Recent Cleaning Posts

Restoring Textiles and Soft Good with the Esporta Wash System

1/13/2020 (Permalink)

Esporta Wash System SERVPRO of South Livingston is the only Esporta certified firms in Louisiana. We clean mold, fire smoke, and water damaged clothing.

Esporta Cleaning

When someone is dealing with a water or fire damage in their home or business, there are a lot of emotions and things to consider.  The idea of handling multiple companies for different parts of the restoration process is a lot to handle. Most customers just want to call one company who can work with them from start to end.

We understand that this is a difficult time and customers need a company who take care of them properly.  

This is why we decided to add clothing and textile cleaning as part of our restoration process. Another name for this is soft contents restoration. We can now restore clothes affected by Category 2 and Category 3 water damage, mold growth, and fire and smoke odor removal.

Esporta Wash System

Unlike home washing machines or traditional dry cleaning, Esporta is a wet wash system.  Our machine uses a combination of up to six environmentally friendly detergents according to the type of damage the clothing contains.  

Textiles are placed inside the machine, where they spin in detergent laden water while staying in place. Since the items don’t move inside the machine, the textiles are cleaned by hydraulic pressure instead of agitation. This makes the Esporta system gentle on all fabrics, even as contaminants are literally pushed out of the fabric by the detergent water.

The end result is textiles that are near neutral pH and food grade clean!

We are one of the few Esporta certified firms in Louisiana. Our business has the unique capability of packing your damaged clothing and taking it back to our in house cleaning facility.  

Our Esporta cleaning technicians have cleaned thousands of pieces of clothing with a success rate of over 85%. This rate of success is among the highest in the clothing cleaning industry.

  • We’ve successfully cleaned over 100,000 items.
  • Most items are ready to be returned within 2 weeks.
  • We also offer a 72 hour emergency item cleanup where we clean clothing you need to continue living your life while the rest of your wardrobe is getting finished. We deliver all items back to you.

Soft Contents Restoration

Soft contents restoration is a specialized service within the restoration industry.  Since we clean clothing and other textiles that have been affected by mold, soot, and contaminated water, our specialists put on personal protective equipment while they proceed with the Esporta cleaning process. We have been successful in cleaning the following:

  • Mold affected clothing and shoes.  We have cleaned all types of mold.
  • Smoke, soot affected clothing. After a water damage, one of the first things we take out of a home is the clothing and textiles to avoid the soot from permanently staining the clothing.
  • Sports equipment, including sports with padded equipment like football and hockey.
  • Water damaged clothing from contaminated waters like category 2 water and category 3 water (gray and black water).

Water Damage Restoration Louisiana

There are many water damage restoration companies in Louisiana, but only a few offer in house Esporta services. Choose a business that can take care of your clothing themselves instead of a company that will take your clothes and give them to another business (and possibly charge you more) to take care of this specialty item.  

The Esporta is special because it can clean items that have been in contaminated water. You may have heard of gray or black water. This is what those terms mean.

IICRC Water Classification

  • Category 1 Water (Clean)

(Clean): The water is clean and sanitary.  It does not pose a substantial risk. Category 1 water may turn into a Category 2 or 3 water damage if it's not cleaned soon, typically within 3 days.  If your clothing has been touched by clean water, there’s no problem. A regular washing machine can take care of this for you.

  • Category 2 Water (Gray)

(Gray): This water carries waste products and is not clean, but it also does not contain human waste.  You may choose to put these clothes in your home washer if you use chemicals that can safely kill the contaminants on your clothes, but this still doesn’t ensure that all contaminants will be flushed out of the clothing’s fabrics.

  • Category 3 Water (Black)

(Black): This water poses a significant health risk.  External flooding and sewage backups are both Category 3 and contain gross contamination and present a danger of spreading bacteria and disease.  Do not attempt to put clothing this dirty in your home laundry.

Fire Damage Restoration Louisiana

Many customers ask if how to get fire smoke out of clothes. Smoke particles are tricky to get out of clothing. Home laundry machines do not have enough power to get the particles completely out, and dry cleaners may permanently leave the particles in. The most successful rate of restoration for clothing with smoke odor is the Esporta.

Our machine uses hydraulic pressure to literally push the smoke particles out of the clothing.  In many cases, the soot that has settled onto the fabric can also be completely removed. Unfortunately, the soot sometimes leaves a permanent yellow stain if it has stayed on the fabric for multiple days. If a stain is left, we do not consider the item recovered and we report this to your insurance company.

Time matters when restoring soot stained clothing! This is why our technicians always gather your clothing and textiles and rush them to our cleaning facility after a water damage. The faster we can start cleaning them, the higher the chance of everything being recovered.

Mold Remediation Louisiana

We’ve successfully remediated thousands of items of clothes with mold spores in them. When mold is allowed to live on an item long enough, it will eventually eat right through it! Once that happens, the mold damage is permanent. If we find clothing with mold growth, we’ll immediately get them to our Esporta station for cleaning.  

We Offer ATP Testing

We use ATP testing to prove contamination levels.  ATP -- adenosine triphosphate -- is found in all living cells. Anything alive has ATP. The greater the ATP level, the greater the microbial contamination.  

We take an ATP sample of different surfaces before and after they are cleaned, and this is how we prove:

1) if your clothing is dirty enough to warrant professional cleaning, and

2) that our team has successfully sanitized your clothing after cleanup

Our primary purpose in testing for ATP is to prove our results and ensure the safety of our customers. If any item fails to receive a passing ATP score, the clothing is cleaned again at no added cost to you. Our process is thorough and gives our customers peace of mind.

We Work With All Insurance Companies

We work with all insurance providers to ask for your textile cleaning to be part of your claim. Since we do not have access to your insurance policy, we can never say anything definitive until we speak with your adjuster. In many, clothing mold removal is covered.

Trusted Leader in Water Damage Restoration and Fire Damage Restoration in Louisiana

SERVPRO of South Livingston is a water damage restoration and fire and smoke damage restoration company in South Louisiana. We have performed work in Alexandria, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and all throughout Louisiana. With our crews responding immediately to jobs, we are faster to any size disaster. You can trust us to restore your home or business.

Our crews are available dispatch for 24 hour emergencies every day of the year. We can be reached 24/7 at (225) 667-2220. Call us any time!

Duct Cleaning

8/4/2017 (Permalink)

Before and after duct cleaning

Duct Cleaning Process:

  • The process begins by using patented equipment including a roto-scraper, which automatically adapts to the duct's shape an diameter while traveling through the duct, removing debris and filth before vacuuming begins.
  • Next, a powerful push-pull air delivery and collection system transfers the debris from the ducting to a 16-gallon container.
  • Air is filtered through a HEPA filtration system, removing 99.97 percent of particles in the airstream. HEPA filters capture debris and keep the environment clean.
  • As an optional process, a sealant or coating product may be sprayed to address odor to microbial concerns.
  • Filters will either be cleaned or replaced to remove odor and dirt.

Duct cleaning may not always be necessary. SERVPRO of South Livingston will inspect your HVAC system and ductwork and make recommendations about the best way to address any indoor air quality concerns. This inspection can save you money and provide peace of mind on the health of your HVAC system and ductwork.

In some circumstances, such as after fire, smoke or suspected mold growth, duct cleaning becomes an essential part of the cleanup process. In these cases, SERVPRO of South Livingston can often restore the HVAC system and ductwork to pre-damage condition.