Time For A Lil' Q & A

What should I do if I find water in my home?

The most important first step is to eliminate the water source. Clean up and restoration cannot occur until the origin has been addressed. Remove small contents and small furniture items that are in the affected area as much as possible to prevent additional damage. Once the water has been addressed then our water technicians can come in to extract the remaining water to inspect affected flooring and walls to determine if they can be dried and restored or if they will need to be removed. Time is of the essence in water mitigation as secondary damage can begin to occur within 24-48 hours.

Why do I need a professional restoration company? Can’t I dry up water myself?

Mistakes and improper water mitigation can end up being far more expensive to correct if all moisture isn’t addressed. Our trained water technicians use moisture meters to measure water damage that you can’t see behind your walls and under your floors. This can help to avoid additional damage that you cannot see and might not be aware of.

Can I have my contractor come in and remove my moldy drywall?

No. If you do not put up a proper containment you will spread mold spores throughout your residence. Proper steps need to be taken to keep the mold in a controlled area.

I just had a fire, can I wash my own clothes? Is there an additive I use?

Washing your clothes will not remove the odor. There is a special process to remove the odor without adding unnecessary solutions. Our treatment process only requires one step before professionally cleaning each item back to its pre-loss condition.

I just had a fire in my home and there is black cobwebs throughout my residence, can I just wash the walls to clean the soot?

No, the cobwebs and soot particles are a result of a plastic substance that burned in the fire. The professional way to remove the soot before you clean is to use special treated dry sponges. If you just wash the walls, this will result in smearing the soot into the paint which will require re-painting.

I just had a flood and my fine wood furniture is sitting on wet carpet what should I do?

To prevent further damage to your carpet and your fine wood furniture, try to move the furniture bottom off of the wet carpet. This will prevent a furniture stain dye transfer and help to prevent further damage to the saturation of your contents.

I have to clean my carpet, can I just rent or use my mom’s carpet shampooer?

Our truck mounted cleaning machine provides a higher heat to remove more soil and our extraction allows us to dry the carpet faster. We specialize in fire and water damaged carpet as well as normal soil.

If I use a store bought cleaning solution to clean the soot off of my sofa, what should I expect?

Removing soot requires a high power vacuum to remove the soot before the cleaning process can begin. If you wet the soot it will penetrate into the fabric causing a dingy result. Some upholstered items even require a dry solvent clean process where water would ruin the fabric. Always use a professional process to increase better results.

Will regular painting hide the streaking from smoke damage?

A special process followed by a special sealer/primer is required to properly treat smoke damaged walls before painting.

Can I hire a general contractor to do the repairs to my home after a fire?

Your insurance company will prefer a professional restoration contractor who specializes in fire restoration. Laurens Restoration, Inc. is able to provide a detailed scope of work that assures proper reconstruction and deodorization with a guarantee.

After the demolition can I change the floor plan of my home?

This is the perfect time to make changes. We will work with your insurance company on repairing your house to pre-loss condition and also upgrade those items you’ve always wanted to do!

Can I just rent a pod for my personal property in front of my home while repairs are being performed?

After a casualty at your home, the last thing you want to worry about is the security and temperature conditions of your personal property. Our facility is a 50,000sf warehouse that is secured and temperature controlled to give you peace of mind. We will store your items until repairs have been completed which results in a faster repair process.