Packaged Terminal Air Conditioner Cleaning

12/9/2022 (Permalink)

  Packaged terminal air conditioners or PTAC’s are found in most hotels and many condominiums and apartments.  Some PTAC’s are portable and are very convenient and affordable. SERVPRO of Sussex County is happy to now include the cleaning service that applies to these types of air handling units. We detach the PTAC unit from the main housing box, clean all inner components including evaporative coils, blower wheel, condenser pump and all condenser lines, main shell of the PTAC unit (inside and outside) and all electrical wires. The main housing box gets vacuumed of loose debris then hand cleaned with a cleaner and disinfectant. Once the PTAC unit has had about 30 minutes to dry, we reinstall the unit into the main housing box, plug the wiring harness back together, and run unit for about 5 minutes to ensure functionality. Clean air quality depends on such regular servicing of these units and should be applied on a regular basis.  

  SERVPRO of Sussex County has several well trained technicians who have been cleaning these units for several years and possess the skill and know how to keep your PTAC’s CLEAN.  As more and more residences apply this air handling technique; SERVPRO will be there to help service them. Our Duct/Vent/PTAC Cleaning Division receives many testimonials on their professionalism and quality of work!  Check out Google Reviews and look for John and Brandon – they are the best!  Call SERVPRO of Sussex County today for an inspection and a quote for this essential service.  Reach us at 302-856-9768! Breathe Fresh Air!

CDC Update on COVID Cleaning

12/9/2021 (Permalink)

When to Clean and When to Disinfect

According to the latest update form the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) The virus that causes COVID-19 can land on surfaces. It’s possible for people to become infected if they touch those surfaces and then touch their nose, mouth, or eyes. In most situations, the risk of touching a surface is low. The most reliable way to prevent infection from surfaces is to wash hands and use sanitizer. Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces can also reduce the risk of infection.

This guidance is indicated for buildings in community settings and is not intended for healthcare settings or for other facilities where specific regulations or practices for cleaning and disinfection may apply. Additionally, this guidance only applies to cleaning and disinfection to prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. It does not apply to any cleaning or disinfection needed to prevent the spread of other germs. Always follow standard practices and appropriate regulations specific to your type of facility for minimum standards for cleaning and disinfection.

Cleaning with products containing soap or detergent reduces germs on surfaces by removing contaminants and decreases risk of infection from surfaces.

If no one with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 has been in a space cleaning once daily is usually enough to remove virus that may be on surfaces. This also helps maintain a healthy facility.

Disinfecting using USDA approved disinfectants kills any remaining germs on surfaces, which further reduces any risk of spreading infection.

You may want to either clean more frequently or choose to disinfect in addition to cleaning in shared spaces if the space:

• Is a high traffic area, with a large number of people.
• Is poorly ventilated.
• Does not provide access to handwashing or hand sanitizer.
• Is occupied by people at increased risk from COVID.

If a sick person or someone who tested positive for COVID-19 has been in your facility within the last 24 hours, you should clean AND disinfect the space.

Making Lemonade

12/16/2020 (Permalink)

Making Lemonade

  There is an old saying that goes something like this “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”  This is intended to be a blog about the new cleaning services offered by SERVPRO of Sussex County – so what exactly do I mean when I say that proverbial phrase.   It means that as of March of 2020; most of us were concerned about the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic and it affected many individuals and business adversely.  In fact, sadly, many have still not reached recovery and may not until late 2021 or later.  Some might say that the entire world was dealing with a bunch of lemons.  The proverb was originally intended to encourage optimism in the face of challenges or “lemons” and to approach them with a can-do attitude.

  With many business closing and struggling; SERVPRO of Sussex County was offered a status of being an essential business so fortunately; we all kept our jobs and not only did we keep them but we added about 10 more employees to our staff by making lemonade.  The obvious role all SERVPRO franchises was to immediately offer bio-hazard clean-up to those who may have been or may be affected or infected.  As our efforts to fight the viral beast unfolded; we began to see a spike in our cleaning business and not just the CSC program.  We saw that the CSC program was actually yielding clients who not only wanted our efforts to fight Covid-19 – but to also assist in keeping their businesses and residences pristine and sanitized on a regular basis.

  I am not making light of Covid-19 – that is not my intention; and I have had family members who have suffered with the virus.  My point is that when it appears that life has dealt us a bad hand and there is no easy solution – we must think outside the box and created opportunities and not wait for them to come to us.  If you have any cleaning needs – please call us at 302-856-9768 or visit: https://www.SERVPROsussexcounty.com/

Vehicular Sabotage!

12/20/2019 (Permalink)

When you think of SERVPRO and the services that we offer; you typically envision a house or business that has been affected by a natural or man-made emergency. Did you know that we sometimes clean vehicles? A couple of months ago a local dealership in Georgetown called us out to inspect an SUV that was parked on their lot. The caller described the situation as an animal “infestation”. We would not rest until we found the pest!

Our inspection revealed an SUV model that was less than five years of age and had a foul odor, with a notable presence of scattered rodent feces throughout the interior. We also discovered that our rodent had made a meal of some of wiring under the hood. As you might expect, this caused problems which made driving the vehicle impossible.

The dealership towed the vehicle to our location and our team had the challenge of not only cleaning the vehicle, but also searching for the perpetrator. No rodent was found and we determined that it had escaped during transit and become free range.

There are more than a dozen harmful and potentially fatal diseases associated with rodent droppings. The dealership intended to resell the vehicle once it had been safely restored to a clean condition. Our techs donned proper PPE before entering the SUV and worked for a full day vacuuming and cleaning the interior until the only evidence of rat damage was the chewed wiring which we cannot fix. The dealership towed the vehicle back to their lot and they were extremely pleased with our work.

Don’t let pesky pests ruin your day or your vehicle – call SERVPRO of Sussex County at 302- 856-9768 if you have a similar problem and we will send out our Rat Patrol!

After the Dust Settles

12/31/2018 (Permalink)

After The Dust Settles

  Remodeling projects are a common part of improving your home. Sometimes, the work that needs to be accomplished has unforeseen consequences. Perhaps a dust barrier fell down during demolition, or you discover the baseboard was nailed directly into a water line.  Accidents happen, and SERVPRO prides itself in getting the home you care for back to normal.

  My second week in the field focused on restoring a living space under construction. During the course of remodeling a basement apartment, a section of concrete floor was cut into. The dust barrier failed, resulting in substantial layer of fine dust cover on all surfaces. This material also made its way into the vents and the rest of the home.  As you can imagine, an environment covered in an irritant such as concrete dust is far from pleasant.  Silica, which is contained in concrete, can be a health hazard.

  In a case like this, our goal as SERVPRO technicians is to clean, sanitize, and restore your living space to its original state. We began by using a HEPA vac to remove the dust on fabric and hard surfaces. As surfaces were vacuumed, team members followed behind to sanitize. CD cases, shelving, picture frames, clothing, and any other object in the home affect by the construction dust was cleaned by our technicians. Lastly, we conducted a thorough vent and duct cleaning to remove silica dust that had made its way into the HVAC system. By the end of the week, our customer’s home had been fully restored.

  We all look forward to a clean and safe place to come home to every day. A post-construction cleanup can take away days of your time. The amount of work to get your home back to normal can feel overwhelming.  SERVPRO of Sussex County has the expertise to provide a deep and thorough clean that is a step above what others offer. Our residential cleaning services ease the burden of the constant maintenance, and unexpected disasters. We go the extra mile to create a safe, clean and comfortable living environment for you and your family. If you need help restoring you home after any type of accident, call – SERVPRO of Sussex County 302-856-9768. We’re here to help.

Rat Racer

12/26/2018 (Permalink)

Rat Racer!

  When you think of SERVPRO and the services that we offer; you typically envision a house or business that has been affected by a natural or man-made emergency.  Did you know that we sometimes clean vehicles? This was the case a couple of months ago when a local dealership in Georgetown called us to inspect an SUV that was parked on their lot.  The caller described the situation as an infestation.  We would not rest until we found the pest!

  Our inspection revealed an SUV model that was less than five years of age and had a bad odor and the presence of rodent feces throughout the interior.  We also saw that the rodent had made a meal of some of the wiring under the hood which made driving the vehicle impossible since it would start and then immediately shut down.

  The dealership towed the vehicle to our location and our team had the challenge of not only cleaning the vehicle, but also searching for the perpetrator.  No rodent was found and we determined that during transit it had escaped and became free range.  

   There are more than a dozen harmful and potentially fatal diseases associated with rodent droppings.  The dealership intended to resell the vehicle once it had been safely restored to a clean condition.  Our techs donned proper PPE before entering the SUV and worked for a full day vacuuming and cleaning the interior until the only evidence of rat damage was the chewed wiring which we cannot fix.  The dealership towed the vehicle back to their lot and they were extremely pleased with our work.

  Don’t let pesky pests ruin your day or your vehicle – call SERVPRO of Sussex County at 302- 856-9768 if you have a similar problem and we will send out our Rat Patrol!

SERVPRO of Sussex County Hunts for Dirty Ducts!

10/14/2018 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Sussex County Hunts for Dirty Ducts!

Did you ever want to know what’s in your duct lines?  Yes, those things that are attached to the registers either on the floor or up in the ceiling.  There are also larger registers – called returns – that are also duct lines feeding into your HVAC system – either your heating and/or your cooling system.  Most of us always assume that they can’t get dirty.  If you have pets, chances are those duct lines are filled with a lot of hair or pet dander.  Does anyone in the household have any allergies?  If so, it’s a good time to check out those duct lines to see what’s lurking in them to get rid of any allergens so you can breathe easier.  Does your furniture seem to get dusty right after you clean it?  Perhaps your duct lines could use a good cleaning!

SERVPRO of Sussex County will clean your interior duct lines and gets rid of 99.97% of the dust and allergens in those lines.  Our production manager will come to your home to give a free in-house estimate going over the cleaning process with you.  SERVPRO of Sussex County also has the capability of looking at the interior of your duct lines with a high-powered camera if necessary.  On the day of the cleaning, our highly trained technician will make sure that all the dirt and debris from your duct lines captured by our equipment will not escape into your home and all registers will be left clean as well.  Any residual dust in those cracks or crevices will be sealed with a duct sealer.

Call SERVPRO of Sussex County today at 302-856-9768 to set up an appointment to have someone come out to look at your interior duct lines.  Take the first step to breathing easier and having cleaner ducts.  Who knows we might also just find that missing diamond ring for you!