CPR Nashville Blog

Avoiding Fire Safety Fails

Everything has risks. Knowing what those risks are and how to reduce them is the secret to success. When a fire does happen, time is of the essence. With an increasing number of people using grills, there is a greater risk for accidents that can result in serious injury or property damage.

It is summer in Tennessee and that means its grilling time for many residents. Although, outdoor cooking is a long-cherished tradition for most families, it also increases the possibility of fire-related incidents and injuries tremendously. Gas grills constitute a higher risk, having been involved in an annual average of 7,200 home fires in 2007-2011, while charcoal or other solid-fueled grills were involved in an annual average of 1,400 home fires. The Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office urges outdoor cooks to keep fire safety in mind as they fire up the grill this summer and make sure the only thing going up in smoke is dinner.

According to the Tennessee Fire Incident Reporting System (TFIRS), fire departments responded to more than 180 fires involving grills, hibachis, or barbecues from 2009-2013. These fires caused two civilian injuries, three firefighter injuries and $5,147,312 in direct property damage. Cooking outdoors has its risks, but they can be reduced by taking the right precautions and following safety procedures.

To help keep your summer cookouts fire safe, the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office offers the following great grilling tips:

• Before using a gas grill, check the connection between the propane tank and the fuel line. Make sure the Venturi tubes – where the air and gas mix – are not blocked.
• Do not overfill the propane tank.
• Grills should be positioned at least 10 feet away from your house.
• Do not wear loose clothing while cooking at a barbecue.
• Be careful when using lighter fluid. Do not add fluid to an already lit fire because the flame can flashback up into the container and explode.
• Keep all matches and lighters away from children. Teach your children to report any loose matches or lighters to an adult immediately. Supervise children around outdoor grills.
• Dispose of hot coals properly – douse them with plenty of water, and stir them to ensure that the fire is out. Never place them in plastic, paper or wooden containers.
• Never grill/barbecue in enclosed areas – carbon monoxide could be produced.
• Make sure everyone knows to Stop, Drop and Roll in case a piece of clothing does catch fire. Call 911 or your local emergency number if a burn warrants serious medical attention.

Emergency doctors nationwide are familiar with grilling harm. They say would-be barbecuers are routinely burned, singed and blistered in accidents caused either by faulty grills – or the faulty habits of their operators.

Following the guidelines above and keeping safety your main priority while grilling can help make your summer cookout memorable for all the right reasons. Choice Property Restoration is a locally owned and operated company. We live and work in your community and strive to make us all safer and ready to respond, not if, but when something happens. In the event you have a fire mishap, call CPR at 615-886-7989 or schedule an appointment online. Remember: we’re the company that responds in a heartbeat!

Whose air are you breathing?

When moving into a new home, people usually opt to clean it from top to bottom. They have the carpets cleaned, the appliances and fixtures are returned to like-new condition, hardwood and tile floors are scrubbed, and surfaces are dusted to their hearts’ content. We all know that the dust always comes back, and for those of you who are unaware, dust is mainly made up of skin cells, dust mites, pet dander, pollen and mold spores. Wait a minute…did he just say skin cells?

Sure did! Since you just moved in, whose air are you breathing? With all the moving families do over the summer, the first few months of a move in are the perfect time to have the air ducts cleaned. Your air ducts are your home’s lungs; you’re going to breathe whatever’s in them. Wouldn’t you rather breathe clean air that’s not filled with the leftover dust particles (remember what’s in that dust) from the family who lived there before you?

Allergy Sufferers

According to recent studies, indoor air quality is actually worse than what you’ll find outdoors. If you’re an allergy sufferer, choosing to keep your air ducts and filters clean can make a big difference in the management of your allergy symptoms, as your HVAC system can harbor and spread mold and other allergens if not properly maintained. HVAC filters are rated according to their efficiency of filtering different sizes of airborne particles. This system rates filters from MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) 1 to MERV 12; the higher the rating, the better the filter is at removing even the tiniest of particles. When dust particles and/or mold spores become airborne, you can breathe them in and experience an allergic reaction. To combat this, it’s important to change filters regularly and follow a regular maintenance schedule.

Electricity Savings and System Longevity

Your home’s HVAC system, much like any piece of machinery, needs regular maintenance to perform at its best. Changing your system’s filters is probably the most important habit homeowner’s can develop. Clogged or dirty air filters can block airflow and cause your system to work harder to pump air throughout your house. Changing or cleaning the filters regularly will help you increase your system’s efficiency and longevity while helping you cut energy costs. An American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) study concluded that maintaining your HVAC system’s cleanliness could reduce average operating costs by 10-25%. According to the EPA, a build-up of 0.042 inches of dirt on a heating or cooling coil can result in a decrease in your system’s efficiency of 21%.

Keeping as many particles out of your HVAC system as possible will go a long way to improving your overall indoor air quality while protecting and extending the life of your system. With the right filter and following a regular maintenance routine, you’ll be able to keep your HVAC running better for longer, while also making the air in your home healthier for everyone. If you’re ready to have your system looked at by a professional technician, call Choice Property Restoration – our experienced, trained technicians would love to help!

Boost Your Curb Appeal: Concrete Cleaning

Whether you’re looking to sell your home or business or not, its curb appeal tells those who are driving by a lot about you as an individual. In order to boost curb appeal, you must first identify your trouble areas. This means taking a careful inventory of everything, and being very objective while doing so.

Concrete stains are a real pain!

Don’t let concrete stains ruin your property’s curb appeal. Your concrete driveways and sidewalks are not immune to mold and mildew and seem to attract stains like a magnet; rust stains can be especially difficult to remove! Over time, your concrete surfaces can begin to lose their light gray appearance and begin to look black or green when mold and/or mildew are present and myriad colors where stains are concerned.

Concrete is very easy to clean (as long as you have the right detergents and the know-how) and is a cost effective way to increase your home’s value and curb appeal. Cleaning concrete periodically will extend its service life and enhance its beauty.

Is saving a few dollars really worth it?

Unprofessional cleaners can quickly damage the surface, thereby compromising what lies beneath. The lowest bid is not always the one that will protect your property best or give you the most satisfactory cleaning results; some homeowners may even find themselves paying someone else to come in and do the job right after paying the other guy who came in and did it wrong.

It can be difficult to tell when concrete is in need of cleaning in some instances because the dirt and grim build up slowly over the course of many years. However, once the process is completed, the results are very noticeable. The key to the entire cleaning process is using the proper detergent (this can vary widely depending on what caused the stain in the first place) and maintaining the correct pressure.

Pressure, pressure, pressure

If the water pressure used to clean the surface is too high, sand can be blown out of your concrete, which will expose the rocks just below the surface; this will expedite the weathering process and could leave you with a hefty concrete repair bill sooner than you’d like. A professional cleaner will be able to tell you what pressure is applied by each accessory used and, upon request, should be able to connect a pressure gauge to show you that pressure.

Although water alone can remove dirt from concrete, cleaning chemicals are often needed to remove specific stains. The cleaning procedure can be accomplished efficiently by using the appropriate cleaning solutions in conjunction with the appropriate pressure carried out by professional quality equipment. Removing any one part from the equation will lead to a finished product that is less that acceptable for our viewpoint.

The dry summer months are the perfect time to refresh the outdoor look of your home or business in simple ways such as cleaning concrete walks, patios and driveways. Years of weathering, fading oils, dirt, gasoline and general traffic can make a first impression of an outdoor space less than exciting. Refresh your curb appeal and lighten up your outdoor entertainment spaces with specialty concrete cleaning and driveway sealing to clean, protect and brighten it by calling CPR.

Are All Molds the Same?

Mold can be found in a multitude of locations and has been a problem for centuries.  In recent years, mold has developed into more of a problem. Not because it’s become more widespread, but instead because knowledge and awareness about it has increased. Mold growing in your home is never a good thing, as it will perform the same function here that it performs in nature (breaking down anything it senses is decaying). Don’t let your home fall into this unfortunate category!

Categorizing mold

The most common categories of mold are:

• Allergenic molds—They contain allergens, which can cause allergies in humans.
• Pathogenic molds—They can cause severe health problems in people who are undergoing chemo, people who have HIV, and those with weakened immune system.
• Toxic molds—They produce harmful toxins.  They are very rare and are known to cause grave health problems, including death in rare circumstances.  The two main types are stachybotrys and memnoniella.

Mold in Your House

Many different types of mold can be found in homes, and different health problems accompany each one.  While many different kinds can be found, we’ll just focus on a few of the most common types here:

• Cladosporium—Although more commonly found outdoors, it can thrive in any damp, dark environment (your toilet is a common breeding ground). Because it’s an airborne mold, it can be very difficult to eliminate completely. Surfaces where it’s found should be scrubbed vigorously with bleach and wiped dry. One thing to remember though. Bleach will not kill the seed if it is growing on a porous surface.
• Penicillium—This is commonly found growing on our food (it’s that little fuzzy green, white or blue fuzz). It’s another airborne mold and can be difficult to eliminate. To prevent it from becoming a problem in your home, be vigilant in throwing away food at the first sign that it’s beginning to spoil.
• Aspergillus—It’s one of the most common molds in the world; it’s also one of the most dangerous. This fast-growing mold often appears after a basement flood or large plumbing leak but can also form anywhere there’s extremely high humidity and organic matter for it to use as a food source. It should be cleaned up with bleach and proper safety precautions such as gloves, a mask and potentially even eye protection. Like we mentioned before, bleach will not kill the seed. Also, the EPA states that if the area where mold is found is larger than 10 square feet, someone trained in mold remediation should do the cleaning.
• Alternaria—Although more commonly found outside, it’s an airborne mold that can easily find its way into your home. It often settles in carpets, clothing and on flat surfaces. It needs far less water than other molds to grow, making it possible for it to grow in more areas. It can be found in the same areas as aspergillus and can be removed in much the same way as well.

Mold is all around us. It plays a vital role in our ecosystem; however, it can play an equally detrimental role in our homes. For this reason, it’s important to be aware of the areas in our homes to which mold gravitates in an attempt to better prepare us to treat and remove it.

When mold is discovered, decisive action must be taken immediately. Call the professionals at Choice Property Restoration. Our technicians can inspect your problem areas, determine the extent of your mold issue(s), the type of mold you’re dealing with and what’s causing the mold problem in the first place.  We’re always here to help!

Air Duct Cleaning for Clean Air

With summertime allergies adding to the sniffing and sneezing throughout the day, you want you air in you home to be as clean as possible.  Even with the humidifiers and air sprays you purchase, there are still particles floating around that are impossible to see.  Your air ducts can help or hurt this situation depending on how well they are taken care of.  If you have questions or need to schedule an appointment with the professionals call Choice Property Restoration today!

When should your air ducts be cleaned?

Even though it sounds like something that should be done often, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests that you don’t have air ducts cleaned on a routine basis, but only when it’s needed.  However, if you have a fuel-burning furnace or fireplace, it is important to have the ducts checked out for functioning issues to prevent any chances of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.

How do you know that it is time for cleaning?  One of the main warning signs is when you see mold growing inside of the ducts or on parts of your heating and cooling system.  You may not be able to see the mold growing, so your technician will be able to spot any that is hidden during a full inspection.  Sometimes mold that is found is just a false alarm, so be sure that whomever your hire is experienced.  If you have the type of air ducts that are insulated, they will need to be replaced and not just cleaned.  You also need to have checks for insects and rodents, and be aware of any extra dirt that may be coming into your home.  It is important to also make sure that after cleanings and repairs that your ducts are functioning properly.

Can unclean air ducts affect the health of my family?

Even though the average member of your family may not feel the symptoms of dirty air ducts, people with allergies or other illnesses may be more sensitive.  This will worsen as you allow problems to go without being fixed.  This is another reason it is important to hire a professional.  This can prevent mistakes during cleaning and minor repairs from becoming worse later.