When water damage strikes your home, how do you know when or if it’s time to employ a professional? I would suggest you start by assessing what needs to be accomplished. Whether it’s a water damage or a small one, that in it’s self can be hard to find out. Once you’ve established what is required, do you have time to finish the task? Are you physically able to do the job? How long will it take you to get the job done? If you have favorable answers for these questions, then take a look at the next step. Will I need particular products or supplies to do the job? Do I have or can I access adequate equipment to do the task? If you are a do it yourselfer, then you know the advantage of having the right tools and/or equipment to do the task.

Also, consider the risks if the job is not done right. In a water damage situation, if you don’t dry down the affected area in a timely fashion, the resulting damage could be much more highly priced. Many cleaning and restoration problems can be depressing if things don’t go as simply or briskly as we’ve foreseen. a few projects with a lot of time and hard work can be executed sufficiently by a mindful “do it yourselfer”.

Water damage restoration projects generally set a higher bar for perfection, because if it’s not done properly, the expense to repair continue to build. Whether you do it yourself or you employ a professional the foremost thing is to stay focused on these 3 issues; determine what’s wet, get it dry quickly, and make sure the drying is complete.

Stain removal from carpet can be simple or tedious depending upon the spot and how long it has been on the carpet. At times many applications of the spot removal solution, or a second solution is required . Listed below is a general spot removal guide . If the origin of the spot is not known , begin with step 1. If the origin of the spot is known begin at the appropriate step. Never use a circular motion to remove a spot as this ruins texture. To prevent the spot from returning , the last step should always be to flush with clear water, blot dry and put a white cotton terry cloth towel over the damp area. Put a brick , or other suitable weight object on the towel to keep the towel in contact with the surface . This will allow any stain wicking up from the backing to go into the towels rather than remain on the carpet surface. Allow to dry, remove the books and towels and fluff up the carpet.
**Be certain to try , on a hidden area of your carpet any solutions you plan to use as it might affect color or texture. Do not continue if color in the test area transfers to a paper towel .
Some materials needed to clean spots:
• Paper towels (white) or white terry towels .
• Non Bleach Tide (or similar)
• Spray bottle for applying detergents and special solutions such as vinegar or Ammonia solutions.

• Ammonia, vinegar and isopropyl alcohol.

• Dull knife and a spoon.
• Brick or heavy book ( yellow pages) .
General Procedure
Unknown and greasy spots.
Step 1: Remove as much of the foreign material as possible by blotting with a white towel or scraping with a dull knife or spoon. Apply isopropyl alcohol or a dry cleaning solvent to a clean white paper towel . If the spot extends deep into the pile use a blotting action until the spot is no longer visible or no color is transferred to the cloth . Do not allow the solvent to penetrate into the backing, as this will destroy the latex bond. If the spot is on the surface only, rub in one direction at a time. Never use a circular action to clean a spot as this may distort the carpet pile. Stop if spot is removed. If not, go to step 3.
Water based spots.

Step 2: Absorb as much of the spill as is possible. A wet/dry vacuum is useful if a large quantity of liquid was spilled. If spot has dried, saturate the tufts in the area with tap water (do not over wet ). Allow to remain for around 1 minute and blot. If the spot is being removed using water, repeat until the spot is completely removed . Blot dry and apply the paper towels and heavy object . If the stain is not completely removed go to step 3.
Step 3: Remove as much of the material as possible by blotting with a white paper towel or scraping with a dull knife . Apply a small quantity a detergent* solution to the area . Use a blotting action to work the detergent solution into the carpet . If spot is being removed continue applying solution and blotting with a white paper towel until the stain is removed . Flush the area with only water using a spray bottle, blot to remove excess moisture, spray lightly with only water, do not blot this time; apply pad of white paper towels and heavy object and let dry. If there is still some stain on the carpet and blotting is not removing it, then dampen the tufts in the stained area with 3% hydrogen peroxide. Let stand for one (1) hour. Blot and repeat until carpet is spot free. Light will cause hydrogen peroxide to revert back to water so no rinsing is needed. Apply pad of paper towels and weight down with a book or heavy object .
*To prepare a detergent solution, mix 1/4 teaspoon of Non Bleach Tide (or similar) powdered laundry detergent, with 1 quart of water, or use approved carpet spot removers available.

Some stains need specialized solutions.
A. Blood, catsup, cheese, chocolate, cough syrup, mixed drinks, soft drinks, soy sauce, starch, toothpaste, watercolor and white glue.

For large spills use a Wet/Dry vacuum to extract the bulk of the spill. If just a small amount was spilled blot with a paper towel to soak up as much of the spill as possible then neutralize with a solution of 1 tablespoon of clear Ammonia to 1/2 cup of tap water. Saturate spot using spray bottle. Don’t wet the carpet backing. Blot with a white paper towel to remove excess moisture. After neutralizing , begin with step 3 of the instructions . All solutions for removing blood must be cool .

B. Beer, coffee, perfume, tea and wine.

For larger spills use a WetDry vacuum to suck up the majority of the spill. If only a small amount was spilled, blot with a towel to remove as much of the spill as possible, then neutralize with a mixture of 1/3 cup of vinegar, 2/3 cup of plain water. Apply to the spot, using a sprayer bottle and blot to absorb excess solution. After neutralizing , go to step 3 of general procedure .

C. Egg, excrement, urine, and vomit.

Remove as much of the spot as possible with a dull knife . Remove as much of the spot as possible, then neutralize the area by spraying the area with an ammonia solution. Care should be taken to remove all protein matter. Blot to remove excess liquid and go to step 3 of the general procedure .

D. Candle Wax

Spread brown paper (such as grocery bag, making sure there is no ink on the area you will be using) over the area and iron with the setting on “warm.” . The wax will be absorbed into the paper or towel. You will need to replace the paper as it absorbs up the wax. Remove any traces with isopropyl alcohol or dry cleaning fluid. DO NOT use an iron on carpets with Olefin fibers . Olefin is a fairly raw oil base byproduct and it is easy to melt or distort with heat .

E. Chewing gum .

Use an ice cube to freeze the gum. Break up the frozen gum with a knife handle and vacuum. Some citrus based products such as De-Solv-It® by Orange-Sol have been shown to break down the gum so that it can be removed from the carpet.

F. Mud.

Allow mud to dry . Break up the dried mud with a spoon and vacuum. Go to step 3 of the general procedure .

G. Rust.

Apply lemon juice to the area, using a spray bottle, and allow to work for 5 minutes. Go to step 3 of general procedure to remove the lemon juice. Most rust removers contain a strong acid and are not suggested for use by homeowners.

H. Nail Polish.

Remove as much of the nail polish as you can using a spoon . Apply a non-oily nail polish remover to a clean white cloth and agitate (in only one direction at a time) or blot the spot. Repeat until nail polish is removed. Do not allow nail polish remover to reach the carpet backing. Proceed to step 3 to remove the nail polish remover .
Water Damage Lawrence Kansas
Water Damage Lawrence KS

I had a friend tell me that he wanted to find another insurance agent. And wanted to know what he should look for in a good agent.

I think as homeowners our relationships with our insurance agents can be very important. Your agent should be more than just a company name to you, and you should be more than just a name & address to them. I am always surprised when a customer tells me they know their agent’s name, but have never actually met him/her. My opinion would be that if you’ve had an agent for more than a year and they haven’t made an attempt to meet or contact you … find another agent!

You should have a comfort level that they are honest and caring. Conversely they should know you by name and sight and they should have a comfort level that you are honest and caring. Why is the relationship so important? I’ve seen a lot of disasters happen over the years including fires, smoke damage, and water damage . Many with clear coverage or clearly no coverage, many with easy understandable explanation of what happened and/or why it happened. But, other times there was a lot of “grey” area of how the policy could be interpreted; many times the explanation seemed somewhat awkward. And those are the times when you want him/her to remember that you are an honest and caring individual. Somebody they are willing to go to bat for in a tough situation. They are your personal contact, your protector, and your defender to a large possibly very indifferent corporate entity. A large possibly very indifferent corporate entity that would rather save money then spend it on you!

Now this doesn’t mean that because your agent is your friend that they will be able to bend the rules or give you something that you are not entitled too. That’s not my point; you should expect them to be fair and honest with you and their company. But, if there is some wiggle room or some timely guidance that can be given, you want them on your side. And you should expect that they “have your back”!
Water Damage Lawrence KS
Water Damage Lawrence Kansas