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 As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Steamatic would like to present to your their hit-list of carpet-staining culprits to help protect you from the worst kinds of stains, and also provide readers with some handy spot-treatments to minimize long-term damage.

Red wine – heart-healthy until you spill it.

All of red wine’s cardiac health benefits disappear when a deep-seated spill starts to stress you out. When you spill red wine, you need to act fast.
 

For synthetic carpets, mix a bleach-free detergent with water, and blot this solution into the stain using white cloth or paper towel. Let this sit for 15 minutes, then blot again with a water and white vinegar solution. Do a final rinse using luke-warm water.
 

For natural fiber carpets, spray a cleaning solution into the stain and then dab with white cltoh or paper towel.

Coffee – a pick-me-up you need to set down with extreme caution.

Handle your cup of joe with caution. Coffee produces a deep, dark stain that demands speedy action. Follow the same steps outlined for red wine and you should be able to minimize damages. Steamatic recommends drinking your coffee in the kitchen when possible!

Gum – chew for flavour, drop for labour!

Gum is a sticky, awful mess when it adheres to carpet fibers. When left where it fell, gum gets ground into the carpet, collecting dirt and eventually hardening into a resilient crust. Pick up your fallen gum immediately to save yourself the hassle. If there is some left-over caught in your carpet, hold an ice cube to the gum until it freezes, then hit with a spoon or hammer to crack into pieces that can be easily cleaned. A quick once-over with your vacuum will take care of any stragglers.

If your home clean-up efforts have left you with a less than perfect result, Steamatic can help! You can learn more about our hot water carpet cleaning service here.   

 If you are serious about securing more customer conversions, spruce up your curb appeal with Steamatic’s pavement and car park cleaning services. If you have only fresh stains to worry about, you might consider the following 5 home remedies for oil-slicked asphalt.

• Soap and water spot treatment. Emulsify with liquid soap and water to keep fresh oil from drying.
• Kitty litter. Mop up excess oil, then cover the stain in kitty litter to absorb oil overnight. Follow proper bio-hazardous material disposal when throwing away the oil-soaked kitty litter.
• Baking soda. Sprinkle baking soda liberally onto a fresh oil stain and scrub with a stiff brush. After leaving it for an hour, rinse away with a hose.
• Cola. Wipe up excess oil, and dump a few cans of Cola onto the stain. Let this sit overnight , then clean the area with a cotton cloth. This economical method produces mixed results, and as usual works best on fresh stains.
• Laundry detergent. Sprinkle powdered detergent onto your fresh stain, add water, and brush. Let this sit for 30 minutes then wipe clean.

These oil stain remedies are only effective when dealing with fresh oil stains. Time is a factor for these home remedies, and if too much time has passed since the initial spill occurred, you will need to contact professional help. Steamatic are standing by 24/7 to tackle stubborn oil stains, so call now!  

 If you are delving into the culinary world for the first time, or would just like to equip yourself with some important fire safety tips to help handle grease and oil fires in the future, then you have come to the right place. Read on to learn how to stop minor kitchen fires from turning into major house fires.  

How to handle grease, oil, and fat fires:

• Never throw water on a grease fire. This not only fails to extinguish the flames, but will cause the flaming oil to splash and spread. Instead, smother the flame by using the pan lid to deny it oxygen. Make sure to have your oven mitt on when smothering the flame in this way since the handle will heat up. Do not remove the lid until the pan is cool to the touch.
• Turn off your overhead fan immediately, since circulating oxygen will feed the flame.
• Baking soda or flour can be thrown onto shallow grease fires to extinguish them in a snap

Though it can be a scary and high-stakes situation when a grease fire ignites in the kitchen, extinguishing it is actually quite simple so long as the proper steps are taken. If your close brush with a house fire has left you with blackened walls or a residual smoke smell, you can contact Steamatic to have the damages undone with our smoke and fire damage restoration service.

Though Steamatic does offer a salvaging solution for sodden paper items with their water damage and media restoration service, flood prevention is an even better option. In line with this thinking, Steamatic has assembled a list of the top-3 flood-causing household appliances for you to watch and maintain.

Refrigerators

Refrigerators working hard to cool items in warmer seasons produce a lot of moisture. Each time you open the door to your fridge, warm air is allowed to pass over the condenser. This creates condensation, which pools in the bottom of your refrigerator.

Typically, refrigerators are equipped with drain lines made to siphon off this water build-up, but they can be blocked with bits of food. Unless they are properly maintained with a chlorine bleach clean, these blocked drain lines can cause minor flooding issues.

Another refrigerator risk involves your appliance’s water supple line. This supply line feeds the ice machine. If it is detached or otherwise malfunctioning, you may come home to find significant standing water in your kitchen.

Dishwashers

 Dishwashers commonly overflow with improper use related to the volume or variety of detergent that was put into the dispenser.

Otherwise, dishwashers malfunction and flood kitchens because of faulty float switch assemblies or clogged strainers. Float switches are easy to replace, and strainers can be washed at home in the sink with a stiff-bristled brush. If neither of these seem to be the culprit for your flood, you are likely dealing with a faulty plumbing connection.

Washing Machines

Washing machine leaks are usually significant. The six most common culprits for washing machine leakage are issues with the inlet connection, hose connection, center post gasket, outer tub sea, air dome seal, or pump. Turn off and unplug your washing machine, bust out your owners manual, and troubleshoot these common problem areas one by one.

The reality is that mold is dangerous in the home. Exposure to airborne toxins, whether through inhalation, ingestion, or physical contact, can cause a wide range of symptoms spanning from mild rash and cold to nerve damage and death. If you suspect water leakage and mold in your home, you should seek out Steamatic cleaning and mold removal specialists immediately. Neglecting to do so potentially puts your family at risk, and leaves your home vulnerable to accelerated deterioration. The following 5 tips will help with your mold prevention and inspection efforts, and Steamatic is standing by 24/7 to respond to any concerning discoveries you may find.

• Act quickly after any spills. If you manage to clean up damp areas within a day or two of them being created, you can usually prevent mold from growing. This can be difficult if spills run into inaccessible spots, however. If you see visible mold, you should act even  more swiftly by calling in Steamtic mold removal specialists. Do not try to clean the area yourself, or you will agitate and mobile the mold spores.
   
• Invest in gutter maintenace. Keeping your roof gutters clean and in working condition can help reduce the risk of water leakage in the home. Many Steamatic clients call us in after gutter leaks create pools of mold.
   
• Empty air conditioning drip pans. This is crucial and often-neglected step keeps your air conditioning from blowing cool mold particles throughout your home.
   
• Wipe away condensation often. While it is impractical to wipe all condensation away at all times, making an effort to do what you can goes a long way towards mold prevention. If your windows are regularly coated in condensation, there is a good chance that it is time to have them repaired or replaced.
   
• Reduce humidity with air flow. Open windows and use fans whenever practical to decrease still, wet air and humidity that contributes to mold growth.

Fortunately, not all water damage is equally bad. Sometimes your child may leave a window open during a rainstorm, or allow the tap to overflow the sink. In these more manageable instances, there are a number of easy measures that home owners can take to ensure a safe, efficient, and mold-free clean-up. Steamatic would like to share 6 simple steps to help you clean your home after mild water damage has occurred.

1. Safety first. Before you start to clean, dry, or even reach to turn off the wayward tap that may have caused this damage in the first place, turn off all relevant power. Flip off the breakers, turn off any running water sources in the area, unplug any electronics, and remove these along with any movable furniture or rugs immediately.
    
2. Drain the water away. You can get rid of water manually using buckets, towels, and mops to soak up the spills. Dispose of this water in your street’s sewer drain, or pour it onto your lawn or other permeable surface. Electronic options also exist. If you are careful and steer well clear of affected outlets, you can use a wet/dry vacuum to save yourself some water-collection effort.
    
3. Dry the area. Once the water is drained, use fans, dehumidifiers, and air drafts from open windows to encourage air circulation and fast drying. Drying should be done as quickly as possible to minimize damage to drywall, baseboards, and to stop mold.
    
4. Disinfect the area. This step eliminates mold and also protects against any bacteria that may have entered the area via rainfall or backed-up plumbing. Disinfect all areas including walls, wood, and non-upholstered furnitured with a strong solution or bleach mixture.
    
5. Ward off mold growth. Consider mold-prevention products such as Concrobium, which is simply distilled water and inorganic salts used to fight the roots of mold spores. Dry out the area thoroughly and maintain air flow until you are sure that the job is done.
    
6. Dispose of damaged items. Bringing damaged items back into your home could spread mold spores back into the area. Dispose of all exposed furniture and belongings responsibly.

We at Steamatic understand the traumatic life-changing nature of fire damages to your property, and operate with equal parts professional expertise and reverence when we are cleaning your family’s home. If you and your family have suffered from fire damages to the home or business, Steamatic Fire Damage Restoration Services can help.

Though even the smallest fire can have a huge impact on your home or work life, these smaller incidents do give home and business owners the opportunity to repair damages themselves, if they so choose. If you feel that your fire damages are not significant enough for a professional Steamatic clean, but enough to require some amateur treatment, then read on to learn different ways you can undo smoke damage to the home from Canada’s cleaning and restoration authority.

    What you will need:

• Trisodium Phosphate cleaner – 1 tbsp mixed in 1 gallon of water
• Rubber gloves for handling
• 1 large sponge (sponges commonly used to wash cars are an ideal size)
• 2 larges buckets
• Reliable warm water source
• Protective goggles, mask, and rugged work clothes
• Cleaning rags
• Vacuum cleaner

    The cleaning process:

• Vacuum all soot from the surface of your furniture, walls, and belongings.
   
• With rubber gloves, apply the Trisodium solution to your sponge and scrub down the affected area in manageably-sized segments using hard, firm strokes.
   
• Dip cleaning rigs in warm water and rinse the sponged areas.
   
• Repeat until desired result is reached, but do not oversatured your walls in your cleaning solution, or you risk seeping water damages done to your drywall and baseboard.
   
• Most home owners decide to prime their walls and apply a fresh coat of paint after having cleaned them of soot.

    While these tips will help you deal with manageable fire damages, smoke odors may persist. White vinegar, baking soda, and activate charcoal are all excellent DIY choices for home odor control, but you may have to contact the professionals at Steamatic to truly restore your home to its past glory.

In the case of disasters like these, proper protocol must be followed, or you risk exacerbating your material losses and spreading mold into the home. Steamatic would like to share with readers two separate solutions for document and media restoration that can help you whether your unique situation calls for DIY or professional help.

    DIY tips for handling water-damaged photos:

    If at all possible, seek professional media restoration. DIY methods risk causing further damage, and so those seeking professional help are encouraged not to handle anything until Steamatic workers arrive. If you are uninterested in professional help, but cannot leave your items bobbing in water, then proceed with the following steps.

• Handle with extreme care. This probably goes without saying, but water-damaged documents and photographs are extremely susceptible to further damage. Carefully lift the damaged items from the water or wet box and separate any that are stacked together. Do not touch the wet surface of any images where possible.
• Gently rinse both sides of the images in clean, cold water. Again, do not touch the actual surfaces of the photographs, and do not rub or scrub. You are only rinsing off any dirt or contaminated water.
• Lay them out to dry facing up on clean towels that will not be ruined with any running ink or colour stains. Change your towel or paper towel every 1-2 hours until the items are dry.

    The industry-leading Steamatic solution:

    If you opt for professional assistance with your photo and document restoration, you can rest assured that you are in good hands. Steamatic’s cold vacuum-drying technology produces the best results in the industry.

    It is important to contact Steamatic within 24 hours for best results. The longer your items or photographs sit, the worse they will be. Steamatic can restore photos, papers, books, x-rays, and more. Steamatic workers transfer your items into carefully-labeled boxes to protect your confidentiality and maintain organization, and store them in powerful freezers that flash-freeze your items in a way that is not possible with commercial refigerators. Once frozen, we freeze-dry your documents in a process that turns ice solids into gas under very low pressure. The water vapours created in this process are then captured so as not to damage your items.

    If you feel your water damaged items require a proper professional touch, then contact us today to have your documents restored!

Many people are unaware that there are different types of mould that can affect your health in various ways The type of mould that grows on your walls or carpets is known as aspergillus or penicillium. Aspergillus is grey, brown, yellow, green, or black and grows rapidly. This type of mould can cause infections in those who have weakened immune systems. It can grow on walls or insulation. Penicillium is green, white or blue and has a fuzzy texture. This type of mould can grow on food, walls and insulation. If ingested this type of mould can upset the stomach. Airborne spores can cause coughing, eye irritation, and congestion.

Alternaria is dark green, grey or black in colour. It’s appearance is long hairs. It can grow on carpet, around windows, or in flooded basements. This type of mould can promote respiratory issues, asthma and hay fever. Stachybotrys is dark green or black in colour. This kind of mould looks slimy. It can grow on walls, ceilings and floorboards. This type of mould can cause cancer, headaches, asthma, dizziness and joint pain. Lastly, memnoniella is dark green or black in colour and appears smalled than stachybotrys. It can grow on cotton, wool, ceilings and walls. The health issues correlated with memnoniella include respiratory complications, headaches and coughing.

With various types of mould and numerous health risks associated with mould it is best to hire professionals to ensure your home and family are safe. Steamatic offers professional mould removal services to allow you and your family to get back to your normal lives. For a free quote call Steamatic today at 1-888-767-7616!

If your eavestrough overflows water damage can occur. In order to deter this from happening, ensure your eavestroughs are clear of debris. If your eavestroughs become blocked your basement can flood. A precaution you can take as a homeowner to avoid this issue is to install downspout extensions that will lead water away from the home.

If you live in an area where your home is subject to torrential rain pour, heavy winds, snow and hail it is important to replace your shingles every 15-20 years. Ensure optimal ventilation is available. You should also clear snow and ice off of your roof during the winter months.

Overflows or leaks can occur from sinks, toilets and bath tubs in your house. To avoid these leaks from occurring make sure all drains are clear from debris. It’s also important to be aware of where the shut off valve is. If your home does not have shut off valves consider putting them in for precaution.

Windows and door seals are also subject to leaking which can lead to water damage in your home. In order to avoid this problem you should seal windows and doors and put window wells in for the basement windows in your house.

Pipes in your home can become broken or burst unexpectedly. If this occurs turn the water valve off as quickly as possible. To make sure this works you should turn off your valve every six months. Examine your plumbing for any cracks or corrosion. If you see a problem beginning replace the pipe as soon as possible to avoid further destruction. To keep your kitchen pipes in working condition do not pour fats, oils or grease down your drain.

If you notice any creaks in the walls of your home or foundation seal them to deter water from leaking through. Your water tank should be replaces every 10-15 years, examine the tank for corrosion every so often.

By implementing the above habits you will help to prevent water damage from occurring in your home and avoid the heavy costs and burdens that come along with it. 

Whether it's the elimination of soot from a fire, restoration after flooding or a simple carpet cleaning, we are ready to help you get started on the right foot.