What Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned Means to Us

11/21/2022 (Permalink)

Let us help ease your mind by making your business Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned.

Let us help you get back to business

Following the changes made during the COVID-19 pandemic, SERVPRO has developed a program to help your business meet the new higher standard of clean that is now expected, especially as new viral pathogens pop up.

Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned is a defensive cleaning program we’re offering to businesses and commercial locations to address concerns with viral pathogens. This proactive program goes well beyond janitorial or carpet cleaning. By choosing Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned, you, your employees, your customers, and your community can rest assured that you’ve selected a higher cleaning standard – you are Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned.

Extensive training and specialized products

As the #1 choice in cleanup and restoration*, we stand on more than 50 years of experience and expertise to help your business become Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned. Beyond fire & water, SERVPRO professionals are trained and experienced in biohazard decontamination and chemical spills – always adhering to the cleaning and decontamination standards set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local authorities. 

From formulating and creating our proprietary cleaning products, like SERVPROXIDE, at our headquarters in Gallatin, TN, to taking the utmost care while disinfecting, we will ensure you and your business are set up to inspire consumer confidence.

3 C’s – Consult, Clean, and Certify

You want a partner who has developed an industry leading, proprietary training program, cleaning solutions, and remediation processes over decades. We’ve cleaned up some of the most challenging biohazards imaginable. Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned reflects our unique experiences and capabilities. The program is grounded with our unique 3 C’s: Consult, Clean, and Certify.

• Consult – Every business is different, which is why you’ll be assigned a Cleaning Protocol Consultant who understands your business and will create a cleaning program to meet your specific needs. This program will be developed based on your business type, size of space, amount of high frequency touchpoints, foot traffic and congestion points.
• Clean – Based on your specific business needs, your location will undergo a thorough, deep clean, using exclusive cleaning products, according to protocols set forth by the CDC. Our employees have years of experience, and we will go beyond the scope of work that regular janitorial staff perform. Cleanup procedures generally include cleaning of porous and non-porous surfaces, disinfecting of non-porous surfaces, cleaning and disinfecting of equipment, tools, and/or supplies used for cleanup process, and disposal of hazardous materials. 
• Certify - Once your business location has been Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned, you will gain access to proprietary signage, digital emblems, and other collateral that communicates that you’ve selected a higher standard of clean available to help protect your employees and customers. And because we add the day, month, and year to that proprietary stamp of clean, your guests will know that not only did you choose Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned, but that your location is being cleaned regularly at this standard.

Call SERVPRO of Barberton / Norton today at 330-825-1803 for your Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned consultation.

* #1 Choice in cleanup & restoration based Commercial Attitude & Usage Tracking study. Polling 816 commercial business decision makers on first choice for future needs related to cleanup & restoration work. Study conducted by C&R Research: October 2019

Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned means professionally trained SERVPRO franchises perform the requested cleaning, sanitizing and disinfection services according to proprietary SERVPRO protocols and recognized industry and CDC standards with EPA approved cleaning products to deliver a SERVPRO certified cleaning experience. Each SERVPRO franchise is independently owned and operated.

Preparation, Safety, & Handling the Aftermath: The Fire Guide

11/16/2022 (Permalink)

No matter the degree of fire damage, our pros will help get your home, and your life, back on track.

Be Prepared

Don’t Fail to Prepare! 

It is vital to be sure that your smoke detectors are installed properly and are maintained. Functioning smoke alarms can help reduce fire deaths and injuries, and keep your family and property safe.

Here’s what you need to know!

• A closed door may slow the spread of smoke, heat and fire. Smoke alarms should be active in every sleeping room, and in other major areas of the home. Any door that remains closed for an extended period of time daily needs its own alarm.
• Smoke alarms should be interconnected. That way when one sounds, they all sound, alerting you in any part of your home.
• If you have a larger home, you may need to add in more smoke alarms to cover the extra space between them.
• Smoke alarms should be tested at least once a month. Every smoke alarm is equipped with a test button to check if they are working properly.
• Most smoke alarms today are more advanced, allowing them to more easily tell the difference between a real fire emergency and a common household occurrence, like blowing out a candle.
• When a smoke alarm sounds, get outside and stay outside.
• Replace all smoke alarms in your home every 10 years. If a smoke alarm begins to beep indicating a low battery, be sure to replace it right away.

Use Caution While Cooking

Cooking can be a fun and social task, but without caution or care, it can lead to disaster. In order to keep you, your family, and your home safe, it is important to understand the best safety practices when in the kitchen.  

1. Always Be Present When Food Is Cooking

Never leave cooking food unattended. Kitchen fires can grow quickly, especially when there are no eyes present to catch them when they start. The most common causes of kitchen fires are inattention and distraction. If you need to work, consider bringing a phone or laptop into the kitchen to keep an eye on what’s cooking.  

2. Keep Children Away from the Stove

Not only is this important to keep your food from ending up on the floor, it is vital to communicate with your children the dangers of a stove, even when there is nothing cooking. Kids love to play with anything they can get their hands on, especially things they see their parents “playing” with. Keep your children away from stoves entirely to avoid unhappy accidents.

3. Regular Cleaning

It is easy for small pieces of food to fall into burners or be left behind in your oven. Although these individual scraps are essentially harmless beyond the occasional smell, a buildup can lead to a fire. Thankfully, cleaning your oven or stove top is a simple task you can do in just a few minutes.  

4. Keeping Appliances in Order

Not all kitchen fires originate from stoves or ovens. With the amount of kitchen appliances used today, from toasters to rice cookers to air fryers, your outlets can fill up quickly. When this happens, DO NOT plug in an extension cord or power strip. With all the commotion that comes with cooking, water can easily cause a short circuit, especially with a power extender, which can lead to a fire.

Accidents Happen: How to Bounce Back From a Fire

After a Fire

No one should have to deal with the grief and stress following a home or business fire. Unfortunately, disasters can strike at any time, no matter how much you prepare.

Following a fire, the best course of action is to allow restoration professionals to take on the burden of cleaning and restoring your home for you. SERVPRO of Barberton/Norton has the expertise and experience to tackle any size job that comes our way. We understand how challenging a time like this can be, so we help you work with your insurance while we take care of your property and its contents. We take care of you every step of the way, from the initial board up, to the cleanup, and all the way through the reconstruction, making it “like it never even happened.”

Beyond our services, you may be able to handle a few pieces of the mitigation process on your own, like odor removal.

Getting Rid of Smokey Odors After a Fire 

If you’ve suffered fire damage and need fire damage repair in Barberton/Norton, it’s best to call the experts at SERVPRO to sort it out. But if you’ve dealt with everything yourself, you may still be haunted by the lingering smell of ash and soot. There are several things you can do to get rid of that smell.

These remedies are inexpensive and simple ways to eliminate the everlasting smell that comes with a fire.

Baking soda is a natural odor absorber, so taking several bowls of it and placing them around your house for several days can slowly absorb a lot of the smell. Activated charcoal is another alternative for this same process. Also, weather permitting, you can open your doors and windows in order to get the smell out a bit faster.  

Another step you can take is washing your clothes with white vinegar, which will help get rid of the odors. If the smell remains after the initial wash, repeat the process until the odor is fully eliminated.  

If your home or business is in need of fire damage restoration in the Barberton/Norton areas, be sure to give our pros a call: 330-825-1803

Why You Should Choose SERVPRO for Your Commercial Restoration Needs

11/16/2022 (Permalink)

No matter the size, our pros will take care of your business!

SERVPRO Disaster Restoration

Disasters are always unpredictable and sometimes unavoidable. Nobody wants to deal with the stress that comes when disaster strikes. The way you respond to disaster, however, could make it a bit easier to handle. That’s where the Disaster Recovery Specialists at SERVPRO of Barberton/Norton come in! 

What Does SERVPRO Do? 

The well-trained SERVPRO professionals will make it seem like your disaster never happened! Our team will arrive quickly to your disaster, expertly and efficiently evaluate your issue, and restore everything to fit your needs.

When your business suffers from flood damage, fire damage, storm damage, or mold, time becomes money. The faster the problem is masterfully solved, the sooner you can open your business back up and start serving clients again! Thanks to being locally owned and operated, SERVPRO of Barberton/Norton is faster to any disaster.

What Do I Need to Do? 

All you have do is call the local SERVPRO professionals, and we will help you through every step of the process. We know your business is important to you; it’s important to us too! We will take care of you and your property every step of the way in this difficult time. 

No one ever wants to deal with disaster, but when the time comes, our team of passionate experts are the best to ease your stress and conquer your mess. So, give us a call, and let us do what we do best, so you can get back to doing what you do best.  

Prepare for Anything

Natural disasters often feel like an issue that happens to other people, not you, but it's important to have a plan just in case. Having a disaster plan means you're ready in case anything happens, and is an important part of being a business owner.

Disaster Preparations Especially for Business Owners

1. Double-Check Your Insurance
   Not every business policy is designed with natural disasters in mind. Often, excessive damages from natural causes will not be fully covered, leaving business owners to foot the bill for recovery from their own capital. However, starting this dialogue with your agent and researching the types of supplemental policies business owners may be eligible for will help you be certain you are fully covered.
2. Create Your Action Plan
   When you are faced with a scenario where you must evacuate from your business right away, it is important to have a plan in place and all necessary supplies in order to do so in as little time as possible. Documenting local shelters, evacuation routes and medical facilities will be helpful, as well as any key actions such as shutting down machinery on your way out the door.
3. Rehearse Drills and Prepare Staff
   It is important to not only make an emergency action plan for yourself but to also include your staff in the procedures. Once you have your details determined, sharing the plan with your employees and designating those in leadership roles to host regular and varied disaster drills with the team can help everyone stay safe and know what to do in a frightening scenario.
4. Choose a Restoration Company to Work With
   All aspects of disaster planning are important, but one vital thing is knowing how you will get your business property suitable to reopen following the disaster. The best way to do that is to work with a restoration company that has expertise in commercial jobs in order to get your damage restored and your doors reopened as quickly as possible

Why SERVPRO?

In recent years, a greater emphasis has been placed on supporting local businesses. From small mom and pop shops, farmers markets, or even disaster restoration services, it is important to support your local community, its members, and the local economy. That’s why SERVPRO of Barberton/Norton is proud to be locally owned and operated. When you support SERVPRO of Barberton/Norton, you’re supporting local businesses near you in Barberton or Norton. But why is serving local businesses so important? Well, here are three big reasons! 

1. Boosting the local economy

It makes sense when you think about it, doesn’t it? If you support a local business and that business grows, they hire new employees. It’s very likely they’ll hire people that live nearby, and this keeps the money within the community.  

1. Building Community Connections

This piggybacks off boosting the local economy. When you support a local business, that business can become a staple to the community. It becomes a place where people can meet and meet up, make new friends or reunite with old ones. An identity can be formed around a local business, where you know the owners or employees, and know you can trust them.  

1. Environmental Preservation

You probably know preserving the environment is important, but did you know supporting local businesses does just that? But local businesses tend to also buy from local merchants, instead of from huge facilities far away, and this decreases carbon emissions.

Before, During, and After: How to Prepare for & Handle Water Damage

11/10/2022 (Permalink)

No matter the size, our pros can handle your water damage restoration needs!

Preparation is Key 

Dealing with water damage is a pain staking process, from the time it takes, the cost, and the hassles of dealing with insurance. We can all agree that it is much easier to take the steps to prevent water damage than to deal with the damage after the fact. If you have already suffered water damage in your home, the best thing to do is call the professionals at SERVPRO of Barberton/Norton. If you haven’t experienced water damage, take these three precautionary steps to avoid this stressor!

1. Learn Where Your Shut Off Valve Is

You and everyone living in your household should know where the water shutoff valve is. This way, if something goes wrong, anyone can quickly turn off the water and prevent too much damage.  

2. Regularly Check for Leaks

Leaky taps may seem like a small amount of water with their methodical dripping, but they can leak up to eight gallons a day. That can become expensive very quickly, and it will also cause significant water damage to your home. Water damage like this can lead to mold. Every few weeks, it is important to check around sinks and appliances for leaking pipes or standing water.  

3. Check Your Roof

The easiest way for you to see if you’re suffering from a leaky roof is to go into your attic as it rains and shine a flashlight at the ceiling. Shiny spots indict a leaky roof. If you find a shiny spot, make sure to mark the area. It is best to contact an expert to come make repairs. You would not want to incorrectly work on your roof as this may risk injury or further damage.

Know the Facts in Case of Disaster

Even after taking preventative measures, disasters can still happen. Whether you love to fall asleep to the sounds of dripping rain and low thunder, or you cower under the table with your four-legged friend during a storm, it is always important to be prepared for any damages that may come with severe weather. After a storm, always check and make sure that your property is unharmed and water isn’t where it shouldn’t be. Untreated water damage or flooding could lead to mold.   

What To Look For

• Standing water in the basement, attic, garage, or anywhere else it shouldn’t be
• Discoloration or water stains on the walls or ceilings  
• Musty odors in the building  

Water itself can cause foul smells and wood to rot, and it can cause mold to grow. Mold can cause serious structural damage, as well as negative health effects. If you have mold growing, you need to act fast for the sake of your customers, and your business.   

Dry and Sort – Saving Your Belongings

If you’ve fallen victim to water damage in your home or business, you may feel like throwing in the towel when it comes to handling the aftermath. Not only do you have to worry about the damage your structure has faced, but you also have to deal with the potential damage your contents have suffered. You may think that trashing everything is the quickest and most viable option, but some of your assets are salvageable.

If a broken pipe is the culprit, you can have a little peace of mind that you don’t have to deal with the potential black water that comes with flooding. There is still the possibility that mold has begun to spread, so it is important to get everything affected by the water thoroughly dried out. Once you have completed this process, inspect and sort everything to determine what can be salvaged. Items that will likely need to be thrown out include any porous materials that can’t be dried or cleaned and fabrics that show signs of discoloration.

Clean the Damage

When faced with a flooded company or home, having your investments sorted will allow for a better understanding of the actual damage. Along with cleaning some things yourself, remember that dry cleaning is not just for clothes. Furniture, upholstery and draperies can likely be good as new after the services of dry cleaners. When it comes to the rest, considering the following tips to make the process easier:

• Organize items based on cleaning methods, such as hand or machine washing.
• Use a disinfectant on furniture, walls and floors to prevent mold growth.
• Wash items in the hottest water possible to remove potential contaminants.
• Use a professional water damage restoration service to ensure there is no interior damage to specialized items such as electronics.

Flooded property is a hassle, but it doesn’t have to result in a long-lasting impact on your home or business. Quick action, proper cleaning and the help of specialists can make it seem “Like it never even happened."

If your home or business experiences a water loss, know that SERVPRO of Barberton/Norton not only handles the restoration of your structure, but we also store and restore your belongings as well.

SERVPRO of Barberton/Norton is available 24 hours a day for water emergencies, large or small. When you are dealing with water damage, immediate action is crucial. A delay of just a few hours can greatly increase the severity of the water damage.

We Answer the Phone Ready to Help
Call Today - 330-825-1803

We understand that when you call us, you may be feeling confused, stressed, and vulnerable. You need an expert to guide you through this crisis. SERVPRO of Barberton/Norton has the specific water damage training and experience to help you through this tough time. We specialize in water damage restoration—in fact, it's the cornerstone of our business.