Several years ago we were referred by an insurance agent to help a homeowner in Riverside, New Jersey.

It seems the homeowner’s teenage son was making popcorn on the stove and used too much oil.

The oil burst into flames, consuming the pot in fire.

Panicking and not knowing what to do, the poor kid poured water on the flames.

 

 

 

 
 

Instantly, the fire turned into an explosive fireball, shot up over the kid’s head and melted the window blinds on the other side of the room.

Thankfully, the kid wasn’t hurt – it was almost as if he was in a protective bubble (or his guardian angels were working overtime!).

But, the kitchen, as well as the rest of the home was now filled with grease and soot.

 

But all this damage could have been avoided if the teenager had known how to handle the fire.

So here’s a short list of 11 things you DON’T want to do if you have a grease fire in your kitchen:

1. DON’T PUT WATER ON A GREASE FIRE!

Not only will the water not extinguish the fire, it will cause the burning oil to explode. Water, being heavier than grease, sinks to the bottom of the fire.
Instantly it becomes superheated and the explosive force of the steam shoots the burning oil up and out.
As in the case of our teenager, inside the small confines of a kitchen, the fireball hit the ceiling shot up over his head and started a fire on the window blinds on the other side of the room.

2. DON’T KEEP THE STOVE ON!

Turn off the burner – the fire might just get extinguished on it’s own

3. DON’T THROW SUGAR OR FLOUR ON A GREASE FIRE!

One cup of either of these can create the explosive force of two sticks of dynamite.
Instead use baking soda – or even better use salt!
Baking soda puts out fires by releasing carbon dioxide and smothering the fire, but if the fire is really violent, the fire creates convection that pulls in enough oxygen to offset the smothering effect. Salt, on the other hand, is a great absorber of heat for its volume. It sucks so much heat out of the grease that it simply can’t support combustion anymore.

4. DON’T USE A WATER BASED FIRE EXTINGUISHER!

The extinguisher you want is a Halon extinguisher or some Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) extinguisher. Check to make sure that the one in your kitchen (or the one you’re likely to use) is the right kind – today – before you have to use it.

And be careful! Standing in front of a pan full of grease and shooting it with a pressurized fire extinguisher will obviously spread it all over the place.
So stand back and remember it will probably take longer than you’d expect.

5. DON’T TRY TO CARRY THE FIRE OUTSIDE!

Trying to carry a pot or pan full of burning oil will just slosh and splash the grease fire.

6. DON’T WAIT TO CALL 911!

Only professional fire fighters are trained to know when the fire is really out. It’s not really something you want to doubt!

After the firefighters have left, it may seem like the danger has passed and the home is safe from further destruction. But without professional help to clean the fire, smoke and soot damage, your home will never return to normal.

While the principles behind cleaning up after a grease fire are straightforward, it takes a lot of experience and manpower to do it the right way to protect your home and family. And this means that fire damage restoration shouldn’t be attempted by a homeowner on his or her own.

There are a lot of companies in the Greater Philadelphia area advertizing their ability to restore buildings after fire and smoke damge, but make sure you only choose one with the proper training and IICRC – Clean Trust certification. The IICRC Clean Trust requires the firms it certifies to take extensive training and coursework before they can earn their certification. And PuroClean Emergency Recovery Services is an IICRC – Clean Trust certified firm!

But what you shouldn’t do before calling us if you’ve had a grease fire:

7. DON’T CLEAN OR PAINT THE WALLS!

Homeowners who try to clean these surfaces only cause the odor, soot, and smoke to set permanently.

8. DON’T CLEAN CARPETS OR UPHOLSTERY!

Smoke and soot can contain carcinogenic materials so special cleaning processes must be used to make them safe again.

9. DON’T CLEAN OR REPAIR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES!

Appliances need to be examined – and cleaned – by a licensed and trained repair technician.

10. DON’T LAUNDER OR DRY CLEAN CLOTHING.

Smoke and soot damage must be cleaned with a special process in order to remove carcinogens that may have been generated by the fire.

11. DON’T WAIT TO CALL PUROCLEAN EMERGENCY RECOVERY SERVICES

Time is of the essence! Within hours after the fire is out, smoke and soot start to degrade metal, plastic, carpet and even glass. The longer smoke and soot remain on these surfaces in the home, the more damage they can do and the more expensive it is to fix. Call PuroClean Emergency Recovery Services at 877-750-7876 as soon as the firemen leave and certify that the home is safe. We can begin the process of fire damage restoration so you can be sure it’s done right.

I love the Fall – cooler weather means it’s more comfortable to cook and enjoy the fruits of the harvest. Roasted chicken, squash, potatoes and pies all seem to fit better into the scheme of things in the Fall. But, as more people return to their kitchens at this time of the year, there’s an increased risk of kitchen fires. That’s why this year’s NFPA theme is “Prevent Kitchen Fires”. And their site is replete with common sense tips to avoid tragedy.

But, as I read through the tips, I realized that as much as I like cooking, I think I’ve been busted on almost all the tips.

• Have you ever used the timer function on your oven to start cooking the meal before you got home from work so the meal would be hot and ready when you got there? . . . busted!
• Have you ever put water on to boil for a cup of tea, then walked out of the room to quickly perform some other task and gotten distracted so the water boiled away leaving a yucky mess in the bottom of the kettle? . . . busted!
• Have you ever had a greasy meal boil over on the stove that started a grease fire when you weren’t looking? . . .busted!
• Have you ever put eggs on to boil and forgotten them – only to be reminded minutes later with an awful smell of burnt sulfur that they’re more than done? . . . busted!
• Have you ever had your clothes catch on fire because you leaned over the gas stove with a loose fitting shirt? . . . busted!

I think the only one I haven’t been busted on is the one about kids and turning the handles of pots and pans to the back of the stove.

I guess that’s why we all need the NFPA reminders spelled out in detail in my previous post. . . all common sense, but reading through them reminds me that I’m an idiot sometimes . . .

I know these rules – I’ve been cooking since I was 8.
And, thankfully none of my idiot moves ended up in fire damage to my person, my kitchen or my home. And thank goodness my multitasking in the kitchen never caused my kids to get burned. The smoke damage and the smell from these mini fires, now that’s a different matter. Good thing I know what to do about that too. One could say it’s given me good practice in successful smoke damage remediation . . .

But, the point is, even when we like to cook, even when we’re good at it, the temptation is so strong to put something on the stove and walk away while we wait. There are distractions everywhere, but the biggest one is in our heads.

And, what’s really interesting is a search on “multitasking” and “fire” brings up all sorts of links discussing the Kindle Fire and the multitasking feature on that device. So, we’re being conditioned to be idiots by our technology! And, there are multiple research articles available that discuss how multitasking is bad for our brains and bodies. But, we still do it . . .

So the biggest message from this year’s NFPA campaign is slow down! When you’re cooking, it takes time. So accept it, stay with it, enjoy it . . . and avoid being a sometime idiot like me!

October 6-12, 2013 has been designated by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) as Fire Prevention Week, and this year’s theme is ‘Prevent Kitchen Fires.’ During this year’s fire safety campaign, we’re helping to spread the word to the communities in Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey area about the dangers of kitchen fires – most of which are caused by unattended cooking.

According to the latest NFPA research, cooking is the leading cause of home fires: Two out of every five home fires begin in the kitchen – more than any other place in the home – and they’re also the leading cause of home fire-related injuries.

Often when the fire department is called to a fire that started in the kitchen, the residents say that they only left the kitchen for a few minutes. Sadly, that’s all it takes for a fire to start. Below are safety tips that the NFPA would like everyone to remember and implement.

• Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, broiling, or boiling food. If you must leave the room, even for a short period of time, turn off the stove. When you’re baking, or roasting food, check it regularly, stay in the home, and use a timer to remind you when it’s done.
• When it comes to grease fires on the stove, always just put a lid on it and turn off the heat – and have a box of baking soda nearby to quench the flames outside the pan.

• If you have young children, use the stove’s back burners whenever possible – and keep the handles of pots and pans on the stove turned away from the front. Anyone who’s had children knows they’re always curious – and toddlers have a tendency to reach up and pull pots down onto themselves. So, the goal is to keep children and pets at least three (3) feet away from the stove whenever possible.
• When you cook, wear clothing with tight-fitting sleeves – and, if you have long hair make sure you keep it pulled back.
• Keep potholders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper and plastic bags, towels, and anything else that can burn, away from your stove top.
• Know where your fire extinguisher is and make sure everyone in the family knows how to use it.

Most of these tips are common sense. And thankfully most of the time, people remember them so the incidence of fires has actually decreased over the last 50 years in our area.

But, everyone gets distracted sometimes.
In our current age of the multitasking epidemic, these tips are easily forgotten, so fires continue to be a problem – and the need for professional fire damage restoration.
And that’s where PuroClean Emergency Recovery Services comes in! We’ve helped dozens of families in our Greater Philadelphia area recover after devastating fires in their homes with successful fire, water and smoke damage restoration. With our understanding, compassion and professionalism, we can help families suffering from the shock of a kitchen fire recover their sense of home and safety by mitigating the damage.

So if you, or someone you know needs help cleaning up after fire damage – no matter what the source – give us a call at 877-750-7876 as soon as possible so we can help you get back to normal as quickly as possible.

Everyday I express gratitude for the hands and minds that invented indoor plumbing . . . and water heaters! Comfort, convenience, and cleanliness – brilliance in a package just behind the walls. Can you imagine what it used to be like having to lift, carry and tote water for basic uses like drinking, cooking, and cleaning? Civilization took a giant leap forward when indoor plumbing became standard for all homes. . .

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.

“Daddy, the rug is all squishy” his daughter called up the stairs. So the homeowner went to investigate.
Water was pouring down from the ceiling above and he didn’t know what to do.

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!

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 . . .

So here’s one smart tip tip to avoid costly water damage to your home: look behind your refrigerator tonight and make sure your ice maker supply line is copper! If it isn’t, Home Depot, Lowes, and your friendly neighborhood hardware store all have copper line kits that are easy to install. The kits are fairly inexpensive – and a heck of a lot cheaper than cleaning up and repairing the water damage from a burst plastic line!

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!

Recently we were called out to do water damage remediation for a homeowner in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

The homeowner had just completed a remodel of the first floor of his home a few weeks ago.

And then,
his dishwasher supply line burst . . .
in the middle of the night . . .
while he was sleeping.

The homeowner woke up to an inch of water flowing out of his newly remodeled kitchen into the hallway and on into the dining room.

 

As you can imagine, he was very upset. Yes, he had homeowner’s insurance, and yes, his insurance agent assured him his loss was covered. But he wanted to know if we could save his new floors since he and his wife had just installed them and loved them so much.

The short answer to the question by the homeowner “Can we save the floors?” is Yes!

 

But the longer, more accurate answer is . . . It depends

 

 

 

We were able to save the floors in this Cherry Hill home because it fit all the criteria:
1. the homeowner had installed hardwood floors
2. the source of the water loss was a clean water source
3. And, he had called us as soon as he discovered the loss, so we were able to extract the water and begin the drying process immediately.

 

 

However, we have been to many water remediation projects where the homeowners were not so lucky.

 

 

 

In these other cases, homeowners had installed laminate floors.
Unlike hardwood, laminate floors are usually installed to “float” over the sub-floor on top of a foam/film underlayment. The two problems with this type of flooring are that laminate floors are made with glue that dissolves when it becomes soaked with water. The other problem with laminate flooring is that the underlayment becomes soaked with water and is virtually impossible to dry. Once it is soaked, it becomes a breeding ground for health-threatening mold growth. So, the only option in this case is to tear out the floor and get it replaced.

In other situations, we have been called to do water damage remediation in homes with hardwood floors, but we were called too late to save the floors. The floors had become cupped and warped and required total replacement. But more importantly, the water had dwelled so long that mold had begun to grow.

 

So the moral of the story is, if you find your home flooded with water – no matter what the source – act quickly! Call PuroClean Emergency Recovery Services at 877-750-7876 and we can save your hardwood floors too!

It is so hard to imagine anything being wrong on a beautiful Fall day like this here in the North East. It’s hard to imagine the devastation occurring in Colorado right now. Like most compassionate world citizens today, our thoughts are with those people in Colorado (in an area the size of Rhode Island!) affected by the raging flood waters in the last 4 days.

PuroClean crews from across the country are attempting to assist folks with their property damage needs, but more urgent help is needed in the form of food, clothing, and shelter right now. We can’t help these people with these urgent needs . . . But The American Red Cross can!

Please join PuroClean in supporting the American Red Cross

The American Red Cross has launched a large relief operation to help people affected by the devastating floods.

Your help can make a difference right now!

Please help us help them by clicking the link on the Red Cross logo and making a donation now.

 

PuroClean is proud to announce that we have joined the American Red Cross Disaster Responder Program, a select group of leading corporations that provide the highest level of support to Red Cross relief efforts. When disasters like tornadoes and flooding happen around the nation, or when hurricanes happen closer to home, the American Red Cross is there to provide a shelter, food, emotional support, and other assistance to people in need. As a member of the Disaster Responder, PuroClean’s support ensures that the Red Cross can be on the scene of a disaster at a moment’s notice. You, along with PuroClean, can make a difference in the lives of those in need by making a donation to support the American Red Cross Disaster Relief.

Before there was Hurricane Sandy, before Tropical Storm Lee and Hurricane Irene, there were still problems with mold at the Jersey shore.

This story is about a job we did more than 4 years ago. Its a story about honesty and integrity. It’s a story about a commitment to getting the job done right – even when it would have been easier to abandon the project.

In 2009, we were contacted by the owner of a condominium in Ocean City, NJ. She had suspected a problem with her unit. So, we suggested she get the testing done by an independent third party – which she did. The indoor hygienist did determine that there were elevated levels of mold spores in the home and wrote the protocol for remediation.

 

Following the written protocol from the Indoor Hygienist, we set up containment, and sealed off the rest of the home from the contaminated area. Then, we installed negative air, which helped to form a slight vacuum on the area being remediated and vented the contaminated air outside – where mold spores rightfully belong.

 

 

 

We removed the drywall and all the contaminated building materials – including wet insulation.

 

However, even after following the protocol for remediating this home, the post-treatment indoor air quality test didn’t pass.
 

Even worse, the results from the test indicated that after remediation, the spore count was actually higher than before!
 

This had never happened before, and we were left wondering what went wrong.

We cleaned the home from top to bottom a second time, following all the IICRC recommendations and the protocol – without cost to the homeowner. It is our firm belief that the exercise of integrity reveals its full measure when there is no financial return for the effort in making things right.

And, a second indoor air quality test failed!

Beside ourselves with frustration (and not a little embarrassment!), we called in a trusted home inspector – and paid him out of our own pocket.

The home inspector was in the condo for all of 10 minutes and located the source of the problem.

Apparently, there had been a flood in this area of Ocean City a few months before the mold problem began in this condo. The crawl space under the condo unit had never been remediated by the Condo Association after the flood.

Along with the mud, mold and wet insulation, we found rat nests and rat traps – evidence that someone in the association knew about the problem.

We also found that the foundation was actually off the ground because the flooding had swept away the ground support.

The reason our indoor air quality test failed – twice! – was not because of our remediation efforts. It was because the negative air that was supplying a slight vacuum was bringing mold spores from the contaminated crawl space below into the condo unit! There was no way this condo unit could be remediated completely until the condo association did their due diligence in remediating the crawl space.

When last we heard, the owner of the condo unit was in legal proceedings with the condo association in order to resolve the problem. The condo association was not available for comment.

Our business exists to solve problems.

Sometimes, it’s to eliminate the health hazards of mold contamination.
Sometimes, it’s to find out why the mold contamination problem existed in the first place!

PuroClean Emergency Recovery Services 877-750-7876 – your trusted provider for mold damage remediation!

 

What do you do when you’re:

• an insurance agent in Center City Philadelphia
• you arrive to work in your office after a long holiday weekend
• and green water is filling your basement?

You call PuroClean Emergency Recovery Services of course! 877-750-7876

Lucky for this insurance agent they knew us and had our phone number programmed into their cell phone. We arrived in less than an hour and helped this agent reduce the damage of the loss by getting this basement pumped out, dried, and sanitized so no mold could grow.

Our business exists to solve problems . . .
Sometimes it’s for homeowners
Sometimes it’s for business owners – including insurance agents!

It is an honor and a privilege to be called by insurance agents in our Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey region to help them solve problems with property damage!

   Happy Labor Day Weekend 2013 from
PuroClean Emergency Recovery Services

As summer comes to a close and school begins, we wish you and yours all the best for a safe, happy, and healthy Labor Day weekend.

And, because we believe the best way to solve a problem with water damage is to prevent it from happening, here are some helpful tips you can use to avoid water damage to your home while you’re away: 5 Tips to avoid vacation water damage

And remember: PuroClean Emergency Recovery Services is there for you, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – even on holidays! – for all your property damage needs in the Greater Philadelphia and South Jersey area.

When fire, smoke, water, or storms create property damage problems, we’re here to be the solution!

877-750-7876

 What do you do when:

• -you’re a property manager for a national office supply store
• -you’re located in Texas
• -you have a store in Philadelphia that just had a rogue SUV plow into the front door
• -And you need emergency board up services
• -at 12 am on a Friday night?

 

You call PuroClean Emergency Recovery Services, of course!

 

 

 

 

Assessing the damage and communicating with the property manager in Texas with real time upload of pictures determines the scope of work for the project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Safety first! All the glass and debris from the doors had to be removed from the work area before board up could be started.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our technicians are trained in precision so that the finished product provides security and safety for the customers of the store.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Installation of the custom fit boards by our trained technicians means that the store will be secure over night before repairs can begin tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 
Clear of debris, and secured for the night,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 the property manager in Texas has no worries the job was done right!
 

 

 

 

PuroClean Emergency Recovery Services
Your trusted resource for property damage solutions – including emergency board up services – in Philadelphia and South Jersey!

877-750-7876