The Mitigation Process and Preventing Further Damage

What is mitigation? The Oxford Dictionary defines mitigation as "the action of reducing the severity, seriousness, or painfulness of something.” This really is what we live by – helping to reduce the painful experience our clients are going through. Our specialty is mitigation. This is especially true when it comes to water damage and other types of emergency situations that occur within your home or commercial property.

Preventing further damage. It’s vitally important to both owners and insurance companies that your restoration company takes the necessary steps to prevent additional damage. Quick action and immediate service are paramount in any disaster situation. Minimizing damage at the time of the loss and deploying equipment quickly can save the owner thousands on the overall job cost.

Using the right equipment. Extracting the moisture and drying out damaged areas are critical after a water loss. Both actions prevent further damage such as mold – which is not only hazardous but damaging to your health. The equipment we use and the experience we have mitigating disasters are two key reasons why you should choose a professional company specializing in water damage mitigation after a water loss.

Quick action reaps results. Choosing a company like Restoration 1 allows you to reduce the severity of any damaging situation. Professional technicians will walk you through the mitigation process step by step. And, we will work with your insurance company when necessary to make the restoration process as seamless as possible.

Help with the claims process. Very often the entire claims process is a mystery to most consumers. Restoration 1 of West Denver can help you navigate the process and make it as orderly as possible. With our help, you can avoid frustrating conversations and hours on the phone.  

There are some common misconceptions about restoration procedures. Here are some of the misconceptions we encounter and the truth about the situation described.

“In the case of a fire, there’s no rush to process the smoke cleanup; the damage is already done.”

Secondary damage can result from an incident. When it happens, it’s often due to a failure on someone’s part to act quickly. Further damage can also result because no one took the right actions either to mitigate or restore damage caused by soot, smoke, water, sewage and mold. Mitigation will stop further damage and reduce the loss. Restoration repairs or attempts to put the damaged items back to a pre-loss condition are usually less critical, but important, and must be done quickly.

“It is less expensive to replace rather than to salvage.”

Cleaning fabrics and surfaces can produce very satisfactory results – and cleaning is cost effective. When smoke is not cleaned properly, secondary damage can result and replacement may be the only option. In truth, you can spend hundreds of dollars cleaning or thousands of dollars replacing items. Each situation calls for a particular answer.

“If you get your carpets cleaned, they will get dirty faster.”

In many cases restoration professionals are able to effectively clean and remove contaminates as a result of a loss. The old concept about carpets getting dirty faster is not true anymore. At one time, cleaning carpets meant using ineffective shampooing techniques that left soap residue in the carpet. This residue attracted soil. Today, a professional restoration company will use a process that rinses the carpet to prevent the soap residue. Whether restoration will be effective should be left to the professionals.

“After a flood, once the carpet is dry, the noisy equipment being used can be removed.”

The greatest failure in any water damage drying scenario would be in removing the drying equipment before everything is dry to the professional standard expected. A professional restoration company uses various testing and measuring equipment to determine that the moisture content has been returned to normal standards. Ineffective drying of a structure can result in an expensive mold claim. Feeling a carpet or cushion to determine dryness is not a reliable method. Instead, a professional company uses meters and sensors to measure the moisture content and determine whether the carpet, furniture or structure is indeed dry.

“Once a building has a fire, it will always smell like smoke.”

When the odor remains on site or items don’t restore properly, the problem is usually failed restoration procedures. The residue from smoked-damaged property is acidic in nature. It is far more damaging to everything it comes in contact with as compared to normal dirt or dust. Prompt cleaning action can reduce losses if this acid is removed or neutralized. Restoration for smoke odor must be thorough and is more complicated than turning on any one machine to have satisfactory results. Guaranteed smoke odor removal means all contaminated areas need to be cleaned, deodorized, and possibly sealed (where applicable) as well as neutralization of all odor molecules whether airborne or absorbed.

Professional restoration firms are specialists that have undergone training – and continue to train each year. When an emergency property loss arises, contact Restoration 1 of West Denver for immediate mitigation and restoration services.