Recent Posts

Houston, We Have a Problem.

1/3/2024 (Permalink)

Team Servpro Helping hands

Hurricane Harvey struck the gulf coast of Texas in August of 2017, making it the first major hurricane to hit Texas in almost 20 years. Harvey peaked as a Category 4 hurricane that devastated the Houston area through severe rainfall and high-speed winds, causing catastrophic flooding and damage to over 160,000 homes. This is where SERVPRO stepped in to help. 

SERVPRO of Woodridge/Bolingbrook sent crews to Houston for 30 days in the wake of the major storm. Within that time, our crews took on about 50 jobs in the area to assist in extracting water from homes and cleaning up the damage. Along with structurally drying and restoring the affected areas, our team served to help and support customers during their time of need. 

You Never Know What You're Gonna Get

11/7/2023 (Permalink)

Turf Removal Gone in 60 Seconds (maybe a little more)

Here at SERVPRO of Woodridge/Bolingbrook we offer a variety of services. Sometimes we are asked by our clients to take on new and unique challenges.

Many times our experienced representatives can channel their skills into new projects. Cross training our technicians in multiple skill sets creates an environment of growth an opportunity.

In this scenario, a previous client asked if our technicians were able to remove the old turf from their baseball practice facility. Our experience in carpet removal allowed our technicians to complete the project in an efficient and timely manner.

SERVPRO of Woodridge/Bolingbrook strives to provide many service options to our clients. No job is too big. No job is too small.

Under the guidance of our well trained crew leaders, we are able to assist our customers in many different ways.

Flooding in New York and New Jersey

10/2/2023 (Permalink)

Flooded streets New York City suffered severe flooding over the weekend

Severe flooding occurred throughout New York and New Jersey late last week. New York City was hit especially hard, with the downtown streets flooding and mostly all of its public transportation shutting down. Subways and highways were flooded and could not be used. In a bustling place such as New York City, this was a major issue as this prevented people from getting to and from work and school. People who were able to get to work or school before things got bad, did not have a way home. A majority of students take public transportation to and from school. School busses were running but only a small number of kids ride the school bus, most of them being disabled. Areas in and around the city saw anywhere for 4 to 7 inches of rain. JFK airport saw a little over 8 inches of rain which broke the previous record established in 2011 during Hurricane Irene. LaGuardia Airport had to shut down one whole terminal due to severe flooding. Both New York and New Jersey declared a state of emergency and encouraged people to stay inside to avoid the dangerous flood waters and limit the potential for any other possible injuries. 

Cigarette Smoke Damage

5/8/2023 (Permalink)

Cigarette smoke damage on walls and ceiling Years of smoking cigarettes inside has caused significant staining on the walls and ceilings.

Smoking inside your home is not recommended, but tons of people do it anyway. Aside from the obvious fire hazard it presents, the nicotine and residue from the smoke settles on the walls and ceilings of the house causing that yellow brownish color. As you can see in the before image, the walls and ceilings in this home have endured years and years of cigarette smoke. The daughter of this homeowner decided that she had had enough and called SERVPRO in to come and clean the walls and ceilings in two rooms on the main level of the home.

Before SERVPRO could get to cleaning, they had to move some of the content in the rooms off of the walls so that they had access to them. Once that was done and the furniture was covered with plastic, SERVPRO utilized their standard cleaning practices, starting with a dry cleaning method to remove any loose particles before coming in with the wet cleaning process. The dry cleaning utilizes a special chemical sponge that can pull any loose particles and residue that may just be hanging out on the surface. The wet cleaning consists of the use of two chemicals, "Wall and All Surface Cleaner" and "Wall Rinse". Wall and All is used first, this acts as the main cleaning agent and will remove the majority of the heavy staining. In cases like this where the damage is pretty severe, it may take a couple passes with the Wall and All to fully remove the staining. After Wall and All, SERVPRO uses Wall Rinse. Wall Rinse will take care of any minor staining left over as well as remove the Wall and All chemical from the wall to ensure there is no film or residue from the chemical left behind.

In the end the walls and ceilings cleaned up nicely and the customer was extremely pleased with how everything turned out.

Winter Storm Wreaks Havoc

1/26/2023 (Permalink)

Kitchen Demolition A pipe break caused significant damage to this homeowners kitchen.

Recently a winter storm ran through the Chicagoland area as well a majority of the country. This intense storm brought about high winds, cold temperatures and plenty of snow fall. As a result of this storm, thousands of people ended up with frozen and broken pipes in their homes. SERVPRO's all across the country did their best to keep up with the volume of work. As you can see in the image attached, this home suffered a pipe break on the second level of the home that made its way down into the kitchen. In the image, you can see that the kitchen was almost entirely gutted, from the ceiling to the walls to the cabinets. In order to properly dry out the affected areas, those materials needed to be removed. All of the customers belongings that were in the cabinets or in the way were carefully packed away in boxes and moved to an unaffected area of the house. By doing this we limit the possibility of damaging their stuff and eliminate any possible cross contamination. 

Sump Pump Failure Damages Basement

9/23/2022 (Permalink)

Bedroom demolition The walls and carpet were affected in this bedroom, causing them to be removed.

Storms recently ripped through the Chicago suburbs, causing thousands of dollars in damages to homes throughout the area. As the rain continued to fall, the sump pumps in these homes failed to keep up. The home pictured here suffered that fate, as their sump pump failed and caused water to enter into their basement. The water would end up affecting the carpet as well as the walls. Thankfully most of the customers content was able to be salvaged except for a few cardboard boxes. SERVPRO was able to asses the damages and determine what the next steps needed to be. The technicians on site determined that most of the walls needed to be cut due to wet insulation as well as determining that the carpet and pad was not salvageable. When all the demolition was completed, they set drying equipment consisting of air movers and dehumidifiers to start the drying process. All in all the process was completed after 4 days. The customer was very pleased with our work and decided to use us for the reconstruction as well. It will be a pleasure too see this project through from start to finish.

Atlantic Hurricanes

9/8/2022 (Permalink)

Hurricane Earl Hurricane Earl's Path

Earl, the second hurricane of the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season, has been forecasted to become the first major hurricane of the season. A major hurricane is categorized as a hurricane that has winds of 111 mph or greater. The hurricane is not a threat to the United States, as it is moving eastward in the Atlantic toward Bermuda. The good news is that experts expect the hurricane to miss Bermuda to the southeast, only causing some gusty winds and some rain and avoiding the really dangerous and damaging stuff. It is expected to reach its peak strength sometime this afternoon as it veers off to the northeast. Although the hurricane will not directly affect the United States, the US could potentially see some swells which will cause some very dangerous rip currents. There are currently two hurricanes active in the Atlantic, along with Earl there is Danielle. Danielle isn't as strong as Earl, failing to reach the "major" category. This is the first time since 2020 that two hurricanes have been active at one time in the Atlantic.

Leaking Washing Machine

9/7/2022 (Permalink)

Room post demolition This image highlights what was removed from the room.

A leaking washing machine caused water damage in a nearby room as it saturated the carpet and the drywall in the room. Luckily the homeowner caught it fairly quickly so the damage was limited to just one corner of the room. The other good thing they did was call SERVPRO right away. This is important because the longer they wait, they more potential problems come into play and the damage can become greater. When SERVPRO arrived, they assessed the damage and determined the best course of action. The affected carpet and pad was removed, and as you can see from the picture it wasn't a very large area but it is still imperative that it be removed. The next thing they did was remove any affected drywall. Usually interior walls would not be removed but in this case it was so saturated that SERVPRO techs used their professional opinion to determine it should be removed. The other wall was an exterior wall that contained insulation so that had to be removed no question. Then the drying equipment was placed and it was left to do its thing. The job was dried out and completed in just a matter of three days, leaving the homeowner thrilled. 

Liquor Store Fire

9/2/2022 (Permalink)

Liquor Store The liquor store was up and running again in less than a week.

This liquor store recently had a fire breakout in the apartment unit located directly above it. Although the store did not suffer any direct structural damage from the fire, the fire left a lot of smoke and soot damage throughout the store. The store owner did the smart thing and called in the professionals at SERVPRO. After inspecting the store to determine the severity of the smoke damage, SERVPRO developed a plan of action and got to work. An important aspect of this job was that they had to take inventory of everything in the store so it could be claimed. This was an extremely detailed process because any errors or mistakes could wind up costing the customer tons of money. Once everything was accounted for, SERVPRO got to work on the cleaning. The cleaning consisted of ceilings, walls, floors, shelving, and just about anything else you could imagine in the store. All in all, the process took about five days and the customer was extremely happy with how everything turned out. 

Types of Disasters

9/1/2022 (Permalink)

Flooded neighborhood It is important to stay out of the water if at all possible to avoid any unseen hazards.

September is National Preparedness Month. It is a time used to raise awareness about the importance of being prepared for any type of disaster that could strike at a moments notice. According to the government website Ready.gov, there are over 25 different possible disasters. Some of them include, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, wild fires and winter storms. Although earthquakes, hurricanes and wild fires are out of the norm in Illinois, the other two, floods and winters storms, are something we know very well. SERVPRO has seen their fair share of both and we never shy away from the challenge. When it comes to these disasters, is it important to have a plan in place before hand. This will allow you to navigate the situation more clearly and not in a panic. Having an emergency kit put together is important as well. The kit should contain the necessities, having it put together before hand allows you to grab it and go in a much more efficient time. Ideally, the kit should contain enough supplies to last you at least one week in the event you are stuck in your home.