2025: one of the moldiest years yet

11/21/2024 (Permalink)

This is not good news for anyone, but it’s the truth: we’ve seen more mold in homes and businesses here in Buffalo in 2025 than ever before. 

Maybe we’re just growing. Maybe we’re just paying attention more. But it sure seems like mold, microbial growth and mildew has been a budding problem here in Western New York, and it hasn’t shown any signs of stopping anytime soon. 

We can’t stress enough how important it is to avoid a mold outbreak on your property. Mold and microbial growth itself is problem enough - it can cause health issues, it can be unsightly, and it can be incredibly expensive and tedious to remediate. 

Past that, the presence of extensive microbial growth indoors is usually the sign of a bigger problem. Maybe there’s been a flood, a leak or a pipe burst, or maybe there’s a significant building envelope failure and mold is just a symptom of a larger problem.

Whatever the issue is, you need to deal with it. Let’s buck the trend and reduce mold in Western New York in 2026!

Proud to be a part of the Buffalo Niagara Business Ethics Association!

11/13/2024 (Permalink)

As a previous winner of the Buffalo Niagara Business Ethics Award, we know that ethical business practices are the key to a thriving organization. 

Centering ethics in our work has done more than just make us proud to be part of the SERVPRO system. Ethics are often good business, allowing you to make lasting relationships with customers and communities that share your values. 

That goes double when it comes to our team. When we onboard new team members, the first thing that we try to assess is whether their values are in line with ours. Do they believe in the same things that we believe? Will they go the extra mile to take care of our community and our customers in their times of need? If the answer is yes, we know that they’ll love working here. 

Our general manager, Daniel Bauer, was recently appointed to the board of the Buffalo Niagara Business Ethics Association, and we couldn’t be prouder. Great job, Dan!

Save, don't replace. Have you heard of Esporta?

9/15/2023 (Permalink)

Esporta is a commercial washing machine designed to clean 95% of soft contents and textiles impacted by Category 2 and 3 Water Damage, Heavy Smoke & Soot, Trauma Cleanup and much more.

Some examples of articles that can be cleaned in the Esporta are as follows.

• Leather goods
• Stuffed Animals
• Clothing
• Comforters and blankets
• Shoes
• Hats
• Pillows 
• Firefighter gear
• Sporting equipment
• Mascot uniforms

Imagine a family just had a fire and now they are going to be living in a hotel for a few weeks. The daughter is upset because her favorite teddy bear smells like soot and is a health risk. We can clean it in the Esporta and have it back to her within 24 hours so she can feel like some part of home has been restored.

We are proud to be able to offer this service at our location in Hamburg NY. If you would like more information on Esporta please contact us at sales@SERVPROthesouthtowns.com

What are some of the tools we use to extract, dry and clean a water loss?

9/15/2023 (Permalink)

Extraction-

Some of the tools used for water extraction:

•         Light Wand – used to extract water from the surface of a carpet.
•         Submersible Pump-  Great option for a basement that has flooded. A truck mounted extractor or portable extractor may be overwhelmed by this amount of water.
•         Deep Extraction Tools- Rover
•         Truck Mounted extractor-

Drying-

•         Moisture Meters- are used to determine the amount of water within a material sample
•         Commercial Dehumidifiers –intakes moist air, removes the water and exhausts warm, dry air into the room
•         Air movers- moves warm, dry air over surfaces

 Cleaning-

•         Vanquish- concentrated liquid is a versatile cleaner and broad spectrum disinfectant that has multiple uses on a wide variety of surfaces. It will clean, disinfect and deodorize virtually any hard, non-porous surface.
•         Water based Deodorizer with Cinnamon- This is a good deodorizer for removing the smell of smoke and soot from a carpet or wood trim
•         Rainy Meadows Deodorizer- This used quite a bit for removing any final odors that might be lingering in the carpet

What is mold, anyway?

9/10/2023 (Permalink)

When people call to ask about mold remediation services, they're usually in a panic. They've found some kind of growth on their basement walls, for instance, and they have no idea what it is, if it's dangerous, and what they're supposed to do about it. 

They often ask us if mold is dangerous, and what mold even is in the first place.

Let's tackle that second question.

Mold is natural. It occurs anywhere that the conditions are ripe - namely, anywhere it can find food, water and oxygen. It's technically a fungi, and for the most part, it's a good thing - it breaks down dead organic matter for us. 

Indoor mold, however, is another matter. Not only can it be hazardous, but it's also a good indicator that something is wrong with your structure. There should not be enough moisture in your structure to support this kind of growth to begin with. 

If you do discover mold in your home, call us immediately for assistance.

Stop the water first!

8/31/2023 (Permalink)

When we take in a water damage mitigation call and someone requests restoration services, once of the first things that we ask them is whether the source of the water has been stopped. 

The reason for this is pretty straightforward - if there's still water coming into the structure, then stopping it is priority number one. Otherwise, we'll be extracting and re-extracting until the end of time trying to prevent further damage from occurring, and we'll never really make any progress on drying the structure out.

Of course, stopping the source is often easier said than done. If the problem has something to do with plumbing, like a burst or leaking pipe, then stopping the flow is relatively easy - just turn it off. But if someone is suffering from a roof leak, a foundation leak, or an undetermined source of flooding, then stopping the source can be complicated.

Is the smoke smell you're smelling really there?

8/31/2023 (Permalink)

When we perform fire restoration and cleaning services, especially when heavy amounts of smoke and soot were involved, dealing with the odor is often the most difficult piece of the puzzle. 

The primary reasons for this are based in reality. Smoke and soot can travel to all sorts of unexpected places within a home, especially if the home is not dealt with properly in the immediate aftermath of the fire. Soot can often be broken down into microscopic particles that are invisible to the naked eye, which means it can be next to impossible to exactly pinpoint.

But past that, we often find that people suffer "olfactory hallucinations," or "phantosmia," after fires, especially house fires.

These hallucinations cause them to smell fire and smoke even when no one else can, simply because the trauma of the event is so ingrained in their memory. 

What category of water is a dishwasher leak?

8/5/2022 (Permalink)

We all like to think that we'll never have a problem with our home appliances. 

Consider your dishwasher. Would you think twice about loading it in the morning before work and starting it up before you run out the door?

Most people wouldn't, and for the most part, they'd be fine. But for a fraction of the population, this exact scenario leads to disaster when their dishwasher fails or leaks and they come home to significant water damage.

What kind of water damage are we talking about? In most cases, a dishwasher leak like this is classified as a "category 2" water damage event.

Category 2 events are events where the water contains "significant contamination" and could cause discomfort or sickness if consumed. While they're not as contaminated as category 3 events, they're still very serious.

Dishwasher leaks qualify as category 2 events because the water from the dishwasher is contaminated with solids from the contents of the dishwasher, remnants of detergents and chemicals, and other contaminants that should not be consumed. 

Water damage becomes more contaminated over time

8/5/2022 (Permalink)

When you have a water damage event at your home or business, you really don't have any time to waste. 

Water damage should be dealt with urgently and immediately. That's because the longer it sits, the more damage it can cause, and the more dangerous that it becomes.

One example is the level of contamination of the water. 

Say you have water from a clean water source - a toilet supply line, for instance. If this were to leak, it would be classified as "category 1" water damage and considered relatively uncontaminated as compared to other types of damage.

However, water that leaks becomes steadily more contaminated over time. Even if it doesn't go anywhere and just pools on the floor, it attracts and nourishes microbes, bacteria and other contaminants.

In fact, the standards published by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification state clearly that category1 water that sits for 72 hours or more should be treated as category 3 - the same level of contamination as raw sewage.

Awareness and mitigation workshops for schools

8/5/2022 (Permalink)

This summer (summer of 2022, if you're reading in the future), we've introduced a brand new program that's been going great: a series of half-day workshops put together for local school districts to educate them on a variety of topics related to risk, safety and property damage.

These workshops, put on in partnership with Stohl Environmental, are designed to inform school buildings and grounds staff about risks they might encounter in the workplace, as well as how to react in emergency situations.

The day begins with a two-hour asbestos awareness course taught by Stohl Environmental. This course satisfies OSHA requirements for school employees.

Next, we team up with Stohl for an hour-long course covering the risks, regulation and remediation of mold and microbial growth.

Finally, we wrap up with a primer on understanding and properly mitigating water damage before we arrive on-site.

Interested? Give us a call and let us know you'd like us to come to your school!