replacing your filter, you will keep nasty particles out of you HVAC system and the air that you breathe in general will be cleaner.
Clean the heat exchanger. By hiring a trained professional, your heat exchanger should be brushed and vacuumed out annually. Why? The technician will check for cracks or damages that could lead to a dangerous carbon monoxide leak.
Inspect your carbon monoxide detectors. Just like your fire detectors, you should be routinely inspecting and replacing your carbon monoxide detectors. These alarms will help protect you from the "silent killer."
Remove any items you have stored near your furnace. Especially the flammable ones! It is extremely dangerous to congest your furnace with items, particularly anything that is likely to catch fire. Remove any items that are sitting on top or in front of your air vents, too.
Inspect the exhaust flue that is outside. Surprisingly enough, you might have a smart animal that has built a nest in your flue or a tree that has grown just a little too much and is now blocking the way. Clear any obstruction to ensure that your HVAC system can work properly.

If you have any issues with these tips, don't be afraid to contact your local HVAC professional. It'll always be better to prepare than to deal with fire damage later. If fire damage occurs in your home, don't hesitate to call us! We're here to help all day every day!

How to Cut Down the Chances of a Furnace Fire

10/25/2021 (Permalink)

Keep your furnace from causing a fire!

The National Fire Protection Association claims that more than one in six home fires originate from heating equipment, which is the second most common cause of a fire behind cooking. Even though a large majority of these pieces of heating equipment are space heaters or fire places, one out of every ten starts with a central heating system.

Follow the tips below to minimize your chances for a furnace fire!

Have your furnace serviced - Prior to the cold season, hire a professional to inspect your equipment to ensure your furnace is working properly.
Replace the air filter - You should replace your filter every month or so, depending on the manufacturer's specifications. Furnace filters help prevent air contamination in your home.
Check and clean air vents and ducts - it's as simple as getting out your vacuum and removing the dust in your vents and ducts. We know this job can suck, so you can always hire a professional!
Inspect the exhaust vent - Ensure that your exhaust vent is clear from any obstruction such as a rodent's nest, leaves, or snow.
Remove items from around the furnace - if there are flammable items near a flame, need we say more? Clear the area of all flammable objects.

When winterizing your home or preparing for cold season, your furnace should be on the list! All of these maintenance tasks can be complete in just a few hours. If you're not comfortable with any of these processes, call a professional! For professional fire, water, and mold remediation services, give us a jingle at 952-473-4837!

Content Cleaning: What is it and how do we do it?

9/7/2021 (Permalink)

fire damage toy before and after being cleaned

Here is an example of a kid's favorite toy that was damaged by fire but then cleaned by our crew!

As one of the top SERVPRO franchises in Minnesota, SERVPRO of Minnetonka is there to help you when everything has been turned upside down by fire damage. When your property has been ravaged by flames, many important belongings and documents can be severely damaged by flames, soot, and smoke odors. With our expansive cleaning capabilities, we are able to salvage many of your items and restore them to make it look "Like it never even happened." By doing this, we can save you money by restoring your contents instead of having to replace them.

Packing Out the Contents

The first thing to do after you experience fire damage is to assess the entire property for damage. By assessing the damage, we will be able to figure out what our next steps are regarding cleaning your personal belongings. Our certified technicians will determine whether or not the items are salvageable, they will take photos of all of the contents, they will take inventory of items that are restorable, and then we will safely and carefully pack up all of the items to be moved. Once boxed up, the items will be labeled by name and stored in our 18,000 square foot warehouse in climate-controlled vault storage.

The Cleaning

Once the contents have been safely moved to our warehouse, they are brought into our cleaning room where our certified technicians will dictate the best method of cleaning. They will determine the best path of cleaning based on several factors:

Are they hard or soft contents?
Do they need to be hand washed or machine washed?
What sort of chemical can be used that won't damage the material?

Hard contents, such as dishes, vases, and other sturdy objects will be cleaned in machines like ultrasonic equipment and deodorizers for smoke odor. For objects that cannot handle the harshness of an automated machine, we will hand-clean the item with environmentally-friendly degreaser or odor counteractants.

Moving Back Home

After our technicians mitigate the fire damage and our reconstruction division repairs your property back to normal, our team will pack up your contents and send them to your home. With your fire damaged contents repair back to normal, you can enjoy living life the way it was prior to your properties' fire.

If you find yourself in need of water or fire damage mitigation, content cleaning, or reconstruction services, give us a ring today at 952-473-4837. We service Minnetonka, Groveland, Minnetonka Mills, and the greater Twin Cities Area (Minneapolis and St. Paul).

Fire Damage Restoration Process

7/22/2021 (Permalink)

The fire damage restoration process includes the removal of soot residues from various surfaces and materials. Depending on the severity of the fire, the soot that remains can be drastically different from one fire to the next.

Fires that give off smoke produce smoke-filled residues and soot. When smoke is released into the air when various materials are decomposing, the soot is in the form of suspended particles, gases, and aerosols.

The fire damage restoration process is dependent on what types of residue is on the material. Different cleaning and restoration methods will be used for each residue.

Cleaning Dry Smoke Residue
Cleaning Wet Smoke Residue
Protein Residue
Fuel Oil Soot Residue

During a fire, soot and smoke particles love to settle on and adhere to any surface they can get their hands on. Our fire damage restoration process is top-notch and means we have the capability to remove and clean these residues. Put confidence in your local professionals that provide you with the best fire restoration services available!

Tackling Fire Odors

6/7/2021 (Permalink)

Our smoke and fire damage team is one of the best in the state!

Anyone that ever shares space with a smoker knows how hard it is to get the smell out of your clothes, hair, and skin. Imagine flames in your home and that smoke is making its way through the ventilation system, going from room to room and settling upon your bed sheets, upholstery, curtains, and even your wallpaper. Regardless of the extent of fire damage to your home, it almost seems like the smoke, and its residual smell is an even bigger problem than sweeping ashes and cleaning soot.

In Minnetonka, your smoke and fire damage is ideal for our SERVPRO team to tackle. Our team of experts trains specifically to address all consequences of a home fire, regardless of its size. Once we arrive at your home, we invite you to trust our knowledge and expertise as we attack all aspects of fire damage, including ridding your home of the unpleasant smell of smoke.

The term deodorizing is the all-inclusive name we use for agents capable of neutralizing or eliminating odor molecules. In practice, there are quite a few options to expel smells from your home. Our SERVPRO team considers each option and its benefits before applying it to your home. In some cases, we may bring special equipment such as an ozone generator, ventilators, or pressure sprayers to help us in deodorizing your home. In other instances, such as the use of deodorizing pellets, the application is straightforward and does not require extra equipment or space. When we exhaust our resources, and the smell remains, we may opt to use a sealant in your home, which permanently traps odor molecules, so your senses do not pick up on them.

SERVPRO of Minnetonka is available to you around the clock. Our hotline is available 24/7 to meet your needs. Call us at 952-473-4837 as soon as it is safe to enter your home and let us address the smoke and soot remains as quickly as possible. Our careful and knowledgeable approach helps us leave your home, "Like it never even happened."

Mitigating Fire Chances at Your Property

5/31/2021 (Permalink)

If your home is damaged by a house fire, we are here to help.

We can all realistically say we hope to never experience a house fire, but hoping one does not happen and doing what you can to prevent it are two different things. Fires can spread from a single flame in under a minute, but doing what you can to ensure one never starts can go a long way.

Thankfully, fire safety is something everyone can implement around the house through some planning and some prevention. Though you can never get rid of your chances of experiencing a house fire, you can significantly reduce them to keep your household safer.

How Can I Lessen the Chances of Experiencing a House Fire?

Check your smoke detectors. Having smoke detectors installed throughout your home is so important, as they will alert you if there is a fire in the home. Make sure yours are operational by checking them on a monthly basis, and replace them according to your manufacturer’s instructions to prevent any defects from occurring.

Create a fire escape plan. It is important for the safety of everyone in the household that you have a comprehensive fire escape plan that is regularly practiced. It should only take two minutes to exit the home, and every room should have two ways to get out so no one will be trapped in the house depending on where the fire starts.

Limit your fire risks. Whenever you practice good habits around the house, you are reducing the chances a fire can start. Simple things are extremely effective in house fire prevention—never leaving the room while cooking food, not leaving open flames unattended and never running wires under rugs or behind furniture are great tips to reduce your house fire chances.

Keep a fire extinguisher handy. While you should only use a fire extinguisher if it is completely safe to do so, it is good to have one handy in case the need arises. Any time you cook, grill or use an open flame, ensure you have an operational fire extinguisher nearby and are informed on how to use it.

If your home is damaged by a house fire, we are here to help. Our expert fire restoration technicians are here ²⁴⁄₇ to spring into action as soon as you call. Contact us at any hour to report your damage and receive a quick response.

Burning Up the Fire Damage Remediation Process

5/24/2021 (Permalink)

Over the past five years we have built a reputation as specialists in fire, smoke, soot and restoration of fire damaged homes.

When a devastating fire occurs in your home, it is hard to think ahead to the recovery process. You may not even know where to begin moving forward. Once the superficial signs of a fire are cleared away, you may still smell the smoke over the long term. Every fire is inherently different, but skilled professionals at SERVPRO of Minnetonka can help you get to the bottom of the issue through a standard fire procedure.

The Beginning

Once emergency services (if required) take care of the worst of the fire damage, SERVPRO of Minnetonka can come in and begin cleaning. After the smoke clears and the dust settles, our fire damage remediation specialists will move in. Depending on the type of damage presented from the fire, the technician will follow a standard procedure.

Our technicians will carefully inspect the surrounding area and test the damaged sections to determine the extend of the damage. Our technicians always have a restore before replace mentality, ensuring that they will avoid anything that might exacerbate the damage. While they're inspecting and testing, they will walk you through the process in order to develop a plan.

Rising Action: Following a Plan

Depending on the severity of the fire damage, our technician will ensure the security of your property. If necessary, they will board up missing walls and windows, and set tarps around the roof of your home to maintain privacy.

Water removal is also an important next time. Many people don't realize that water damage appears almost at the same time as smoke damage. To rid the situation of water, our experts will set up dehumidifiers.

After water has been removed, it'll be time to get to the brunt of the work. To avoid agitating troublesome particles within the damage area, the technician will remove smoke and soot damage with extreme care. A Decatur fire damage cleaning will take restorable items into account and odors will be fought with using fogging equipment and air scrubbers.

The Final Step

Once all of the major fire damage issues have been taken care of, in addition to the water damage and smoke and soot on your home's surface, we can begin the remaining minor repairs. Since we are a licensed contractor with the State of Minnesota, we can handle any building services that may be needed from replacing drywall and painting over a refurbished surface.

Whether you need smoke damage remediated or entire sections of your home repaired after a destructive fire, we're ready to help 24/7. We will make it "Like it never even happened." When you experience a fire in your home, call 952-473-4837.

Don't Leave Your Property Vulnerable

5/3/2021 (Permalink)

Our team is equipped with the latest specialty equipment to properly clean a fire damaged home.

Due to the pandemic, many businesses are choosing to work remotely and warehouses are left empty. As a property owner it is still vital to keep up on security and system protocols. Maintenance is still an exceptionally important role in protecting your facilities.

Having a preferred vendor like SERVPRO of Minnetonka can also prevent any further damage from happening. Reach out to us here at 763-712-9712 to learn about an Emergency Readiness Program (ERP). We're Faster to Any Size Disaster.

National Fire Protection Associations (NFPA) Recommendations

In order to avoid disrupting the current environment by compromising fire and life safety, as well as leaving buildings vulnerable to vandalism, the NFPA recommends the following:

All commercial and multi-occupancy residential buildings should maintain fully operational fire and life safety systems as required by the applicable codes and standards. (NFPA 25, NFPA 72, NFPA 101)
Those responsible for these buildings should adhere to the expected schedules for inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) that are vital to their operation. If they are unable to do so, they should contact their local authority having jurisdiction.
Public and private employees who perform the inspection, maintenance and other responsibilities for these systems should be deemed essential workers

Our fire cleaning and restoring department is unsurpassed in its ability to remove all types of residues, return surfaces and articles to pre-fire condition, neutralizing lingering odors in even the toughest post-fire jobs. Our goal is to make it "Like it never even happened."

Call us today at 952-473-4837 for any of your fire damage needs.

Don't Get Fired Up, Get on the Phone with SERVPRO!

2/1/2021 (Permalink)

We will clean belongings, furniture, keepsakes, clothes and anything else in your house that makes it your home.

How does SERVPRO of Minnetonka determine what to do with smoke damaged items?

Fire damage is an intriguing issue because temperature, whether the fire is smoldering or blazing, affects necessary cleanup measures differently. Similarly to water damage, smoke odor and particles can easily penetrate any crack and crevice on your property. If these particles are not handled in a proper manner, the smoke odor has the potential to stick around for months after a fire. Proper cleaning, immediate odor neutralizing efforts, proper ventilation, and consistent debris removal efforts are critical to saving as many of your belongings as possible. Timing is the most crucial component of successful smoke remediation.

Are you running out of time?

The IICRC, a global leader in all types of remediation, identifies these time windows:

Within minutes: Porous materials and synthetics must be immediately addressed to prevent permanent discoloration.
Within hours to days: wooden furniture, flooring, painted walls, and clothing can become permanently stained. Metal surfaces will begin to rust, pit, and corrode which often requires refinishing or replacement.
Within weeks: Prolonged soot exposure will embed itself in the fibers and surfaces resulting in a longer, more pricey restoration with a higher likelihood of replacement.

With our restore versus replace mentality, SERVPRO of Minnetonka does everything within our capabilities to bring your items back to preloss conditions.

Give us a call today at 952-473-4837 so we can help make your home disaster seem "Like it never even happened."

We Won't be Consumed by Flames

1/14/2021 (Permalink)

Over the past five years we have built a reputation as specialists in fire, smoke, soot and restoration of fire damaged homes.

Walking You Through the Fire Damage Remediation Process

The Beginning

Rising Action: Following a Plan

The Final Step

Whether you need smoke damage remediated or entire sections of your home repaired after a destructive fire, we're ready to help 24/7. We will make it "Like it never happened." When you experience a fire in your home, call 952-473-4837.

Fire Safety Tips Minnetonka

11/12/2020 (Permalink)

Fire Safety Tips Every Homeowner Should Know

The idea of a house fire is a nightmare scenario for any homeowner. Staying safe and protecting your home and family from fire is an essential part of homeownership. Check out five fire safety tips for your Minnetonka home to keep you and your family safe and secure.

Check Your Fire Alarm

It's important that you check your fire alarm regularly. Make sure you change the batteries every six months, and be sure you replace the alarm itself every 10 years. In newer homes, you could have as few as four to seven minutes to get out after a fire starts, and an alarm can be the difference between life or death.

Keep a Fire Extinguisher in Your Home

Fire extinguishers can keep a small fire from taking over your home. Keep one in the kitchen and know how to use it. Again, this can save your home and your life.

Plan Your Escape Route

Be sure that you have an escape route mapped out so you can quickly evacuate your home in case of a fire. Have regular drills so that it becomes automatic. It's a good idea to have a secondary route planned as well, in case the first one is blocked.

Keep a Fire Safe

Have a fire safe and keep your important documents, like your insurance policy, in it. If a fire does damage your home, there's a better chance to recover important information if you keep it in a fire safe.

Get Minnetonka Fire Restoration Services

If a fire does tear through your home, call SERVPRO Minnetonka and Groveland for help restoring your home to its pre-fire condition. We're available 24/7 to take your call and get started. Call 952-473-4837 for help today.

Fire Safety Tips Every Homeowner Should Know

We Can Help Adjusters Remotely Manage A Loss

4/9/2020 (Permalink)

High Resolution 3D Scans

High Resolution 3D Scanning Technology

At SERVPRO of Minnetonka we have a Matterport Pro2 camera on site with several of our team trained on its use.

If you are an adjuster and need assistance managing a loss remotely we can a probably help.

Even if we are not the contractor for the project we can still go on site, conduct the scan and then share the information.

The Matterport camera produces high resolution 3D scans of a property as well as floor plans if needed. The software allows an adjuster to "walk" the property and see in incredible detail all aspects of the loss.

As the crisis related to COVID-19 continues to play out we know that there is a "push and pull" involved with staying safe yet still serving customers. At SERVPRO of Minnetonka, we can help adjusters do both.

Please call the owner, Scott Clemente on his cell: 612-217-2018 if we can be of any assistance.

We serve the entire Twin Cities area and can usually get onsite same day.

Is There a Best Way to Get Rid of Fire Odor in your Minneapolis home?

4/5/2020 (Permalink)

“Like it never even happened.”

Count on SERVPRO to Keep Up with Deodorization Breakthroughs for Our Minneapolis Neighbors

The terror and disruption of a kitchen fire are overwhelming. Getting your family to a safe place is the highest priority. Once all are accounted for, then it is time to reach out to our professional fire restoration team to work together on recovery.

Why Should You Avoid Fire and Odor Cleanup Without Expert Help?
The fire and odor damage experienced by Minneapolis homeowners, like yourself, is unlike typical dirt, grime, and smells. Clearing away charred debris and cleaning soot from surfaces usually is not recommended as a DIY project because:

   •   Structural components like ceilings, walls, and floors need professional assessment as they might be unstable
   •   Significant quantities of water and extinguishing chemicals nearly always need removal first, needing expert extraction
   •   Debris and residues can be highly toxic, requiring personal protective equipment (PPE) to manage
   •   Effective soot cleanup methods and products vary depending on the materials burned and surfaces affected, with training supporting appropriate matching of cleanup strategies
   •   Deodorization methods frequently need specialized products and unique equipment

What Makes a Kitchen Fire Smell So Bad?
When a fire starts in the kitchen, SERVPRO finds that foodstuffs, oils, and greases are the ignition fuel. High levels of fats and protein create an oily mist that covers everything. The heat produced causes the oils and grease to melt and dehydrate. They become rancid, creating a rotten stench clinging to appliances, cabinets, walls, and ceilings, air currents carrying the odor far from the kitchen as well.

How Do Technicians Remove the Smelly Protein-Based Residue?
SERVPRO technicians learn that “like dissolves like” when choosing products to break down fire residues. Because residues of a kitchen fire are oily, we turn to solvents to break the bonds between the soot and the surface.

What If Cleaning Alone Is Not Enough to Get Rid of the Smell?
The challenges of eliminating protein-based soot odors are many. In cases where deep cleaning still leaves a noticeable nasty smell, SERVPRO considers using the following options:

Thermal fogging
Deodorizers are combusted into a fine mist, paring with soot particles to neutralize the odor

Hydroxyl generators
Hydroxyl radicals destroy the molecular structure of odors

Sealants
Airtight products applied to surfaces, preventing the odor molecules from vaporizing

Rely on the crew at SERVPRO of Minnetonka to deliver fire residue cleanup and odor removal. Call (952) 473-4837 to schedule an assessment.

For more about Minneapolis click here.

Fire Debris Removal Essentials in Minneapolis

3/11/2020 (Permalink)

You can contact our professionals 24/7. Our fire damage experts are trained in fire & smoke restoration, odor control, upholstery and fabric cleaning.

Effectively Removing Fire Damaged Debris in Minneapolis

The soiling and rubble left after a household fire in Minneapolis require professionals to sort, bag and discard. Unlike ordinary dirt, the residues left can emit toxic fumes and skin contact can be irritating or even dangerous. Our fully trained and certified crews and curated inventory of products and cleaning equipment supports safe, appropriate, and lawful cleanup and disposal of the debris. We pledge to complete your job quickly and with minimal to no risk to your health and the public and the environment’s well-being.

Safety Considerations

During fire debris removal in your Minneapolis house, it is critical to contain hazardous airborne and settled residues and damaged building materials and contents. To ensure your and your family’s safety and observe OSHA requirements for our workers, it makes sense to seal off the workspace. We use 6 mil polyethylene to create a partition that we seal using negative pressure air scrubbing technology. The air scrubber also forces the debris-contaminated atmosphere within the workspace through HEPA filters and vents to the outdoors. Our crew members also dress in personal protective equipment (PPE) for their safety and to avoid tracking fire debris through the rest of your home.

Debris Collection and Disposal

Since the chemical reactions caused by the fire created an endless list of toxic substances, SERVPRO crews shovel, lift, and pack the charred and melted items into appropriate containment receptacles. The things we bag up can include insulation, drywall, woodwork, flooring, household goods, and other contents -- anything that cannot be restored because of severe damage. We are familiar with the city, Hennepin County, and state requirements for fire debris disposal rules, protecting you from any violation citations.

Special Considerations

Housing construction in our community can predate the current codes concerning lead paint, asbestos, and other hazards. SERVPRO scopes for these complications during the initial assessment, and arranges for certified removal of any of these dangerous materials and substances during our fire debris removal project. Throughout the job, we are on high alert for any structural weakness because of the fire.

Call the experts from SERVPRO of Minnetonka for professional and lawful cleanup and disposal of fire debris. Reach us at (952) 473-4837 day or night.

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Cleaning Kitchen Cabinets after Fire Damage in Minneapolis

2/7/2020 (Permalink)

Our experts know what to do after a fire in your Minneapolis home. Call us at (952) 473-4837.

A Fire In Your Minneapolis Home Can Lead To a Variety Of Problems You Will Face

If your Minneapolis home suffers a kitchen fire, you are not alone. Research confirms that approximately 44 percent of home fires begin in the kitchen. An accidental bump of a pan or drips of grease or oil over the side can raise a ball of fire. Cotton towels or potholders too near a gas flame or touching an electric burner can be the ignition. Food neglected or forgotten, desirable browning turning to blackening in a saute pan or oven, are other risks that can transform your cheerful kitchen into a sooty, smelly mess.

A Special Type of Residue

The soot created during fire damage in Minneapolis is particularly challenging for restorers. The visible surfaces of your wooden kitchen cabinets can be covered entirely in the protein-based soot, which is dehydrated residues of meats, oils and grease, and other foods. Although the coating appears nearly transparent, it is a significant issue, challenging to remove because it clings tenaciously, almost becoming one with the cabinets. The smell is pungent and distasteful, persistently present until removal of all the residue.

Wooden Cabinet Cleaning Steps

SERVPRO follows the restoration industry’s best practices when resolving fire damage to kitchen cabinets. Our crew trains to the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC) specifications, an international standards-setting organization. Our technicians might use all or some of the following strategies.

Soot Removal Techniques -- Prepping for Cleaning

Remove loose debris with a vacuum, holding the tool slightly above surfaces to prevent forcing particles into the wood.

Use a dry chemical sponge to remove embedded soot, taking care not to grind residues into wood fibers.

Wipe all wood surfaces with a clean towel or cloth dampened with a proprietary cleaning or prepping solution selected after pretesting.

Consider the use of 0000-grade steel wool to dislodge the varnish-like protein-based residue, always working in the direction of the wood grain.

Cleaning Techniques

Use fine-grit sandpaper to reduce charring and remove burn and soot stains.

Wipe with a tack cloth after sanding.

Apply SERVPRO’s cream wood restoration polish and permit a brief dwell time to loosen soiling.

Work the polish into the cabinets, following the wood grain. We monitor and undesired damage to the surface as we work, adding additional cream to cushion if needed.

Remove excess cream polish with a clean, soft towel. Buff to return to the pre-existing finish.

Trust SERVPRO of Minnetonka to assess and plan appropriately when a kitchen fire damages wooden cabinets. As soon as the scene is cleared for cleaning, call us at (952) 473-4837 for an evaluation and implementation of a proven recovery agenda.

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Did a Fire Cause Smoke and Soot Damage to Your Minneapolis Home?

11/26/2019 (Permalink)

Smoke travels. Even small fires can cause a lot of damage. We have the equipment to remove the smoke from your home.

How to Remove Smoke Odor After a Fire Damages your Minneapolis Home

After a home has sustained fire damage, it is easy to detect the smoke odor. The telltale scent makes its way or lingers in walls, drapes, carpets, clothes, and furniture, among other items. The smell may even sicken you, and you may not tolerate it. Regardless of the size of the fire and how quickly you extinguished it, the smoke it emits can permeate your entire home.

When your Minneapolis home has fire damage, you need to begin the restoration process promptly. You may have tried to eliminate the smoke odor yourself, but failed. Cleaning the smoke residues and removing the scent can be difficult, tedious, and futile. SERVPRO restoration experts can help you in cleaning up your home and eliminating the smoky smell before it worsens.

Insurers classify fire and smoke damage into two categories; primary and secondary. We can help you determine the severity of fire damage in your property.

Primary fire damage – This refers to the destruction which happens because of the flames. It includes damage to the structures and contents of a home.

Secondary fire damage – It refers to the damage caused by soot, smoke, and other corrosive substances, which are a direct by-product of the fire. Secondary fire damage usually accounts for most destruction that happens in a building.

Our Fire & Smoke Damage Restoration Technicians (FSRTs) can take several steps to remove the smoke odors while treating your home and possessions with care. We can assess the affected rooms to determine the full extent of the destruction and take the right steps to deal with it.

We can identify and list the smoke-damaged items that need removing from your home. The smoke odors can decrease after we remove the affected materials. Our team can also remove the contents that cannot be repaired and dispose of them appropriately. We can also take some items to our facilities for meticulous cleaning and restoration.

Our SERVPRO restorers can clean surfaces like walls, floors, woodwork, ceilings, mirrors, windows, light fixtures, and ceiling fans using specialized equipment and cleaning products. We can also spray affected surfaces with odor counteractants. Smoke particles can get into many areas of your property. Therefore, we can clean the exterior structures of your property, such as decks, siding, and windows. We can also remove smoke odors from your vehicle if it was in the vicinity when the fire happened. Our restorers can also close off the area inside your home to treat it using fogging equipment to neutralize the malodors.

Fire is terrible enough, but secondary damage from smoke and soot adds to the problem. Call SERVPRO of Minnetonka at (952) 473-4837 to address the issue. We serve the residents of Saint Paul, Minnetonka, and Osseo.

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We Are Available 24/7 To Restore Your Minneapolis Home

8/7/2019 (Permalink)

Fire damage to this home began in the pictured carport. The roof and a temporary enclosure were the primary losses from the fire.

Immediate Fire Damage Cleanup for Your Minneapolis Home Can Prevent Additional Damage

When faced with a fire disaster in your Minneapolis home, it is vital to ensure that you rectify all the direct and indirect harm to the building and its contents. Smoke, ash, soot, and water from firefighting efforts may pose serious issues far from the fire itself affecting home electronics, furniture, cabinets, HVAC systems, plumbing, and floor coverings.

Immediate action can prevent further destruction to your home and possessions. When there is fire damage in your Minneapolis residence, you may feel overwhelmed by all the tasks you need to complete. Some tasks you need to carry out include:

Securing the property – This includes boarding up or tarping openings, controlling access, and structural bracing.

Inventory and inspection – It is crucial to survey all the damage to schedule work and set priorities. A detailed inventory of fire damage is critical for successful insurance claims.

Evaluate losses – Professionals can determine which items to salvage and which ones to discard.

Fire Damage mitigation – You need to take special steps to prevent additional damage from smoke, soot, and water. Your fire insurance policy may not cover subsequent destruction if you fail to take proper measures soon enough.

Debris removal – Remove all waste, broken items, and hazardous materials and dispose of them appropriately.

SERVPRO is the company you can trust to take care of all your fire restoration needs. We offer restoration services around the clock, and with our experience and advanced equipment, we can return your property to its preloss state. One valuable service we offer is the cleanup of the fire-damaged areas to prevent permanent damage that smoke and acidic soot residues can cause.

Most smoke particles are about 0.004 microns wide, meaning that they can get into many different places like carpets, wallboard, and insulation. The difficulty of cleaning up the residues and smoke odors increases depending on the type of smoke that was present during a fire. Smoke from natural materials like paper and wood leaves a gray or black ashy residue that is easy to clean using a dry sponge or vacuum cleaner. Smoke from synthetic materials like plastic and artificial fabrics leave a smeary residue which is more challenging to clean up.

Our SERVPRO Fire & Smoke Damage Restoration Technicians (FSRTs) can clean the structure and contents of your home separately. Before cleaning, we test the structure to determine the correct cleaning method. We categorize materials as washable or non-washable. We can use water-based cleaning products to clean washable materials and dry cleaning methods to clean non-washable materials.

Our technicians can remove smoke residues from the exterior and interior surfaces of the house. Since these residues usually give off smoke odors, we can deodorize the building using Ultra Low Volume (ULV) foggers or hydroxyl machines to eliminate the malodors.

SERVPRO of Minnetonka has what it takes to clean up your Saint Paul, Minnetonka or Osseo home after a fire. Contact us today at (952) 473-4837 for help. We’re Faster To Any Size Disaster.

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Stop Suffering From Fire Damage in Your Minneapolis Home

7/3/2019 (Permalink)

Fire damage in Minneapolis can be arduous is not dealt with correctly. Call SERVPRO today for help.

Fire Damage Aftermath Pack-Out Beneficial at Your Minneapolis Residence

The first views you have of your Minneapolis home after the firefighters leave can be devastating. Soot covered walls and inches of dirty water shock, but the most heartbreaking moments are when you see the damage to pictures, mementos, books, toys, and other treasured items. Appropriate cleaning and painting can make the grime on surfaces disappear. Our specialized content technicians can work wonders with your personal possessions as well.

There are as many ways to approach fire damage in Minneapolis as there are structural components, fixtures, furnishings, household goods, and other items in your home. Our Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Reconstruction Certification (IICRC)-trained technicians are highly skilled and able to deep clean, disinfect, and deodorize the spaces and surfaces in your house. Innovative techniques and specialized equipment available at our headquarters can do the same for packed-out items.

A SERVPRO pack-out uses our Contents Claim Inventory Service (CCIS), a secure and detailed protocol that documents damaged items through pictures, list, and barcodes. CCIS permits us to add data at evaluation, during restoration, and after our efforts to track the articles for our customers and their insurance companies. We act as a liaison between you and your carrier, ensuring that claims compensate promptly and accurately.

The despair felt when you first reviewed the damage to the packed-out items lifts when you realize how well research-based cleaning and restoration techniques work on your property. Freeze-drying removes firefighting water damage from books, photos, and documents. Immersion and ultrasonic tubs dislodge soot and other residues from intricately detailed decor and household essentials like window blinds. SERVPRO resources include dry cleaning and industrial washer and drying systems for window coverings, fabrics, and other soft items. That collection of stuffed animals or dolls your children or grandchildren mourned often returns cleaned and refreshed to greet them when the project winds up.

A pack-out allows our on-site technicians to move even more efficiently than usual through your fire-damaged home. Water removal, wall and ceiling cleaning, and structural drying and deodorization move forward with fewer complications when furniture and boxes of dirty and wet possessions receive remediation elsewhere.

SERVPRO of Minnetonka can help make it “Like it never even happened.” for both your home and possessions after fire damage. Call (952) 473-4837 day or night. We are ready to help you through the stress and trauma of fire damage mitigation and remediation.

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Our Specialists Can Help Prevent Fire Damage To Your Minneapolis Home

6/25/2019 (Permalink)

When fire damage does happen, call us at (952) 473-4837, and we send out qualified mitigation specialists.

Preventing Fire Damage In Your Minneapolis Residence

Fires can happen anywhere, including when you leave your home unoccupied. A quick trip to the store can end terribly when you return to see fire trucks swarmed around your Minneapolis house. This scenario does not put you and your family in the same risks families experience when a fire starts during the night. While your smoke detector hopefully wakes you, the smoke can make escaping extremely difficult. Flames can take over your entire house when no one is there to call for help.

Our goal is to help families in Minneapolis prevent fire damage, and where it affects homes, to mitigate the situation, so those properties become safe to live in again. The best way to deal with fire damage is by preventing it from happening.

During the summer months, many families enjoy outdoor cooking on the grill or fire pit. Grills put away when still holding hot coals can cause stored chemicals in the garage to ignite. Fireworks stored for Independence Day celebrations can turn into problems when young children locate them and then mishandle them inside the home by trying to light them. Electrical hazards develop when using tools outside with the cords laid in the driveway can later create hot spots when using the tool inside the house.

Waiting until your grill cools off completely before rolling the unit into the garage keeps combustible liquids from getting hot enough to burn. Keeping combustible liquids in a cabinet or shelving area away from other items can also help. Installing a smoke detector in the garage can also alert you of a fire before it grows too large.

Explaining to children about lighters and matches and their inherent dangers can help prevent fires caused by curious youngsters. However, placing both fire starters and fireworks well out of reach and out of range even if chairs get pushed up against tall cabinets can work wonders at avoiding tempting situations.

Keeping cords in good condition and replacing damaged ones effectively stops fires and electrical shocks from hurting anyone. Always check the gauge of the wires before replacing them to avoid damaging the tool.

SERVPRO of Minnetonka wants to remind families in Osseo, Groveland, and Isanti to install smoke alarms in strategic locations in your house and check the battery monthly. You should choose a family member's birthday or anniversary as the date to install new batteries, to keep them fresh. When fire damage does happen, call us at (952) 473-4837, and we send out qualified mitigation specialists.

For more about Minneapolis click here.

How to Eliminate Fire Damage Remnants in Your St. Paul Home

5/18/2019 (Permalink)

Smoke odors can linger if not cleaned the correct way. Contact SERVPRO today for remediation techniques.

Smoke Damages in Fabrics of Your St. Paul Home

Smoke is a common issue when St. Paul homes contend with fire loss incidents. While smoke is not always the first symptom addressed, especially in situations where severe structural damage has occurred, it is still a challenging obstacle for even seasoned restoration specialists to overcome to return your property to preloss condition. Our technicians have unique training and experience in this department, both receiving training to obtain accreditation from the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC) organization and years of hands-on experience in the field recovering fire loss situations.

We understand that there is no time to waste when mitigating and restoring fire damage in St. Paul homes, and that is why our professionals stay prepared for these emergencies 24 hours a day. With advanced equipment to address smoke damages, we can clean up both residues and remove lingering odors permanently that exist in open spaces and what has permeated into materials near to the ignition site.

Fabrics are naturally absorbent to smoke odors and charring scents that exist after fires have gotten extinguished in your house. The Contents Department of our SERVPRO team can go through the property in our initial inspection and remove many of these at-risk items and belongings to better protect them from these harsh odors and lingering effects like soot and smoke residues. Additionally, this process can help to introduce these removed items to efficient deodorization processes to thoroughly remove these smells from the items.

For fabrics and soft materials that must remain in place, we can both protect these areas from direct exposure with containment, but also have effective solutions to remove harsh smells that already exist. From our UV and thermal foggers to our ozone machines, we have advanced tools to address odors on site. We can also utilize dry cleaning equipment and processes to clean soot/smoke residues and help to reduce the presence of these odors.

While there are many effects to contend with after a fire moves through your home, our SERVPRO of Minnetonka professionals have the training and tools to handle it. Give our professionals a call at (952) 473-4837 to make fire damage effects “Like it never even happened.”

Click here for more information about the city of St. Paul.

Successful Stories You Didn’t Know About Minneapolis Fire Damage Remediation

4/7/2019 (Permalink)

Fire damage and its components, residues and debris, need to be removed to prevent odors from lingering. Call SERVPRO 24/7 365 days a year.

What Determines a Good Method During Fire Cleanup in Minneapolis

When there is a fire in your Minneapolis property, the heat, smoke, and other aspects of the fire leave considerable damages. Even if you manage to call firefighters in time or put out the fire on your own, the damages left might require a professional had to restore the property to its preloss state. We clean up affected areas, replace materials, deodorize the area and deal with any other damage “Like it never even happened.”

Evaluating the type of damage left is a crucial step during fire cleanup in Minneapolis. Fires can leave massive smoke deposits necessitating extra cleaning effort, or many scorched surfaces necessitating restoration. Smoke also falls into different categories such as wet or dry smoke necessitating different approaches during cleanup. Our SERVPRO technicians rely on their extensive training in fire and smoke restoration to determine the best approaches.

Dry smoke is produced by fires burning organic materials such as wood, paper and natural fibers like wool. Restoring areas affected by dry smoke should be simpler because it does not stain materials like wet smoke and is also less pungent. However, since the fires producing dry smoke are usually hotter, incidences of scorched surfaces are likely to be higher. Our SERVPRO technicians wipe off the residue with professional cleaning agents. We also use advanced cleaning methods such as soda blasting which helps lift off burnt residue from surfaces without damaging the underlying material.

Wet smoke is a common outcome in fires involving synthetic materials like plastic. Even in the absence of synthetics, an oxygen-starved or smoldering fire is likely to produce wet smoke. These residues penetrate deep into materials leading to staining. Convection currents are also low in such fires, so the smoke floats around working its way into crevices and concealed spaces. In such cases, our SERVPRO technicians focus on deodorization and removal of severely affected materials. We combine different techniques including chemical containment, vapor odor control and thermal fogging.

In case of a fire in your property, call SERVPRO of Minnetonka County to help you figure out the best cleanup method. You can reach us at (952) 473-4837. We’re Faster To Any Size Disaster.

Click here for more information about the city of Minneapolis.

Fire Prevention is Key to Keeping Your Minneapolis Home Safe

2/18/2019 (Permalink)

Fire departments respond to an average of one residential property fire every 88 seconds. - wow!

Fire Damage Restoration for Your Minneapolis Home

Fire prevention in your Minneapolis home is almost entirely about fire prevention. As a fire burns, it consumes and damages everything that it comes into contact with, or even gets close to. The tendrils of soot and smoke travel throughout your home and do their damage. The best way to protect your property from fire is to practice fire prevention.

When your home in Minneapolis has experienced a fire and fire damage of any size, it is essential to handle the cleanup and repair as soon as the fire is out. Settled smoke and soot is acidic and continues to do damage to your property until it is cleaned. That is why contacting us at SERVPRO is the right choice, as we work fast and efficiently to get your home restored to its condition before the fire.

Because of the smoke and soot left behind, once everything else is cleaned and repaired, SERVPRO techs also need to deodorize your home. Removing the debris and odor source is the first step. Then we can clean the surfaces which have odor-causing residues on them. We then distribute a deodorize to the affected surfaces to rid your home of the odors.

The first step to protecting your family and property is to install smoke alarms on each level of your home and inside bedrooms. These alarms should be tested each month, and if they are not working, change the batteries right away. Plan out and talk to your family about a fire escape plan and practice it two times a year. If a fire does occur, get out and stay out, then call for help. Do not ever go back inside for anyone or anything.

Kitchens are the most common room where fires start. When you are cooking, make sure you are alert. Stay in the kitchen while you are grilling, frying, broiling, or boiling food. If you are baking, simmering or roasting food, check on it regularly and stay in the kitchen while food is cooking. Use a timer to remind you that you have food cooking. Also make sure to keep anything which can catch fire such as wooden utensils, oven mitts, curtains, towels, or food packaging away from your stovetop.

Make sure your home’s electrical system is up to date and well maintained. Proper maintenance needs to be done for fireplaces, chimneys, and furnaces as well, and make sure that any heating devices are used according to instructions.

SERVPRO of Minnetonka understands that fire and fire damage in your home in Isanti, Minnetonka or Groveland is stressful, and we strive to restore your home as quickly as we can. Once the fire is out, reach out to us by dialing (952) 473-4837 so we can help you and your family get your safe home back.

For more on Minneapolis, click here.

Fire Damage Restoration: How Our Experts Can Restore Your Minneapolis Home

10/30/2018 (Permalink)

Fires inside the home can be a terrifying ordeal.

We Can Handle Fire Damage Restoration In Minneapolis

Fires inside the home can be a terrifying ordeal. Flames, smoke, and ash can destroy many of your personal belongings and can also damage floors, carpets, and furniture inside the house. Once firefighters extinguish fires, dirt, debris, and strong smoke odors can remain inside the structure. We’re Faster to Any Size Disaster, which is why calling us can be helpful.

SERVPRO professional fire damage teams in Minneapolis are certified and can restore your house if possible. The techs may employ fans, and top-grade air scrubbing and fogging equipment to eliminate heavy smoke odors fast. Plus, the crew can use industrial cleaning products to remove ash, soot, and debris from the affected surfaces such as your ceilings, counter-tops, walls, and floors. The team may also apply odor removal deodorants to remove smoke odors from materials affected by the flames such as upholstery, curtains, and carpeting.

In some cases, we may need to utilize portable ozone machine to get rid of offensive and lingering smoke odors. Ozone machines use activated oxygen to neutralize and eliminate strong smells and to purify the atmosphere inside the structure. If we employ this type of equipment, all occupants and any pets inside the structure must leave the house until the job is complete due to the strong chemicals. You can rely on us to make sure the air quality inside your home is safe when you return.

If necessary, the team can perform minor repairs to secure the structure such as boarding a window or door or covering and sealing a hole in the roof. Securing the home can help prevent human and wildlife intruders from invading your house. If significant repairs are necessary, SERVPRO can assist you in finding a general contractor to do the repairs. The crew can also remove burned or charred contents from the structure like carpeting, tables, chairs, clothing, and drapes. The technicians can clean, sanitize and store any materials they remove from the house and keep them in a safe storage area on or off-site until the job is complete.

SERVPRO of Minnetonka offers fast and reliable fire damage restoration that can return your home to its preloss condition. Contact us at (952) 473-4837 any time of the day or night. We are close by and here to help.

Click here for more about Minneapolis.

A Professional Approach to Fire damage in Minneapolis

9/7/2018 (Permalink)

Our SERVPRO team has the skills and training to restore your home from fire damage.

Trust SERVPRO to Take Care of Your Home After Fire Damage Strikes

Damage caused by fire is varied. Different surfaces, textures, and materials react in different ways to the extreme temperature which makes restoration a nuanced and complex job. Using the wrong cleaning materials can at best, spread soot and smoke residues. At worst, it can cause further damage and require expensive replacement. After a blaze has been contained, there is the added risk of secondary water damage.

Properties that have fallen victim to fire damage in Minneapolis should be pre-tested before any work begins. A pre-test can be carried out by a qualified SERVPRO fire technician who can measure affected areas for smoke damage. Although, smoke damage is visible, there are many different types which depend on the materials that burned.

Wet smoke, for example, burns at a low temperature and comes from synthetic materials that could be in appliances, lampshades or fabrics. This smoke, produced from melting plastics, has a pungent smell leaving behind thick, oily markings on walls and ceilings. Dry smoke, on the other hand, comes from natural materials like wood and paper leaving behind a powdery sooted texture.

A SERVPRO technician can conduct a pre-test that looks for different types of smoke residue. A pre-test allows us to decide on the correct method of restoration as well as products that we should use to restore your items to pre-fire standards. Using a combination of wet cleaning and dry cleaning allows us to provide a professional focus to each affected area and guarantee the best results.

A fire restoration service by SERVPRO is two-fold. The first is your contents which can be removed, tested and restored. The second is the structure itself, which involves removing soot and smoke residue from your walls, ceilings, and permanent fittings. We can restore your walls, so they are ready for repainting, as well as your floors, windows and, where possible, fabrics.

The final step is to deodorize. Burning materials leave thick smells that are not cleanable with regular fresheners. Our equipment neutralizes the odor particles rather than merely covering the smell. This approach is especially important when tackling synthetics which can release toxins when subjected to fire.

Locally Owned Company with National Resources

If your home is in need of restoration following a fire, SERVPRO of Minnetonka is just a phone call away. Get help from a company with 40 years experience in fire restoration by dialing (952) 473-4837 today.

For more on Minneapolis, click here.

Why Cleaning is Critical During Fire Damage Restoration in Minneapolis

7/28/2018 (Permalink)

Cleaning fire damage residues on items is not as simple as spraying and wiping down. Contact SERVPRO so that we can use our many effective techniques.

SERVPRO Technicians Understand Effective Techniques to Clean Residues

After a fire damage incident, it is understandable for any homeowner to be stressed. Such traumatic events disrupt your professional or personal lives, and there is need to work closely with a restoration service provider as you work towards returning your Minneapolis property to its earlier state. It all starts by identifying what is restorable and performing emergency services to limit further damage.

Cleaning is one of the services that our SERVPRO team offers when attending to fire damage events in Minneapolis. One of our goals is to reduce the fire damage claims. Remember, if you do not act quickly, you might end up with expensive options such as replacing restorable items and resurfacing parts of your structure. We are going to look at some of the principles of cleaning that we use when restoring your materials.

Starting from the location where the fire originated from, our SERVPRO technicians carefully inspect the site. During the inspection, we identify the various kinds of residues, and this helps us to come up with an effective cleaning method. The cleaning process we choose should remove the smoke residues efficiently and not cause any damage to the surface.

There are four essential elements we take into consideration to suspend and remove the smoke residues: temperature, agitation, time and chemical action. Our SERVPRO technicians understand that chemical reactions increase as the temperature increases and thus we are keen to select an appropriate degree of heat that corresponds well with our cleaning solution of choice. If we want to dislodge smoke particles and distribute cleaning product on areas, we can use agitation. In this process, we can use sonic vibrations, water and air pressure, brushes and towels.

Digesting, changing pH, oxidizing, dissolving, bleaching and emulsifying are some of the chemical actions we take into consideration when cleaning your property. Depending on the action we desire, we select a proper cleaning product. Time is also critical during restoration, and it is dependent on the type of cleaning solutions we use and residues at the site.

At SERVPRO of Minnetonka, We're Faster To Any Size Disaster whether it is mold, storm, water and fire damage in both residential and commercial properties. Call us at (952) 473-4837 if you need more details on our industry proven services.

Click here for more information on the city of Minneapolis.

Accidentally Leaving Your Stove On Can Cause A Fire In Your Minneapolis Home

7/25/2018 (Permalink)

Accidentally leaving your stove on, after you finish cooking, is an unfortunately common way to set a fire in your home.

Leaving Your Stove On Can Cause A Fire

There are many things inside of your home that can cause fire damage. Some of them are even objects that you use every day of your life, such as your stove. At first glance, they are merely a part of your home and nothing to worry over, as they should be. However, if these devices are misused, they can cause a fire. Accidentally leaving your stove on, after you finish cooking, is an unfortunately common way to set a fire in your home.

Detecting a burning odor and hearing your smoke alarm in your Minneapolis home are significant indications that fire damage is occurring. The bacon grease left in your pan from cooking breakfast has caught fire and then spread to your nearby paper towel roll and cooking ingredients. By the time you use the fire extinguisher to smother the flames, your cupboards and belongings have already been covered in soot. Additionally, whatever foodstuffs were in the area have been burnt up by the fire.

At first glance, the damage may seem like something you can handle at home. Afterall, it has mostly been caused by smoke. However, only professionals, like SERVPRO, know specifically what cleaning method to use on the remains of a fire.

Soot adheres at a high temperature but selecting a method of remediation also depends on the temperature of the surface area. SERVPRO knows precisely how to remediate the fire damage left behind in your home. Our technicians can carefully investigate your kitchen and figure out what cleaning methods to use. In fact, we may have to use more than one as it is common for multiple types of soot and staining to be left behind. To handle the soot, we can use lubricative, chemical, or abrasive cleaning techniques.

Here at SERVPRO, we always strive to return your home to its preloss state, and it begins with ridding your home of every reminder of the fire, including scent. We can use advanced tools, such as air scrubbers, to handle the foul odor that fire leaves behind. The device uses HEPA filters to pull the odorous particles out of the air and neutralize them before filtering the newly cleaned air back out. Once our specialists are satisfied with the quality of the remediation, our job is done.

Do not let the potential embarrassment of an accident cause you to hesitate. Reach out to SERVPRO of Minnetonka by calling (952) 473-4837. Day or night, we are always open to take your call.

Click here for more about Minneapolis.

We Offer Fire Damage Restoration for Your Minneapolis Home

5/10/2018 (Permalink)

SERVPRO can help save damaged contents and restore your home after fire damage.

Call SERVPRO ASAP to Restore Your Home and Minimize the Damage after a Fire

House fires in a home can be dangerous and frightening at the same time. Acting quickly is key to salvaging your home and belongings. Getting out of the house quickly and calling your local fire department is the best way to minimize structural damage. Also, contacting fire damage restoration specialists right away is the best way to restore the affected area. Plus, calling professionals can help save many of your belongings that were not lost in the fire.

SERVPRO technicians are experienced in fire damage cleanup in Minneapolis. They arrive at your residence ready to conduct a full inspection. Luckily, the firemen put out the fire rather quickly. Thankfully, damage to the structure of your home and to most of the belongings stored in the attic is minimal. However, it is unfortunate that there is much smoke in the attic and soot on the walls, floor, and ceiling. Our technicians are trained to remove unsalvageable items such as burned-out boxes, charred furniture, and ruined clothing. Saved items are cleaned, sanitized and preserved.

We suggest that you do not wash or wipe down the walls, floor or ceiling. Leave that to our expert fire damage team. Also, try not to turn on the lights or ceiling fans because the electrical wiring may be damaged. We also suggest that if any clothing has smoke damage that you allow us to clean them for you because normal laundering or dry cleaning will not eliminate strong smoke odors. You can rely on us to thoroughly inspect the entire attic to determine the level of damage, which includes fire, smoke and soot damage. SERVPRO technicians can perform minor repairs such as boarding a missing window to protect the affected area of the home. For big carpenter jobs, we call a general contractor.

Our certified SERVPRO team is well experienced in fire damage restoration. Industrial air scrubbers, fans, and fogging equipment quickly remove offensive smoke odors. Also, industrial cleansers wash soot and dirt from the walls, floors, and ceiling. Items affected by the fire are cleaned with our powerful and effective odor removal products that neutralize and fully remove pungent and lingering smoke odors.

When possible, SERVPRO of Minnetonka can restore your fire damaged home to its preloss condition. It is our goal to make you feel “Like it never even happened.” Contact us 24/7 at (952) 473-4837.

Click here for more on Minneapolis.

What to Do When a Fire Has Left Behind Damage in Your Minneapolis Property

3/15/2018 (Permalink)

Fire and smoke can not only discolor but damage the structure of your home. Contact SERVPRO after a fire for expert remediation and clean up.

SERVPRO Technicians Employ Proper Techniques to Remediate Fire Damage in Your Home

From the first blaze onwards, the fire damage that is left behind can be dizzying. The trouble with a fire occurring is that it can cause multiple types of damage to your property and not only structural damage. While it can be overwhelming to learn that fire can cause such extensive damage, it is fortunate that help is nearby to take care of the damage for you.

We are close by, and we understand how to help. Our skilled technicians know how to identify the correct solution to the fire damage left on your Minneapolis property. We arrive within hours on the scene and start the mitigation process in your home. After all, the quicker the damage is seen to might just reduce further loss and therefore the cost associated with it.

Structural damage is one of the most prominent impacts of a fire, but a less apparent effect is the extent that smoke can damage items all over your home. Smoke carries soot with it, and that soot attaches itself to everything that it can reach. It can cause an unpleasant odor, discolor your belongings, and ruin them in extreme cases. Truthfully, smoke damage can impact many of your belongings, including that of clothes, curtains, carpets, artwork, and electronics.

However, depending on the extent of the damage, our SERVPRO technicians might be able to restore these items by employing multiple cleaning techniques. If an item is salvageable, we can revive it through restoration, and then return it to you in its preloss condition after thorough cleaning. We can employ these same techniques to the smoke damage in your home that has left behind discoloration, odors, and greasy soot. Depending on the extent of the fire damage, SERVPRO can accomplish a successful cleaning and restoration.

If a fire occurs on your property, do not wait. 24/7, you can call SERVPRO of Minnetonka at (952) 473-4837 to receive the help you need. Let us come and restore your home to its preloss condition.

Click here for more information about the city of Minneapolis.

Fire Damage In Oak Knoll

1/3/2018 (Permalink)

The cost to restore a home after such a disaster primarily comes from cleaning smoke and soot residues.

Dealing With Fire Damage

Most fires in Oak Knoll do not destroy the entire structure. The cost to restore a home after such a disaster primarily comes from cleaning smoke and soot residues. One of the more difficult aspects to removing residues is the odor molecules that they leave in every home and on the property inside.

Eliminating the odors from Oak Knoll fire damage can be an extensive process, depending on the type of affected property and how deep the odor molecules have gotten into it. To neutralize them, SERVPRO has developed a set of three methods we call Multiple-Phase Odor Control.

Chemical Containment is the first phase. The goal here is to keep odor molecules from turning into a vapor and escaping the air. To interrupt the process, our technicians spray a deodorizing agent directly onto any smoke and soot residues. The chemical forms a barrier which stops or at least slows evaporation.

Next is Vapor Odor Control. Restoration specialists release a deodorizing vapor to counteract and smoke and soot molecules already in the air. SERVPRO has a variety of granular agents with different, pleasant odors in our inventory. We release them immediately after starting Containment.

Thermal Fogging is our most technical phase. Technicians use a portable, heated, fog machine to disperse solvent-based deodorizing agents. The heat generated breaks down the agent into particles the same size as the odor molecules. The two types of molecules bond together, which changes the chemical composition of both and neutralizes the odor completely.

The fog generated evaporates within several hours and leaves almost no moisture, which prevents surface staining. That makes thermal fogging an ideal method for personal property like curtains, drapes, and upholstery. It is also excellent to neutralize odors trapped in drywall and other building materials.

Every set of odors is different, and may not require each phase to eliminate them. Our restoration crew checks each item after phases one and two to make sure that moving to the next is necessary.

Removing odors from your home may seem like an after-thought compared to disposing of damaged property and replacing melted, kitchen countertops. A lingering odor though is just that. It stays in your home and does not go away on its own. If you have a smoke odor or any other damage to your home, SERVPRO of Minnetonka is here to help. Call us today at (952) 473-4837 to schedule an inspection.

Click here for more about Oak Knoll.

Liquids That Can Cause Fire Damage in Minnetonka Mills Homes

11/3/2017 (Permalink)

If you are using lighter fluid on your grill, it is important to soak the coals before lighting them and not after.

You Can Help Prevent Fire Damage by Staying Aware of Flammable Liquids in Your Home

Many homeowners in Minnetonka Hills are already familiar with the many safety hazards within their homes, including burst pipes, weak electrical systems, burning candles, and more. However, there are some that are often ignored but present a severe risk for fire damage when they come into contact with a flame. These include flammable liquids that may be lying around your house.

In the event of an accidental spill, leading to severe fire damage in Minnetonka Mills, SERVPRO has got you covered. Our IICRC-certified technicians can come in quickly to mitigate the damage and restore your property to preloss condition, "Like it never even happened." We use industry-standard tools and techniques in every restoration job, ensuring that you retain the value of your home after the event.

Nail polish remover is one of the most ignored causes of fire damage with which SERVPRO has dealt. The liquid contains acetone, which is very flammable. When a nearby flame (e.g. from a burning candle or gas stove) comes in contact with the polish remover, it can cause a fire that may in turn spread to your upholstery and other materials.

The rubbing alcohol in your medicine cabinet is also flammable and tends to vaporize quickly. At SERVPRO, we receive numerous cases of fire damage resulting from people pouring the liquid over fabrics to eliminate bedbugs. Gasoline, turpentine, and paint thinner are also possible causes of house fires. One reason for this is improper storage in the garage. Filling glass jars with gasoline, for instance, risks them falling and breaking, creating a spark that may lead to a huge fire.

Many backyard grill masters use charcoal lighter fluid to light up the coals quickly. However, it is easy to create an uncontrollable flame on the grill, causing extensive fire damage in the process. It is advisable to douse the coals before lighting them (not after) - when the briquettes are cold. Additionally, avoid spraying anything on the grill that is not recognized charcoal lighter fluid.

Home fires are not something most homeowners would like to think about. When it happens, SERVPRO of Minnetonka is there to help. We are a trusted leader in the restoration industry and provide 24/7 emergency services for local residents and neighboring towns. For any assistance, call us today at (952) 473-4837.

For more information on fire prevention in Minnetonka Mills, click here.

Which Rooms In Oak Knoll Homes Are Most At Risk Of Fire Damage?

9/22/2017 (Permalink)

We have the right tools and equipment to restore your fire damage "Like it never even happened."

Prevent Your Oak Knoll Home From Fire Damage

It is a sobering fact that home fires are a danger in any Oak Knoll home. American fire departments respond to over 350,000 home structure fires every single year, and household fires account for three-quarters of all structural blazes tackled. SERVPRO understands that it is hard to think about home fires and the potential for fire damage – after all, no one wants to face a blaze in their home. However, understanding more about the risks helps householders take preventative steps.

The rooms in Oak Knoll homes that are most at risk of fire damage are kitchens. More fires begin in the kitchen than in any other room and are often caused by grease or cooking fires. That is why you should never leave cooking food unattended, and should always clean up grease as soon as it spills, so it cannot ignite.

We also recommend keeping a fire blanket and a wet chemical extinguisher in or beside the kitchen. Wet chemical extinguishers cannot be used on electrical fires but are safe for use on grease fires, while fire blankets can be used to smother small pan fires before they get out of hand.

Wood stoves and fireplaces are the second leading cause of household blazes, which is why SERVPRO recommends homeowners with those heating sources take precautions such as regular cleaning and maintenance.

Fire safety awareness is of particular importance at this time of year. The American Red Cross states that home fires are most likely to occur in the fall and winter, particularly in December and January. Fires are also more likely at the weekends. Although we all hope to avoid such a disaster, it is better to be prepared.

In the event of a fire, our IICRC-certified technicians are on hand to help with soot and smoke cleanup. We rub and scrub every surface and use powerful washers and spot cleaning on soft furnishings and upholstery. We also deodorize your home to get rid of lingering soot smells.

Locally Owned Company with National Resources

For help with soot cleanup in Groveland, Oak Knoll, Glen Lake and surrounding areas, call SERVPRO of Minnetonka at (952) 473-4837 for assistance.

For more information regarding the city of Minnetonka, click here.

Using Ozone Machines After Fire Damage in Groveland to Remove Soot Odors

8/14/2017 (Permalink)

Soot odor can linger long after a house fire, ozone machines can get rid of the odor once and for all.

Getting Rid of Soot Odors after Fire Damage

Any Groveland homeowner who is unfortunate enough to face a house fire of any size knows that the lingering smell of soot is unpleasant. We at SERVPRO see this all the time in our work – even after restoration is complete and the affected area is thoroughly cleaned, the smell of soot often lingers and is very distressing for homeowners.

In some cases, the best way to remove smoke smells after fire damage in Groveland is a piece of equipment called an ozone machine. Ozone machines are odor removal powerhouses. They are capable of removing even pungent soot odors and making a home smell fresh and clean once more.

There is only one drawback of ozone machines, and that is that we cannot use them in places where there are people, plants or pets. That means that they are not suitable for use in fire restoration situations where you are still living in your home during cleaning. However, if you have to move out for a few days during restoration, ozone is an ideal solution for post-fire smells.

Ozone is a naturally occurring gas. Ozone occurs after lightning strikes or during thunderstorms and is responsible for the fresh, clean smell you notice in the air after a storm passes.

Ozone is also known as nature’s deodorizer due to its ability to remove unpleasant smells. SERVPRO uses it in fire restoration situations because it has a powerful deodorizing effect on lingering soot smells.

How does ozone act as a deodorizer? It is a straightforward process. Ozone is an unstable molecule, and it reacts quickly to other molecules when it comes into contact with them. The extra oxygen atom in the ozone binds to odor particles and destroys them. This chemical reaction takes the molecules apart and thus gets rid of the smell.

We train our IICRC-certified technicians to apply ozone with due care and attention. We properly contain the affected area, and our team knows just how much ozone to apply for maximum effect.

Because ozone has a short life, your home is safe to inhabit very soon after the treatment is complete.

For situations where it seems impossible to get rid of that lingering smell, ozone is a powerful solution.

For help dealing with the cleanup after a fire, call SERVPRO of Minnetonka at (952) 473-4837 for help.

To learn more about Groveland, visit http://www.grovelandmn.com/.

Protection Against Fire Damage Throughout The Groveland Area

6/19/2017 (Permalink)

Having a fire in your home can be both mentally and physically exhausting.

Protection Against Fire Damage

Having a fire in your home can be both mentally and physically exhausting. You watch as your property gets consumed by flames, wondering how difficult it might be, or if it is at all possible to recover. Unfortunately, putting the flames out is only the beginning.

When facing fire damage in your Groveland area home, avoid taking chances, limit interaction, and make the call for help. You are not a contractor or a multi-faceted do-it-yourself jack-of-all-trades, and you do not have to be. Highly trained restoration specialists are only a phone call away, stay out of harm's way and leave your homes recovery to the professionals.

SERVPRO sends highly qualified IICRC certified fire restoration technicians that understand how fire affects the contents of your home. We have the equipment, experience, and training necessary to remove excess moisture left behind by firefighters, address damages, and perform repairs to restore your home to a quality pre-damage condition.

SERVPRO uses a variety of cleaning and deodorization methods to remove particles that attach themselves to your walls and other surfaces throughout the progress of the fire. We treat every area, surface, and belonging found in your home with the utmost care. Using every method in our arsenal to tackle even the smallest job to help limit losses you experience and prevent additional damages from forming in the future.

SERVPRO technicians take the time to explain each service in detail so that you understand what is happening in your home. If you are unavailable, we keep you updated with regular progress reports and contact you immediately should anything change as your restoration moves forward. We understand how challenging these situations can be, and do our best to provide you with the quality solutions you deserve.

You can trust that we make every effort to provide you with the services you deserve. Our certifications, licensing, training, equipment, and experience give your home an exceptional chance of recovering with limited disruptions to your everyday routine. Contact SERVPRO of Minnetonka for all of your fire damage restoration needs. We provide you with the help you need when you need it. Call today (952) 473-4837.

For more information regarding Groveland visit https://mn.gov/portal/.

When You have Fire Damage in Groveland

3/20/2017 (Permalink)

Groveland Fire Damage Needs SERVPRO for Cleanup

Call SERVPRO to Restore Your Groveland Home Damaged by Fire

Fire can happen in any home and be caused by many different things. Malfunctioning appliances are one of the leading causes of house fires in the United States. Elements can overheat, cords that have frayed can spark and ignite flammable materials nearby, and plugs that are only partially connected to outlets can all start fires that spread quickly in a home.

Groveland homes that have fire damage should be restored as soon as possible. Along with fire damage, any water used to extinguish the fire can create problems of its own. Even small amounts of water from a small fire can become problematic. SERVPRO can look to see how much damage exists in your home in a short amount of time. When we look in a home to determine the level of fire damage, we also take into consideration that other types of damage are also highly likely.

Fire damage often affects homes severely, even if the surface seems to be only slightly damaged. Fire damage includes scorching, which is very visible, and also weakening of internal structures from the high heat produced by the fire. While a wall in your home may seem fine because the fire never touched it, the beams inside could be damaged. Interior support beams that never caught fire but instead smoldered are an underlying reason that fires often re-ignite long after the firefighters have left the scene.

Structural components in your home may be out of sight, but they should be given the attention they deserve. They hold your house together, and without them, your walls would soon collapse, your floors would sag and cave in, and your roof would allow rain, snow, and pesky animals to enter at will. When we locate such damage, we can replace the affected beams and other supports so that your home remains safe.

When fire damage covers a much larger area, we can restore these areas, also. No job is too small, nor too large for us to complete. Call us, SERVPRO of Minnetonka at (952) 473-4837, when your home has had a fire of any size.

Fire Damage in Oak Knoll Homes might be Extensive even from Small, Contained Fires

12/16/2016 (Permalink)

It's always best to keep an eye on any lit candles in the home. If a small fire does start, exercise safety precautions and then call SERVPRO!

It Can be Hard to Deal with Fire Damage without Professional Technicians by Your Side

House fires during the holiday season are on many people's minds, although they can happen any time of the year. Public announcements on television warn about being careful about the placement of certain decorations and the dangers of leaving lights on when nobody is at home to supervise them. These same cautions should hold true all year long.

When Oak Knoll residents have small fires in their homes, they are often surprised by the amount of fire damage caused. Small fires can cause extensive damage, throughout a home, in a very short time if they are in an area where there are items that will create heavy smoke, ash, and soot when burned. The airborne particles can spread quickly to every other part of your home, even if the fire never spreads to those areas.

Fire damage can also include melted plastics that have dripped onto other surfaces. Some surfaces can be restored more easily than others, depending on what they are made of. Some surfaces, such as fabrics, might not be able to be restored on-site. Some, such as carpeting, might need to be repaired by one of our carpet repair and restoration technicians. The same is true of upholstered furniture.

This is one of the reasons why it is so important to be highly cautious with lights and candles around artificial trees. Made of plastic, they are hard to catch on fire, but not impossible. Before burning, they will melt, and also release toxic gasses. One of the components found in older trees, as well as the cord used for most lights, including newer ones, is lead. This can be very toxic around young children and babies. However, when these melt, they can create shock hazards with their now-exposed wiring.

SERVPRO professionals can help clean up such messes, and also give you pointers on how to avoid similar problems in the future. It is not always a candle that starts a fire. It can be combinations of other things that also pose hazards during the winter months.

When you need a helping hand cleaning up fire damage in your home, call us, SERVPRO of Minnetonka at (952) 473-4837. We have the training to handle any situation, large or small, that has threatened to take over your home. Call us anytime, 24/7, and we will take care of your emergency situations professionally.

Homes can be Restored Completely after Fire Damage

8/21/2016 (Permalink)

Call SERVPRO today to remediate any type of Fire Damage!

SERVPRO Handles the Remediation Process From Inspecting the Damage to Paint and Flooring

We all make mistakes at one point or another, and sometimes accidents happen, even at home. If you've had the excitement of a small fire in your home recently, you'll most likely have been surprised at the amount of damage a small fire can cause. While you may have already cleaned up part of the damage, especially your personal belongings, damage to trim, carpeting, walls, floors, or anything else that is a part of your home's structure should be repaired and restored by professionals.

If you live in a rented home and have had fire damage in Minnetonka Mills, having professional restoration work done by those skilled in recreating your home's damaged interior is the best way to make sure you'll receive your deposit back when you move out. If you have insurance, either homeowner's, in the case of your own home, or renter's insurance, we can provide you with an inventory list that details which items are beyond repair or restoration.

As we conduct our inspection, we may find that internal beams have also been charred by the flames' heat. These should be replaced with new lumber prior to repairing any walls. Then we can continue the work with either paint or wallpaper, as well as moldings and rails. We can also repair any damaged carpets and area rugs, as well as hard floors. Wood, tile and other hard surfaces that cover your floor can be cleaned and refinished so that the fire damage is minimized to a great extent, and many times, be completely removed. It's always possible that fire damage may be so severe that it requires partial replacement of flooring, though, just as other interior structures can at times. We can handle any problems involving your floor, and we will always restore as much as we can before replacing the remainder.

Fire damage includes smoke and soot, and this can affect soft furnishings in your home. Drapes and curtains, as well as your upholstered furniture and heavier winter blankets, should all be cleaned by experts in the field. Don't throw these items away, as we are very adept at saving these kinds of items for many of our clients. We know how to dry them all the way through, so they won't rot or become a haven for mold in the future.

If you need help recovering from a small fire and its damage, please call SERVPRO of Minnetonka at (952) 473-4837. Answering our phones 24/7, we're here to lend an ear to your fire damage problem and get things back to how they should be again.

Fire Damage in Minneapolis--Leave it to the Professionals

5/3/2016 (Permalink)

SERVPRO Says a Smoke Detector Protects and Lessens Fire Damage in Your Minneapolis House

Why You Should Hire Professionals for Fire Damage Restoration in Minneapolis

It takes much experience and personnel to manage a fire damage restoration in Minneapolis. After a house fire, you may think that once the fire is out no danger remains behind. This is not true. Your home can have water damage from the fire extinguishing that can eventually lead to a mold infestation. Further, it can have smoke and soot damage that needs to be removed and cleaned thoroughly. Fire damage restoration operations are as complicated as the fire was extensive. Therefore, don't attempt this on your own.

Smoke, Soot, and Ash
Soot and smoke and ash pose a new danger to your fire damaged home in Minneapolis. They can corrode and coat appliances and other household items, leave a discoloration on fabrics and other materials, as well as linger powerful odors.

Certified Trained Professionals
Professional fire damage restoration companies in Minneapolis can remove smoke and fire damage before it leads to further permanent damage and more expense repairs and replacements. Consider only damage restoration companies in Minneapolis that are certified and trained according to the standards of IICRC fire restoration techniques. These technicians, SERVPRO being a premier company with such technical experts, can clean smoke and fire damage in Minneapolis if they are contacted right away. The response is immediate and within 4 hours an on-site inspection will be done to judge the fire damage and proper course of action for remediation.

Fire Damage Sets In Quickly
Ash from fires can discolor most surfaces. Any plastic materials begin to discolor in minutes. After several hours, fiberglass and other surface types start to yellow. Once a few days has passed, ash causes discoloration on walls, clothing, and furniture. Wood and vinyl materials need replacing or refinishing. Soot and ash begin to corrode metal within a few days. The acidic qualities of combustible materials can even etch glassware.

Permanent Damages
If you do not contact a professional within a few days, smoke and fire damage in your Minneapolis home could become permanent. All metals need to be replaced. Carpeting may become completely discolored. Odors may still be present and distracting. Ash is an acidic material, so it can break down other materials quickly.

What the Professional Do
Professional fire damage experts in Minneapolis identify all affected materials and the sources of odors. Next, they contain all the smoke and soot residue. HVAC systems will be cleaned and deodorized. Ozone machines, air scrubbers, and various fogging systems are utilized. Special sponges wipe up and clean the soot residue on hard surfaces. Whatever can be salvaged will be saved. Restoration is preferable to replacement. The skilled technicians from SERVPRO will remove all damaged debris and items. They restore your home to a pre-fire condition. "Like it never even happened."

Fast action will mitigate losses in time and money for you. When you need a fire damage restoration company in Minneapolis or the surrounding area, Call SERVPRO of Minnetonka at (952) 473-4837.

Why You Should Hire a Fire Damage Restoration Company for Your Eden Prairie Residence

10/20/2015 (Permalink)

SERVPRO Fire Damage Restoration Begins After the Flames Are Extinguished

SERVPRO's Fire Damage Restoration Process for Your Eden Prairie Home

Many residential property owners in Eden Prairie are aware of the devastating consequences of fire damage to their homes. Whether the fire started due to a natural disaster, poor safety procedures or electrical mishap, the event can entail an emotional upheaval and economic strain, for your entire household. However, calling a professional fire damage restoration company like SERVPRO to assist you with the restoration service can greatly limit costs while simultaneously keeping you calm and comfortable as the cleanup project is completed. Learn more about how fire restoration specialists can help simplify and expedite the remediation process by reviewing the following information.

Stress Relief should not be understated. A large benefit you'll receive from hiring a fire damage restoration company like SERVPRO is stress relief. Once a fire of any significance occurs at your home in Eden Prairie, you will likely find yourself subjected to a large amount of stress. First you must call your insurance agent to file an insurance claim. Then you should call SERVPRO so that we may coordinate the entire fire damage restoration process with your insurance adjuster. The two companies can compare notes after inspecting, and assessing the damage incurred and the restoration steps required to return your home to its pre-fire condition. Our fire damage restoration company will provide you with a CCIS, Contents Claim Inventory Service technology workup that inventories your possessions and property. We will categorize all objects as either salvageable, non-salvageable or questionable. This information allows you to detail easily an agreement with your adjuster on how to proceed.

Experience, Training, Equipment, and a Sense of Community make SERVPRO a leader in getting you safely and expediently back home.
Our fire damage remediation specialists complete IICRC certification to ensure that they are familiar with all of the latest and most effective cleaning and restorative methodologies. This accumulated knowledge and experience enables us to offer you the highest level of customer satisfaction.

Degrees of Damage will dictate the level of repair and restoration, time, and cost. We strive to clean household furnishings, art, photographs, and clothing either on site or at our cleaning headquarters. Secondary water damage is a huge factor concerning cleaning, drying, sanitizing, and deodorizing prior to the final restoration. The by-products of the fire, smoke and possibly soot, require specialized training, cleaning equipment, and chemicals for a successful outcome. From the initial water extraction through to the final repairs and restoration SERVPRO can offer a one stop shopping benefit to you. Less stress, less money spent, and less time away from your home in Eden Prairie. We also provide a final walk thru and inspection to guarantee your satisfaction with your restored home--like it never even happened.

Locally Owned, with National Resources

We are proud to be an active member of Eden Prairie. SERVPRO of Minnetonka is locally owned and operated so we’re already nearby and ready to help Eden Prairie and St. Paul residents and business owners with any-sized fire and smoke damage emergencies. Call for assistance. (952) 473-4837

Edina Smoke and Fire Damage - Get Your Fireplace Ready

7/26/2015 (Permalink)

Don't Allow Fire Damage to Your Edina Home Because of Your Fire Place

Prepare Your Fireplace to Thwart Smoke and Fire Damage in Edina

Edina smoke and fire damage occurs requently when the weather gets colder and the days get shorter. People retreat indoors to the warmth of their hearths and homes. If they have a fireplace, fall is a good time to make sure that the flue and chimney are in good working order, to avoid fire damage and smoke damage. here are a few important tips to help people make sure that their fireplace is ready for the upcoming winter season.

Checking from the Outside

People should assess their chimney from the outside. They should determine if it is leaning or if there are any chipped masonry joints or bricks. They should also look out for any holes or cracks.

Homeowners should also check for any stains, loose sections and corrosion if their chimney is made from factory-built metal. If the chimney is exposed to the attic, they should make sure to check there as well for any signs that repair needs to be done.

Install a Chimney Cap

A good cap can reduce water and wildlife damage to a chimney. Snow and water can enter an uncapped chimney and subsequently thaw and freeze causing expansion damage. Small wildlife can live in a chimney creating clogs and potentially introducing ticks, worms, fleas and other disease-causing pests to the house. A chimney cap that features screen mesh will keep wildlife out while protecting the roof from sparks and embers.

Check for Stains and Leaks

Inside the home, people should check the area around their fireplace for any dampness or stains. A damaged flue liner or a faulty flashing could cause all of these. If a homeowner sees signs of water around their chimney, they should call a professional immediately.

If their fireplace has grilles and louvers on the front, people should clean them as well. This is to keep the fan working and to prevent dust from gathering. Using a regular vacuum with a hose extension or a shop vacuum gets the job done.

Inspect the Flue

The fireplace flue is the duct that allows the gas, smoke and other waste to exit the house. It is vital for people to make sure that they inspect the flue for any signs of blockage. This is done to prevent any smoke and gas from returning to the house.

People should also not forget that creosote can build up in the fireplace flue and create a fire hazard. If they look up through the flue and cannot see light from above the house, it may be a sign that it is blocked, and they may need a professional to clear the flue blockage. If they can see light, people should simply clean the flue with a fireplace brush.

Replace Deteriorated or Broken Brick Lining

People should also not forget to check for any deteriorating or broken brick lining. Cracks found in the lining are not a major concern, but if the brick lining starts to deteriorate to the point that its steel body is exposed, people may permanently damage the structure due to heat from the flames.

Check the Gas Connection

If a homeowner has a gas-burning fireplace, it is important that they contact their local gas company and inspect the connection. People should have them inspect it for proper flow of gas and any leaks.

The Bottom Line

A fireplace is a beautiful addition to any house as it provides both ambiance and warmth for a homeowner and their guests over the cold months. However, it is important that a fireplace is working safely and efficiently. With regular maintenance, a fireplace can give people years of wonderful service.

In addition to fire, smoke, and soot damage, your Edina home may also suffer from water damage as a result of the firefighting efforts. This kind of damage is upsetting and causes undue stress on you and your family. SERVPRO of Minnetonka specializes in fire and water damage restoration. We have the specific damage restoration training, personnel, and equipment and can quickly restore your home to pre-fire condition.

If you or your family have had fire damage or smoke damage at your Edina home, call SERVPRO of Minnetonka - 952-473-4837. They can make it, "Like it never even happened."

We are proud to serve our local communities.

The importance of professional smoke damage cleanup in Minneapolis

7/26/2015 (Permalink)

It only takes a few seconds for a fire to wreak havoc on a commercial property or home in Minneapolis.

The Importance Of Having A Professional To Clean Smoke Damage After A Fire

It only takes a few seconds for a fire to wreak havoc on a commercial property or home in Minneapolis. The first thing that one will want to do if there is a fire is call the fire department to extinguish the fire. Many people believe that they can re-enter the property and begin restoring it after a fire. However, there are still threats that linger for the property. That is it is best to hire a professional fire restoration company.

The Aftermath Of A Fire

Many people believe that once the fire has been put out, the danger is no longer present. However, fire leaves behind remnants that can cause serious damage to the property. The smoke and ash that is left behind cause discoloration, etching and a very unpleasant odor. The building will be less likely to suffer those problems if you hire a professional.

The Sooner You Call, The Better

It is best to contact a fire restoration company as soon as possible in order to restore the damages. Ash is one of the major concerns. It can discolor just about anything that it comes in contact with. Discoloration can begin just a few hours after the fire. Fiberglass, plastic and other finishes can turn yellowish. Metals will start to tarnish. You will have to replace or refinish certain items in your home after a few days because the damage will be permanent.

Hiring A Fire Restoration Contractor

If you have hired a certified and trained professional from SERVPRO, then they will be at your home in a short amount of time. They will assess the home in order to see the type of damage that is done. They will also perform a thorough cleaning in order to remove the ash, smoke and fire damage. Items that are beyond repair will be removed, and specialized cleaning supplies will be used to neutralize odors.

Do-it-yourself techniques typically do not remove the smoke and ash that is left behind by a fire. You may cause further damage and contamination to your home if the correct techniques are not used. That is it is best to contact SERVPRO so that they can perform fire damage restoration.

If you have gone through a fire and have smoke damage at your Minneapolis home, make sure to call the local Experts at SERVPRO of Minnetonka - 952-473-4837. They can get your home back to normal, “Like it never even happened.”

We are proud to be an active member of this community. SERVPRO of Minnetonka is locally owned and operated so we’re already nearby and ready to help Minneapolis residents and business owners with any-sized fire and smoke damage emergencies.

We are proud to serve our local communities.

Cleaning up Smoke Damage in your home

4/13/2015 (Permalink)

Fire and Smoke Damage can be one of the most devastating things to happen to your home.

Fire and Smoke Damage can be one of the most devastating things to happen to your home. Once the fire is out and everyone is safe, it is important to focus as quickly as possible on cleaning up the mess.

Soot particles, especially those from synthetic fires (think plastics, etc) can become extremely corrosive to everything in your house.

Here are a few helpful hints on getting started on the clean-up:

Safety First! Do not reenter a home that has been damaged by smoke or fire unless it is 100% safe to do so. If you are unsure, ask your fire department.

Open windows to help ventilate your home – The more quickly you can get the smoke out of your home the less of it there will be that will settle on walls, ceilings and contents in the form of soot.

Dispose of any food that may have been exposed to smoke- You do not want to take the chance of ingesting any soot particles though food that may have been contaminated. This includes anything in the refrigerator. Even if the door remained shut, smoke can still get in!

Replace the air filters in your cooling and heating system- Do this daily during the first week after a fire in hour home, it will help limit the dispersion of smoke particles throughout the house.

Even for small fires it is important to enlist the services of a restoration professional as soon as possible. They can help you determine the scope of the loss and prevent significant further damage to your home and contents.

SERVPRO of Minnetonka has helped out hundreds of homeowners in the Minnetonka, Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, Edina and Eden Prairie areas recover from smoke and fire damage both big and small. Our technicians are all certified in Fire and Smoke Restoration and are on call to help 24/7. We are always happy to answer any questions you may have: 952.473.4837.

Locally Owned Company with National Resources

SERVPRO of Minnetonka is locally owned and operated—so we are part of the Minneapolis community too. We are also part of a national network of over 1,650 SERVPRO Franchises and special Disaster Recovery Teams strategically located throughout the country to respond to large-scale disasters.

Fire Clean up Tips in Minnetonka

10/22/2014 (Permalink)

If you live in the Minnetonka or Hopkins area and have a fire in your home, it is important to understand the risk to your safety and health even after the fire is out.

The soot and dirty water left behind may contain things that could make you sick.

Be very careful if you go into your home and if you touch any fire-damaged items. Ask the advice of the fire department, local building official, your insurance agent, and restoration specialists before starting to clean or make repairs.

Top 3 Things To Do When Your Home Suffers Smoke Damage

9/16/2014 (Permalink)

When there is a fire at a home, the damage from the smoke can sometimes be much greater than the damage caused by the actual fire.

When your home suffers smoke damage from a fire it is natural to want everything back to normal as soon as possible. The following list outlines 3 steps you can take to make sure that your home is repaired and that damage is minimized:

1. Call your insurance agent. Insurance agencies deal with fire and smoke damage often and have lots of experience in working with restoration specialists like SERVPRO. They can advise you about the damage that you see but even more importantly the damage you don't see. Even small fires can impact your whole home though modern conveniences like a central air system.

2. Think about what needs to be done to clean everything up. Interior clean up will almost always be required with a house fire but it is important to remember the damage will often extend further that what you can visibly see. The air conditioning vents tend to get quoted with soot as can ceiling tiles and walls.

3. Take steps to prevent further damage. If the fire department came and water hoses were used, try to prop up furniture off of wet surfaces. Even if it means placing a plastic bag under the legs of your furniture. Also, opening the windows can help dissipate the smoke smell and remove some of the remaining soot from the air.
If the damage to your home is significant, be sure to enlist the help of a restoration specialist. Your insurance agent can recommend one to you. SERVPRO of Minnetonka specializes in smoke and water remediation and our certified technicians are always on call to help with needed. We service the towns of Wayzata, Minnetonka, Hopkins, Shorewood and Orono.

Fire Clean Up in Wayzata, Minnetonka and Hopkins

9/8/2014 (Permalink)

If a house sustains fire damage, proper cleanup is crucial, as the ash, soot and water will wreak havoc on what remains. It’s bad enough there was a fire, but the water and chemicals used to extinguish it can cause secondary damage. The remnants will continue to do damage long after the flames are extinguished.

The average person will attempt conventional cleaning methods like renting a steam cleaner and using common cleaning agents available at the store. Unfortunately, this will barely make an impact on the problem and could cause bigger issues. Chemical agents could react with the residue and cause permanent damage, and in some cases, they may cause toxic fumes. Fire damage cleanup is one of the most difficult jobs out there, and it should be left to a professional for the best results.
SERVPRO of Minnetonka has performed hundreds of fire clean ups over the years and the consistent feedback we get from customers is that they can't believe how we were able to clean and save special items of theirs that they thought they would have to throw away.

If you've experienced a fire in your home or business in Minnetonka, Hopkins or Wayzata, give us a call today. We are happy to come on site for an evaluation of the damage and give you our expert opinion about what we can do.

Smoke Alarms Save Lives

5/27/2014 (Permalink)

Smoke alarms play a vital role in saving lives, and when properly installed, can reduce the risk of fire injury in half. The National Fire Protection Association recommends smoke alarms be installed in every bedroom, outside all sleeping quarters and on every level of the house. Business owners should consult the local Fire Marshall to ensure specific building fire codes and smoke detecor requirements are met.

Smoke alarms work best when paired with a fire escape plan. A plan allows your family, employees or clients to escape quickly and safely in an emergency situation.

Smoke Alarm Safety Tips

Install smoke alarms on every level of the home, including the basement.
Smoke alarms should be installed away from the kitchen to prevent false alarms. Generally, they should be at least 10 feet from a cooking appliance.
Test smoke alarms at least once a month using the test button.
Replace batteries in all smoke alarms at least once a year. If an alarm "chirps", the battery is low and should be replaces right away.
Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old.

If you have a fire or water emergency, please call us now at (952) 473-4837

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