Is a Pack-Out of My Belongings a Smart Game Plan During Water Loss Recovery in Chicago?

5/9/2020 (Permalink)

Call (773) 337-3993 day or night for compassionate professional advice.

Our Contents Tracking System Is Why SERVPRO Can Keep Your Personal Property Secure if Move-Out and Move-Back Is Part of the Restoration Plan in Chicago

When a water emergency occurs at home, damage to both its structure and your contents is probable. The worry you experience about wet furnishings, household goods, and personal possessions are both practical and emotional, each of which we consider carefully while assessing the comprehensive needs for mitigation and remediation at your residence. We have many contents restoration resources to offer both on-site and at our production facility, why our team is considered an industry leader.

How Does the Water Soak into the Contents of My Home?
Water damage in your Chicago home often results from plumbing leaks, appliance breakdowns, and spills. Once the water is unrestrained by pipes, hoses, and basins, it spreads everywhere. Significant quantities of water can flow out of a supply pipe overnight or while you are away, greeting you with wet floors, walls, cabinets, carpeting, and furniture. If a ceiling holds water, it can collapse, soaking spaces beneath and their contents with hundreds of gallons of fluids. Water wicks up cardboard storage boxes, leaks down walls into closets, sprays from cracked hoses, and more, affecting contents throughout your abode.

Why Do We Recommend a Pack-Out After Water Damage?
Two primary concerns arise when the contents of your home receive substantial water saturation. Balancing these concerns can lead us to suggest at least a partial move-out of furnishings and other possessions. Our ability to transport household and personal goods and furnishings to our production facility for processing is one reason why SERVPRO reaches consistently successful outcomes.

Concern Number One: Contents Have Unique Cleaning and Drying Requirements
How do you dry papers, photos, and books?
Freeze-drying allows the water to be removed from fragile papers through a process called sublimation, which transitions absorbed water directly to a vaporous state, and out of the materials, rather than passing again through the damaging liquid state.

How do you dry upholstered furniture?
Creating small contained drying areas within our facility permits us to control temperature and air movement to accelerate the evaporation of absorbed water. Our technicians monitor carefully to ensure overdrying, which can crack wooden frames.

How do you manage wet textiles and soft items?
Evaluation of clothing, linens, window coverings, bedding, and removable rugs includes:

    •    Determining the fiber content and any special care needs.
    •    Pretesting for shrinkage, durability, and colorfastness.
    •    Running soft items and fabrics through appropriate washing/cleaning equipment.
    •    Selecting a successful drying method.

How do you clean and dry loose items?
Our production facility has immersion and ultrasonic cleaning tanks to facilitate the removal of any residues and debris, soiling washable, solid articles. We then employ our knowledge of drying techniques to ensure the items are ready to be cataloged and stored in our climate-controlled warehouse.

Concern Number Two: Extraction and Drying of Your Home Is Streamlined When Contents Are Packed-Out

Our team of Water Damage Restoration Technicians (WRT) and Applied Structural Drying (ASD) certified experts can complete the extraction of water, moisture testing, and structural drying more efficiently when a pack-out “clears the decks.” Benefits of a pack-out include:

    •    Elimination of staining floors and carpets with varnishes, inks, or paint from wet contents.
    •    An overall reduction in interior humidity as water-soaked items are moved out of the space, reducing drying times.
    •    No need for our crew members to continually move heavy furniture and boxes from room to room, saving time and effort.
    •    Technicians have room for equipment and can systematically approach extraction and drying.

Can You Explain How My Belongings Are Tracked During a Pack-Put?
In the chaos after a water emergency, we realize you have concerns about permitting the bulk of your possession to be packed up and moved by our crews. Best practices require that the restoration company maintains a well-articulated inventory and security system. Our commitment to handling your possessions correctly is why SERVPRO utilizes our Contents Claim Inventory Service (CCIS). We list, memorialize, and document the movement of every item from the original packing; through assessment, cleaning, drying, and storing; and on until the pack-back after your home is cleaned, dried, and ready to receive the items. Inventorying steps include:

    •    Creating written lists
    •    Using barcoding
    •    Taking digital photos

The documentation we develop using CCIS allows us to provide accurate information to your insurance carrier for any claims made. Our skills in contents restoration result in many items you might have discarded instead transformed to preloss function and appearance.

Reliable security protocols and world-class cleaning, drying, and restoration options are why SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City is sought after for contents management after a residential water disaster. Call (773) 337-3993 day or night for compassionate professional advice.

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