Damage Restoration Services Chicago

DAMAGE RESTORATION & RECOVERY IN CHICAGO

Our discussion begins with a project that we handled right here in Chicago. It was one of the dirtiest of environments and had to be handled with kid gloves. Which meant full respirators and we were donned in full restoration regalia to protect ourselves from bacteria, dust, microbes, etc. 

Let’s set the stage

When a property is left unattended or abandoned, all sorts of problems start to surface. One of the most lethal can begin as black mold on drywall or in flooring. This is what we were facing. Oh, and I almost forgot, sewage contamination to boot. It was going to take a meticulous program of demolition, removal, decontamination, sanitization, cleaning and proper dry out. We’ve seen this monster before. 

Neglected Properties

In the Chicagoland area it is not uncommon to deal with properties that have just been completely neglected of any type of attention or care. This is one of those projects. What some in the industry call a complete “gut out” project. Everything must go! It would be a long, arduous undertaking to get the property back to where it can be restored and made new again.

The Restoration Process Begins

One of the first things that we had to accomplish is get rid of the nasty sewage that sat for months in this unhealthy environment. How do we do that without contaminating ourselves and the outside environment? Containment. Yes, setting up a barrier that serves as a buffer between the dirty, contaminated environment and the clean one. To transfer any of the unwanted infected areas into a clean space would be counterproductive. After containing the space, we set about the cleanup. Chicago sewage cleanup is not an easy task to say the least. You never know what you will find there. Even with full respirators there is the apparent need to step away from the environment and breathe fresh air at certain intervals. 

The next step is depositing or getting rid of the contamination in proper bagging so that it can be transported away safely. You can just imagine how tough this would be. Next, we start the process of removal of debris and contamination on the flooring and other surfaces. This would prepare us for the demolition portion of the job, as many of the materials, wood, drywall and the like have to be torn out and discarded, down to the studs.  A thorough HEPA vacuuming of the area served to help reduce dust, microbes and other loose debris that could disturb the project. A HEPA air scrubber would be administered to clean the air space and get rid of airborne microbes and dust.

Decontamination could now begin with antimicrobial products and biocide chemicals to kill dangerous bacteria. Along with a good cleaning and sanitizing with a liquid detergent. Now the area started to breathe right again. Since it had so much moisture, we decided it a great idea to administer commercial dehumidifiers, and air movers to assist with lowering humidity and dry out.

In the mold remediation Chicago IL process, it was necessary to make sure that no dangerous bacteria remained, or as little as possible. You can never completely rid an environment of ANY bacteria at all. Some will remain. But the idea was to get rid of the dangerous stuff and keep the levels of what remained at a point where it is not harmful to the environment or those in use of it.

When water damage occurs a complete dry out must take place, otherwise the bacteria that causes mold can find a way to start up again. Moisture elimination is a very important key to doing the project right! It could take 3 to 7 days for a good dry out to take place, depending on the structure and environment. This one took about 6. Levels had to be tested daily to ensure that we reached a good drying effort, before any rebuild could take place, along with a proper air test to reveal the results of our efforts.

WE DID IT! A job well done. And the customer was happy with the restoration project. On to the next one!