Kitchen fires happen – the most common cause of household fires

The fire started in the kitchen when the homeowner went into another room – “just for a second.”

Where the fire went – up and out of the kitchen

The fire was contained to the first floor, and everyone was able to get out safely, so thankfully there were no injuries to the residents of the home.

However, the water damage in the basement left by the fire fighters who put the fire out was extensive – as well as the smoke damage to the contents throughout the home.

Smoke damage from the kitchen fire in the bathroom on the other side of the house

What made things worse were the piles and piles of belongings throughout the home. Every room of the home was filled with clutter!

Smoke damage throughout the house – even in the bedrooms

To add insult to injury, the homeowner had several cats who had decided that the piles of clutter in the basement were fair game to use as a litter box.

Piles of children’s books and papers in the basement now ruined by the water used to put out the fire

So, now, not only was the home damaged with fire, smoke and water, the contents in the basement were infested with fleas and cat feces. . . .

And, you can only imagine the smell!

Before we could even begin to do the smoke and fire remediation, we had to call in an exterminator.

Precious possessions now burned – somewhere in this pile are several Coach® handbags

The saddest part was that the owner of this home had a beautiful collection of Coach® handbags she had received as gifts from friends and family members.

Because the Coach® collection was mixed in with all of her other belongings, many of them were destroyed by the water the fire fighters used to put out the fire, and the smoke that permeated everything in the home.

We were able to help her by getting her home clean, dry and sanitized and we cleaned the undamaged items so they could be moved back into the home.

But, it took several months for all the work to be completed.

And, the homeowner lost many of her cherished belongings – including several of her cherished Coach® handbags.

So here are the top 8 reasons that just might motivate you to do some Fall cleaning and de-clutter your home right now:

1. The first and most important reason to de-clutter your home now: Piles of books, papers, and clothing on the floor are a fire hazard because they make exiting from a burning home safely much harder. Keep your home safe for you and your loved ones and de-clutter now so nobody trips and falls if they need to make a fast exit from your home!

2. Second, the cost of cleaning water and fire damaged homes increases with the amount of “stuff” you have because there’s so much more work to do.

Yes, your homeowner’s insurance policy will cover the cost of damages and restoration after a fire.

But, if you have a fire, it will take a lot longer to get back into your home after the remediation is complete because all the contents have to be cleaned off-site.

What that means is that the contents have to be packed out, each item individually cleaned by hand, then treated for smoke damage, and then re-packed to be moved back into the home after the remediation and repairs have been completed.

Do you really want to wait months for something to be cleaned and de-odorized and moved back into your home when you just don’t care about it anymore?

3. The third reason you want to de-clutter now: As with our Haddonfield, NJ homeowner with the Coach® handbag collection, the loss of precious personal belongings goes way up when there is smoke and water damage to a home that has suffered a fire.

Remember: In a home that suffers a fire, valuable items that are mixed in with items that no longer have any meaning for you might sometimes end up getting discarded.

4. Fourth, basement clutter, more than clutter in any other room, increases the chance that toxic mold will grow because there’s a decrease in the amount of air circulation. Decreased air circulating the in the basement increases the chance that moisture will be trapped in and among the clutter. Stagnant air in your basement will feed mold growth – and that’s even without a significant water damage event like a sewage backup, a sump pump failure or fire water damage.

5. The fifth reason you want to de-clutter now: Insurance Adjusters are only human. When they see a fire and water damaged home that is well maintained – clean and tidy – it’s a sign to them that the owners care about their property and their belongings. If the home is cluttered and dirty, it’s harder for the adjuster to place a value on the contents of the home. And, while there is estimating software that helps adjusters place value on fire and water damaged homes, it’s a much harder judgment call to estimate the damage to the contents. It’s not possible for an insurance adjuster to understand the meaningful or sentimental attachment you might have to some of your belongings if your home contains a lot of other things that no longer matter to you.

6. Sixth, de-cluttering now can save you money. There are some tax advantages (albeit small) to donating your unused belongings – housewares, clothing, toys. All you have to do is save your receipt when you donate and report it on your income tax return. If these items are sitting in your basement, don’t you think they could be put to better use for someone in need?

7. Seventh, if you plan to down-size later in life to a smaller residence, the move will be a lot easier if you “de-junkify” now. Why wait?

8. The eighth reason to de-clutter now: If you have adult children, it will be much easier for them to manage your estate after you pass if they don’t have to sort through items that have no meaning for them. If you love your children, you can save them undue physical and emotional hardship with the simple solution of de-cluttering now.

While we specialize in compassionate and caring treatment of fire and water damaged homes, we also hope that you never have to experience this kind of loss. And,thankfully, the statistics for fires in the homes in our region have been decreasing steadily for the past several years.

But, if you, or someone you love needs help recovering from the loss of a fire, call the fire damage remediation experts at PuroClean Emergency Recovery Services 877-750-7876. We can help you sort out, clean out, and move back in after fire, water and smoke damages your home. That’s why we’ve earned the reputation as The Paramedics of Property Damage ® So give us a call. You’ll be glad you did!

Look out below! Water damaged ceiling in this finished Philadelphia basement

But, sometimes that indoor plumbing can cause problems when water goes where it’s not supposed to be.
There are situations of age that can cause these types of problems. But sometimes, it’s just human error.

Water waits for no man . . . woman . . . or child.

In this story, a Philadelphia homeowner was at work when the ice maker supply line on his refrigerator burst.
And, like most of us he didn’t have a clue there was anything wrong until he got home from work and his kids went down to the basement after dinner to play.

The cause of all the damage downstairs is the ice maker supply line in the kitchen – that burst!

Lucky for him, he knew who to call! We were there in 25 minutes and were able to find the source of the problem.
What’s interesting about this story is that the water damage should never have happened!
The supply line that burst was cheap plastic that was installed when the refrigerator was delivered to the home – 2 years ago! The homeowner was lucky the flood hadn’t happened before this!

Like my Daddy always said “When all else fails, read the instructions!”

Look closely. The installation instructions clearly state NOT to use plastic hose and to use copper line instead.

Yes, the water loss was covered by the man’s homeowners insurance. And, the insurance company was able to subrogate the loss back to – you guessed it! – the company that delivered and installed the appliance incorrectly. But this could have been avoided . . .

Photo courtesy of Home Depot

But, if you do have this unfortunate experience, please remember our name and number:
PuroClean Emergency Recovery Services
877-750-7876
We are at your service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – for all your property damage needs – including burst ice maker supply lines!

Flooded Basement from a sump pump failure in Clayton, NJ

If you have an electric sump pump with no back-up system, and you haven’t checked it recently, your sump pump may fail just when you need it most.

The 8 most common reasons why your electric sump pump may fail:

1. power outage
2. the pump may be burned out, unplugged, or jammed with mud, stones (or small toys volunteered by the children in the home!)
3. a broken impeller or drive shaft
4. the float switch is stuck or broken
5. a tripped circuit breaker, a blown fuse, or damaged power feed line

When sump pumps fail, flooded basements happen

Sump pump failure can lead to thousands of dollars in water damage to your home!

So, here are 2 easy steps to take to make sure you are protected:

The first rule of prevention is to keep your sump pump clean. Clogging is a major issue in sump pump maintenance. At least once a year check and clear dirt, debris and other foreign objects blocking in the inlet screen (this includes plastic toy army men or legos inserted by curious and creative children!)

*(To properly clean your sump pump, use a pair of rubber gloves to remove all debris. Next, take a garden hose and fill the pump with water. As you fill the pump with water, the float will rise causing the pump to activate again. If your float rises but doesn’t start the system, it is time to consult the troubleshooting section in your sump pump manual.)*

Second, check with your insurance agent to make sure your policy carries an endorsement or language covering your home (or business!) after a sump pump failure. Too often homeowners and business owners are confronted with the tragic truth that they have no coverage for water damage only after a water loss has occurred.
Taking these tips can save you time, aggravation, and money!

And remember: if you need emergency water extraction, PuroClean Emergency Recovery Services is only a phone call away! Call 877-750-7876
We can get you cleaned, dry, and sanitized from water damage before the growth of toxic mold!

In my book, that means you’re an optimist.

Optimism is part of our human make up. I think we’re “hard-wired” for it. And, we make choices every day based on this assumption of optimism – that things will work, that life in general will be all right, and that all the other motorists on the road will be following the same rules that we do. And this is a good thing. To do anything else sort of paralyzes us and gets in the way of living. As Christopher Peterson points out “There is abundant reason to believe that optimism – big, little, and in between – is useful to a person because positive expectations can be self-fulfilling.”

The only problem is, things do go wrong. Water heaters burst – usually in the middle of the night. Toilets do over-flow – especially when a three year old tries to flush a rubber ducky so it can swim with the “brown fishies.” Washing machine lines and ice maker lines break – most often when homeowners are at work. Coffee pots and toasters do burn and catch fire. And car accidents happen, as the Allstate “Mayhem” character likes to remind us.

Our logical mind knows this. But really, how many of us are “in” our logical minds all the time? Usually, nobody plans for a disaster. Our inherent optimism allows us to assume a certain amount of risk in daily living. But why is this important?

Last week we were called out to a huge fire loss in a commercial building in New Jersey. The owner, an enterprising business man, had purchased his original building over 18 years ago. In the course of the last 10 years, he had more than tripled the size of his business with the construction of an addition to his building. However, he chose not to increase his insurance coverage to keep up with the value of the property as it is today. It didn’t matter to him that his insurance agent and insurance company had done their own risk management assessment and had strongly encouraged him to increase the amounts on his property & casualty policy. The business owner was confident that he could save himself lots of money by ignoring their advice – because he was optimistic that he had built his building to last. Enter the unexpected: Somehow an electrical wire in the ceiling of the addition had become frayed. Maybe it was the work of mice in the attic. Maybe there was a vibration that had worn through the insulation on the wire. Whatever the cause, fire broke out in the ceiling of this warehouse-sized building. Char, soot, and smoke damaged not just the building, but also several cars and all the tools and equipment in the building.
The damage to the building and the contents is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and now this very successful business owner is unable to pay for the cost of fire damage restoration to his building. This business owner’s inherent optimism allowed him to assume a risk for many years that now he can’t afford.

Now this business owner is saying “If only . . . I had listened to my insurer’s suggestion and followed the risk management plan.

Owning a home or operating a business requires a lot of optimism, especially in today’s market. Risk management planning is the practice of looking at the current situation and imagining what could be the most cataclysmic event or worst possible thing that could befall a home or business. Sounds pretty pessimistic, doesn’t it? On the surface, maybe.

Risk management assessment and risk management planning used to be concepts solely related to the financial arena. Since 9/11, an increasing number of insurance companies are employing the concepts and the tools to help homeowners and business owners come to terms with the concept of risk in every day life – like the home inventory tool available from the Insurance Information Institute.

Microsoft’s Treasurer and Vice-president Callinicos describes the risk management planning concept on the Treasury & Risk website. Whether it’s fire, floods, earthquakes, or finances, he explains that risk management planning entails “figuring out a way to eliminate that risk–either contractually passing it on to someone else or finding a way to address the risk prior to it being a potentially loss-triggering event.”

As Rosabeth Kanter states in her book Confidence “Optimists simply assume that problems are temporary and can be solved, so optimists naturally want more information about problems because then they can get to work and do something.” Risk management assessment provides that information.
Assessing, managing and planning for risk is based on the assumption that you, your family, and your business can and will survive a cataclysmic event. And that sounds pretty optimistic to me.

And remember, if the worst catastrophe should happen to your home or business, PuroClean Emergency Recovery Services is there for you, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Large loss or small, we do it all. We’re only a phone call away 877-750-7876

What happens to homes in Philadelphia when the water isn't dried properly

Because the carpet cleaning company missed the water that had wicked up the drywall, they left a lot of water in the walls and insulation that caused the mold to grow. Now the homeowners have significant health problems like constant headaches and coughing that their doctor told them was from toxic mold exposure http://www.toxic-black-mold-info.com/moldhealth.htm . For a list of symptoms associated with toxic mold exposure see Dr. Mercola’s recent article at http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/07/30/dr-thrasher-on-the-health-dangers-of-mold.aspx?e_cid=20110730_DNL_art_1
The mold in this home grew on the drywall and insulation in the basement and was circulated throughout the home by the forced air heating/air conditioning system. The initial damage caused by this clean water loss in the home might have cost the homeowners less than their insurance deductible if it had been dried in three days with the proper equipment. Now, the full mold remediation project will cost them thousands to repair.

Unfortunately, in our challenging economy, this kind of story is becoming commonplace. As more and more people have lost their jobs, it seems like any “yahoo” with a pickup truck is calling themselves a “restoration professional” even though they don’t have the education or equipment to do the job right.

So how can you protect yourself?

1. Do: try to work with local and branded contractors. Tip: Usually these folks have uniforms.
2. DO: verify the contractor’s work with online vetting organizations like Angie’s List https://my.angieslist.com and Merchant Circle https://www.merchantcircle.com Tip: See what others have said about the contractor in a public forum.
3. Do: ask to see the contractor’s licenses or certificates. Tip: The contractor numbers should be visible to you on the trucks as required by law in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
4. Do: pay with a check or a credit card. Tip: Beware of a contractor who tries to pressure you – if an offer is only good “now or never,” find someone else!
5. Don’t: Pay for all the work until it is finished and you are satisfied! Usually a down payment is required for work to begin, but a reputable contractor will provide you with an explanation of the work to be done and the steps that will be taken. Remember: price is not the best indicator! There will always be less than honorable contractors out there ready to undersell a job just to get the work, but it’s no guarantee they know what they’re doing.

Now that the trash is gone, we need to clean and sanitize

Okay, I admit it. Part of my fascination with this job is because of my own hoarding tendencies. While I don’t hoard trash or “stuff” from yard sales and garage sales like the couple in the Philadelphia home, I’m an “information junkie.” And it’s information that usually ends up on my desk as piles and piles of papers and books.

My research on this topic has been a real education. Dr. Samuels from Johns Hopkins University Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Clinic (http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/ocd/patient.asp ) has identified five common traits that go with the tendency to hoard:

* Indecisiveness
* Perfectionism
* Procrastination
* Avoidance behaviors
* Difficulty organizing tasks

Of the five, I think that two of them – perfectionism and avoidance behaviors – are the ones that cause me the most problems. I’m sure my husband and family would agree. I’ve had these traits since birth, but they were also reinforced during my 12 years in grad school working on a dissertation.

But what sets many of us information junkies and pack rats apart from the true compulsive hoarder is that most of us can look at the problem and actually see it as a problem. People who have the true compulsive hoarding disorder don’t see themselves as having a problem. And therein lies the problem.

The actual number of people who may have a compulsive hoarding disorder in the United States is unknown. Gerald Nestadt, MD, MPH of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine says the disorder may affect between 700,000 to 1.4 million people. On the other hand, Jeff Szymanski, executive director of the International OCD Foundation http://www.ocfoundation.org/hoarding, estimates that there may be as many as 5 million hoarders in the U.S.

Why is there such a difference between experts? Because hoarding usually takes place in isolation and often doesn’t come to light until there is a crisis – like property damage from a fire like the home we were called to in Philadelphia – or death of an aged parent.

On the surface the hoarding problem looks and smells bad. But, there are other concerns that put people with compulsive hoarding disorder in danger. Loretta Worters, Vice President of the Insurance Information Institute lists four reasons for increased risk in a hoarder’s home that are of particular concern for insurers:

1. Increased fire risk from materials like papers, books, and food
2. Potential liability from accidental injury to a visitor
3. Blocked exits that keep people from getting out in case of emergency
4. Poor maintenance of plumbing, roofing, flooring, heating, and electrical systems that causes increased risk of property damage

So, while there is no current “hoarding exclusion” on insurance, because of the increased risk caused by hoarding behaviors, a homeowner’s insurance policy may be denied or not renewed after there is a loss – if the adjuster notes that the property belongs to a hoarder. And that puts the hoarder at an additional risk should a loss occur later on.

Because hoarding has become such a problem, PuroClean Emergency Recovery Services has begun to network with organizations and treatment professionals in the Greater Philadelphia area who specialize in assisting hoarders and their families (for the complete list of resources, see our previous post at (http://purocleanpers.org/2011/06/11/help-for-hoarders-in-philadelphia-part-i/ ). If you know of other resources in our area, please contact me and we will add them to the list.

As part of our commitment to help, we now offer families of hoarders a 10% discount (up to $500) for debris removal and clean up services. If you or someone you love needs help with hoarding clean up in the Philadelphia or South Jersey area, please contact us. We’re only a phone call away! 877-750-7876

April Showers may bring May Flowers – but this is the time of year when water is most likely to seep into your basement too. Homeowners depend on sump pumps to keep their basements and homes dry. Unfortunately, rain storms and power outages also go together. If you have an electric sump pump with no back up system, your sump pump may fail just when you need it most.

8 most common reasons why your electric sump pump may fail:

1. power outage
2. the pump may be burned out, unplugged, or jammed with mud, stones (or small toys volunteered by the children in the home!)
3. a broken impeller or drive shaft
4. the float switch is stuck or broken
5. a tripped circuit breaker, a blown fuse, or damaged power feed line
6. too much water
7. a clogged or frozen discharge pipe
8. the sump basin may be too small

*(tip: a residential sump basin should have a minimum inner diameter of 18 inches and should be at least 22 inches deep)*

Sump pump failure can lead to thousands of dollars in water damage to your home!

Two easy steps to take to make sure you are protected:

The first rule of prevention is to keep your sump pump clean. Clogging is a major issue in sump pump maintenance. At least once a year check and clear dirt, debris and other foreign objects blocking in the inlet screen (this includes plastic toy army men or legos inserted by curious and creative children!)

*(To properly clean your sump pump, use a pair of rubber gloves to remove all debris. Next, take a garden hose and fill the pump with water. As you fill the pump with water, the float will rise causing the pump to activate again. If your float rises but doesn’t start the system, it is time to consult the troubleshooting section in your sump pump manual.)*

Second, check your homeowner’s policy to make sure it carries an endorsement or language insuring after a sump pump failure.  Too often homeowners are confronted with the tragic truth that they have no coverage for water damage only after the damage has occurred. Taking these tips can save you time, aggravation, and money!