Recent Posts

Candle Fire Safety

12/1/2022 (Permalink)

candle fires Candle Fire Facts

Candles bring the perfect holiday scent to any home and make great gifts to give to any person. Although they bring great joy to people everywhere during the holiday season, it is important to note how to properly and safely use candles. According to the NFPA (National Fire Prevention Association) "Candle fires peak in December and January with 11 percent of house fires in each of these months." 

SERVPRO of West Greenville County is 'Faster to Any Disaster' and trained to handle any size fire remediation job, but the first step you can take is to take proper precaution when using candles. Here are some tips from the NFPA.

  • Use candle holders that are sturdy, and won’t tip over easily.
  • Put candle holders on a sturdy, uncluttered surface.
  • Light candles carefully. Keep your hair and any loose clothing away from the flame.
  • Don’t burn a candle all the way down — put it out before it gets too close to the holder or container.
  • Never use a candle if oxygen is used in the home.
  • Have flashlights and battery-powered lighting ready to use during a power outage. Never use candles.

While all of these tips can help prevent a house fire this holiday season, we understand that disaster can strike at anytime. Call the professionals at SERVPRO of West Greenville County at (864)-292-8570 for services 24/7.

Turkey Fryer Safety

11/21/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of West Greenville County wants to wish their community happy holidays as we approach Thanksgiving Day! While we hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday, we want to remind the community on the safety of frying a turkey to help avoid unnecessary disaster this holiday. 

Any turkey fryer that uses cooking oil is extremely volatile, using large amounts of oil at very high temperatures. Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires with more than three times the daily average for such incidents. If you are cooking a turkey in an oil fryer this year, please make sure to take a few extra steps to keep yourself and your home safe from a fire.

  • Read the manual of the turkey fryer and know the weight limit of the turkey you are cooking.
  • Do not over-fill your pot with oil. (Take into consideration that the turkey will raise the oil a considerable amount.)
  • Do not leave your turkey fryer unattended for any amount of time. 

If you suffer damages to your home or business, SERVPRO of West Greenville County is open 24/7 and is 'Faster to Any Disaster!'

Importance of Containment

11/12/2022 (Permalink)

There are two different definitions of containment, one being "the action of keeping something harmful under control" and the other being "the action or policy of preventing the expansion of a hostile influence." 

At SERVPRO of West Greenville County, we set up containment during any mitigation or remediation job for both of these reasons, depending on the cause of loss. Sometimes, containment is set in order to protect the contents from the work taking place around it. Other times, containment is set in order to protect the rest of the home or business from either the work being done or the cause of loss. 

Either way, our production crew know how important it is to keep the structure and its contents safe from any potential toxins, pollution, or debris done from the mitigation and remediation process. 

Our number one goal on any job, is to leave the home or business in as close to pre loss condition as possible. 

Commercial Upstate Church Water Mitigation

11/3/2022 (Permalink)

sanctuary pre water mitigation services Water Damage to Church Sanctuary

This commercial business in Upstate, South Carolina suffered a water loss to the majority of the church, affecting offices, the sanctuary, kitchen, and foyer. The customer called requesting services straight away and our team at SERVPRO of West Greenville County were able to get a production crew out immediately. The customer was pleased with how quickly we were able to get on site and thanked us for our urgency.

Many of the affected rooms needed extraction services because of standing water, as can be seen in the photo attached. After extraction, drying equipment was able to dry most of the flooring, however in multiple rooms demolition and removal of affected materials was needed. 

Our SERVPRO of West Greenville County team is always 'Faster to Any Disaster'. Call us for our commercial water mitigation services at (864)292-8570.  

2022 Thanksgiving Fire Safety Tips

10/26/2022 (Permalink)

Thanksgiving is just next month, which means everyone will be doing a lot of cooking these next few weeks. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, there are around 2,300 residential fires each year on Thanksgiving. This rounds up to around 26 million in property losses. Cooking was by far the lead cause, with 73.5 percent of these fires. There are a few safety tips that you can use to help prevent a fire loss Thanksgiving 2022. According to the National Fire Protection Association, these are the top 10 safety tips for Thanksgiving.

Top 10 safety tips
  • Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stove top so you can keep an eye on the food.
  • Stay in the home when cooking your turkey, and check on it frequently.
  • Keep children away from the stove. The stove will be hot and kids should stay three feet away.
  • Make sure kids stay away from hot food and liquids. The steam or splash from vegetables, gravy or coffee could cause serious burns.
  • Keep knives out of the reach of children.
  • Be sure electric cords from an electric knife, coffee maker, plate warmer or mixer are not dangling off the counter within easy reach of a child.
  • Keep matches and utility lighters out of the reach of children — up high in a locked cabinet.
  • Never leave children alone in room with a lit candle.
  • Keep the floor clear so you don’t trip over kids, toys, pocketbooks or bags.
  • Make sure your smoke alarms are working. Test them by pushing the test button.

Keeping these tips in mind while you enjoy the holiday with friends and family is important, but if your home does fall victim to a fire loss, SERVPRO of West Greenville County is open 24/7 to help. Our production crew is faster to any disaster. Give us a call at (864)-292-8570. 

How NOT to Handle Water Damage

10/13/2022 (Permalink)

What is the absolute worst thing that you can do when it comes to dealing with water damage in your home or business? 

The simple answer is, let it sit. Even if you can't visibly see the water anymore, it doesn't necessarily mean that the issue has been resolved. Letting water damage sit without properly mitigating it can cause more damages and even lead to microbial growth. If you do not know how to deal with a water loss, the best thing that you can do is call a professional.

While removing the water straight away and setting air movers are some of the correct steps to take in the water mitigation process, having a professional there to take moisture readings of the affected space could be what saves your flooring/drywall/contents. Moisture can quickly seep through and sit stagnant where air movers are no longer helpful. Sometimes, although extreme, removal is necessary to properly mitigate. 

Contents Cleaning

10/10/2022 (Permalink)

At SERVPRO of West Greenville County, we have seen every size disaster and we know that some fire and water damages can greatly affect the contents of the structure. We have the right equipment and warehouse space to remove those contents affected by any type of damage, and clean/decontaminate them.

Our production team will pack out the contents in labeled boxes. Each box has a list of contents and photos are taken to reflect the notes taken by our production members. Once properly packed, the affected contents are then moved to our warehouse where cleaning and decontamination will take place.

There is a different process for cleaning depending on the type of loss the home or business sustained. While some affected contents cannot be saved with our cleaning process, our team always has the goal to leave your home or business in as close to pre loss condition as possible. 

Call us at SERVPRO of West Greenville County at (864)-292-8570.

Hurricane Ian 2022

9/29/2022 (Permalink)

Hurricane Ian is the first major hurricane to impact the United States this hurricane season. It hit the Florida in the Gulf as a Category 4 hurricane on September, 28th in the early afternoon. Some people in the direct impact zone have been experiencing storm surges as high as 8ft tall, with an expectancy of another few feet to come. 

As of Thursday September 29th, Hurricane Ian is exiting Florida as a tropical storm and re-entering the ocean. Meteorologists expect the storm to gain strength while over the ocean and pickup hurricane status once again before it hits South Carolina. 

At SERVPRO of West Greenville County, our production members participate in STORM where our crew is always prepared to dispatch and help out our fellow SERVPRO operations to deal with any damages the storm may bring.

We have many blogs available to the public about Hurricane preparation that we hope will help prepare your home and businesses for Hurricane Ian. 

Stay Safe and Prepare!

National Preparedness Month 2022: Fires

9/17/2022 (Permalink)

With September being National Preparedness Month, we at SERVPRO of West Greenville County like to take this month to give our community reminders on how you can prepare your home and business against disaster. There are all types of disasters that can strike your home or business that are out of our control, but how the structure holds up to the disaster and how quickly the mitigation and remediation work is done, is completely up to you! 

When preparing your home or business for a Fire, there are some important things to keep in mind, courtesy of Ready.gov. 

  • Fire is FAST! In less that 30 seconds, a small flame can grow into a major fire. In minutes, a house can be engulfed in flames. 
  • Fire is HOT! Heat is more threatening that flames. Room temp. in a fire can be 100 at floor level and rise to 600 at eye level. 
  • Fire is DARK! It starts bright, but quickly produces black smoke and complete darkness. 

To help prepare for a house fire, make sure you have done annual maintance to your fire alarms, and check them monthly to ensure they are working properly. For a business, make sure that sprinkler systems are installed properly and tested regularly. In both structures, keeping the doors closed can not only save your life, but prevent extensive smoke and soot damages to rooms not directly affected by the flames. 

To do more research on how to prepare for disaster, visit ready.org. 

National Preparedness Month 2022: Hurricanes

8/27/2022 (Permalink)

Ready.gov takes an extra step with National Preparedness Month to help people prepare for disaster. While we at SERVPRO of West Greenville County take all year to prepare for disasters and how to repair the damage after, we know that with the every day bustle of life that it can be easy to forget to prepare your home or business. We have a few reminders, courtesy of Ready.gov and AmericanHumane.org. 

Before preparing your home or business for Hurricane season, first determine the best way to protect yourself from winds and flooding, know where to take refuge, evacuation routes, and your risk of potential damages from the storm.

After first preparing for your safety, make sure to strengthen your home or business by brining in outdoor furniture, trimming nearby trees and bushes, and reinforcing your doors and windows. Regular maintenance of the home is crucial for protecting it against heavy weather. 

The best tip SERVPRO of West Greenville County can offer is to check your insurance coverage before disaster strikes.