You might not think of it, but you have an amazing tool available to you that will help you to find out when there is an issue with mold in your home – your nose! While the human nose isn’t as sensitive as some animals, it is still able to tell when something is off. This is why it is a good practice to listen to your nose. When there is a smell that is musty or off in some way, it could be that you have detected mold growth in your home.

One of the most common problems after storms is that people aren't as prepared as they should be. Many have the "It's not going to happen to me" mentality, and because of this, they don't expect to be in a tough situation after a storm.
To avoid that, prepare as if every single storm was heading straight for you. Having a go-bag prepared with the essentials to survive if you need to leave your home suddenly is a great way to prepare. It is also wise to keep a constant supply of non-perishable food and drinking water stored at home in case you get stuck in your home for an extended period of time.

If your life is turned upside down after a storm, Hero Remediation is going to be your best friend. We can help you deal with water damage in your home and make sure that your home doesn't take more damage after the fact. Keeping our number at hand is yet another thing you can do to prepare for the hurricane season.

Dealing with strange odors in your home is never fun, and sometimes it can be tricky to figure out exactly what the cause is. There are some specific events that might require a professional service to deal with the odors in your home, and we're going to consider a few of them in this post.

Whether it is a small fire that is contained quickly, or a major one that does a lot of damage to your home, rebuilding damaged sections of your home is most likely going to be your first concern, but you will notice that the odor of smoke keeps lingering a long time after all the repairs have been finished.
While you might feel like the odor lessens after a period of time, this is basically just your nose getting used to it. An easy way to verify this is to go away from your home for a day or two. When you get back, you will definitely notice the odor.

This odor is probably the worst you can deal with in a home if you're not a smoker yourself. At times, people have bought homes not noticing the odor until they started living in the building, and at that point, it's their problem to deal with. The problem with cigarette smoke is that there might be several items in your home that makes the odor linger for longer. There could for example be a film on all the lightbulbs in your home which would start smelling when the lights are turned on. It's also common that filters in your HVAC system absorb the smoke odor.

The main consideration when it comes to mold odor is that the source of the odor needs to be addressed first of all. Usually you will find mold growth in dark damp areas of your home, so mold remediation should be your first step. After that is cared for, odor removal comes next.

We use a chemical-free process for odor removal here at Hero Remediation. It is accomplished by using Hydroxyl generators. 

Identifying signs of previous water damage is essential because this will help you prevent future costly repairs like mold infestation. As a home buyer, hire a professional to thoroughly check for signs of earlier water damage. If the water damage is not found as soon as possible, it can result in costly repairs as well as a health risk because of molds.

Identify Water Damage: 
1. Outside the Home
The ground should slope away from your home and not towards it to avoid water damage. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell whether or not the grade is proper around your home, but it can cause serious problems if water is not kept away from the foundation. Water can get in the minor cracks, and as it works its way, you could be experiencing water damage in no time.
2. Inside the Home
​An obvious sign of water damage inside your home is water rings on walls or ceilings. This could result from something as simple as a leak from the roof or a leaking pipe. By examining the area around sinks and bathtubs, looking for warped floors and soft spots the source might be found.
3. In the Basement and Attic
We are experts at finding water damage. We will be checking for damp basements that can cause mold infestation and lead to health risks and expensive repairs. Hiring a professional expert is essential to ensure that your home is safe from water damage. We will check signs of water damage and overall condition to ensure that you are buying a home in its peak condition.

You might have seen on the news how flooding disasters are becoming more and more common around the country. No one wants to see their neighborhood under several feet of water with cars floating by, but for more and more people, it is a real risk. What are some factors that can contribute to your home being at risk for flooding?

While that is what you would hear from your realtor when looking for a new home, it is also something that comes into play when you assess the danger of flooding in an area. Is your home close to waterways that are prone to flooding? Is it near the ocean? Is it much lower than the surrounding neighborhoods? All these factors play a role in the risk factor for your home.

The soil your home is built on also plays a major role. If water can drain easily through the ground, it is going to be better off in a flood, while types of soil that won't let water through can make a problem worse. Hard packed clay and similar ground is going to cause the water to accumulate on the surface and possibly cause flooding in your home.

The problem with cities is the amount of asphalt as well as rooftops that funnel the water down towards you. Large parking lots can easily collect huge amounts of water that will need somewhere to drain. If your home is downhill from a parking lot, that could be a cause for flooding where you live.

Flooding can do huge amounts of damage to your home, and it could cause problems that linger for years. This is why it is essential to partner with a trusted remediation company, such as us here at Hero Remediation.
When you see any of the previously mentioned situations arising near your home, keep us in mind.

Toilet water can make for a much worse situation than regular water leaks because of the abundance of bacteria in the water. It is very important that the leak gets taken care of right away. If at all possible, you need to stop the water flow that is feeding the leak. Turning off your water supply will make it stop the quickest, but depending on what was in the pipes when the leak started, and what floor in your home the leak is located on, there might be quite a bit of water that will push its way through before it stops gushing out.
This is especially the case when there is a clog in your main sewage line, and a lower floor toilet starts gushing out water. If the upstairs bathroom and shower were used, all that water is going to come out before it slows down.

Cleanup of contaminated water is a messy business, and you want to make sure that you don’t leave bacteria-infested water in your home. This means that bleach is going to be your best friend. Cleaning all surfaces that had sewage water on them with bleach will kill the bacteria. You should also do the same with any mops, buckets, and tools you use for the cleanup. The recommended mixture for this type of cleaning is one cup of bleach to one gallon of water.
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If you want professional help with the cleanup, give us a call and we will be there as soon as possible.

When it comes to mold growth, it is important to remember that it doesn't just start from major events or in damp basements. There are also some things that we all might be guilty of that could end up being a problem. Let's just consider a few of them and what action would be a better option.

We all end up with wet clothes in our home at one time or another. Maybe we get caught out in the rain, maybe we have some clothes that we don't want to run through the dryer, or maybe we have worked out really hard and got sweaty clothes that we got out of. While this isn't a problem in itself, they should never be piled up somewhere where they will take a long time to dry. It could provide mold with the perfect location to start growing. Instead, you should hang up your wet clothes in a spot where they get good ventilation, or you should wash and dry them right away. Procrastination is not going to be helping you in your fight against mold.

It's easy to do it - you are gesturing while talking to your friends, and you knock a glass over. If you have carpet in your home, it might not even be noticeable after a short while, but that doesn't mean that everything is ok. Mold can start growing, even underneath your carpet, and not be detected until it's a serious problem.
This is why you should clean up spills quickly. If necessary, using a steamer on your carpet can help to minimize the risk of mold growth in your home. While there are some liquids that have a higher risk for starting mold growth, you should be concerned with spills no matter what the liquid is.

If you have a lot of live plants in your home, it is important to remember that water from an overwatered plant can leak onto the floor. Since the water will take a while to run through the dirt, you should get used to stopping watering earlier than you might expect to be needed. Keeping a saucer underneath the plant pots as well can be an added layer of protection.

These were just a few situations where you should consider whether what you are doing is going to encourage mold growth. It all comes down to the basics. Avoid moisture and have good ventilation. On the other hand, if the problem is from a major event, like flooding and big leaks, you would do well to contact us to take a look at the possible damage to your home.

Whether the cause is flooding, storms, rains or a busted pipe, dealing with large amounts of water in your home is not for the faint of heart. There are many issues that can crop up after the fact if water remediation isn't done properly. This could either mean costly repairs further down the line, or worse, health problems that linger for years to come. This is why water remediation is important, but some might wonder exactly what is involved in the process.
​That is what we're here to tell you.

For anyone doing water remediation, it is important to have a proper mix of technology and experience to be able to do the best job possible. There are modern tools to asses the state of a building, such as moisture meters that will tell you how much damage the water intrusion in your home has caused. Naturally, a tool is useless unless it's in trained hands, and that is what we provide. We will also check to make sure that there is no active source of water intrusion, since it is meaningless to do the remediation if there still is an active leak. We can assess the work that is needed and then provide an estimate of time and cost to you.

The first part of water remediation is always going to be water removal. The longer water is left in your home, the more damage it will cause. Using pumps and vacuums, we will make sure that the water is removed from your home as soon as possible. After it is gone, more tests will be performed to get a more complete picture of the situation we're facing.
After this comes the drying phase. We use commercial grade dehumidifiers to ensure that everything is as dry as possible. When that is completed, everything needs to be cleaned. While there are certain situations where there is a higher risk of contaminants in the water, such as sewage backup, there will always be a need for cleaning and sanitizing.

After all these steps have been completed, it's time to perform the actual restoration. There might be a lot of material that needs replacing, especially if the water has been standing for a longer period of time. It's not always easy to tell beforehand how much of the home needs to be replaced, but rest assured that we will do our very best to make sure that your home will look as if nothing ever happened.