Cleaning wildfire smoke, soot and ash from your home.

8/23/2021 (Permalink)

Smokey Skies over Armstrong, BC. Smoke, soot and ash have blanketed the entire BC Interior.

Wildfire soot and ash has blanketed our homes in the BC Interior. It collects on any and every surface, and can even enter your home when windows and doors are shut.

Before attempting to clean up ash, you need to consider your health. Ensure you wear proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce inhaling ash.

Without proper protection, cleaning up ash and soot from a wildfire can be hazardous. Ash contains both large and small particles of dust, dirt, and soot. It can cause health effects when inhaled. When you’re cleaning up, ash particles can easily be swept up into the air, so we have outlined a few cleaning guidelines below:

Exterior of your home-

• Start by cleaning away ash that may cover your exterior walls or siding with a pressure washer or pressure nozzle attached to your garden hose.
• Windows and windows sills. Use a mixture of gentle dish soap (such as Dawn), and water with a microfiber towel.
• Yards; including bushes, flowers and tress should be sprayed down with clean water. DO NOT wash ash down your storm drains! (Ash is highly acidic, which can be harmful to people and the environment. Reducing the amount of ash that our local water systems need to filter is key to ensuring safe drinking water for all. TAKE CARE TO CONSERVE WATER). Instead, direct water to low traffic grassy areas. Sweep ash gently with a broom, bag and place in your trash. Using a shop vac with a HEPA filter with a disposal filter bag is also an option.

DO NOT USE LEAF BLOWERS! They will just blow the fine particles around and create more mess

Interior of your home-

• Uses a vacuum with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. 
• Dispose of loose ash and debris in the garbage. Fabrics should be shaken out or vacuumed and washed in a washing machine.
• Furniture like couches, carpets, and curtains should be vacuumed and if needed can be sprinkled with baking soda to help deodorize the fabric.

Lastly, replace your furnace filter. You may need to do this more often than usual this summer and fall. Check your filter regularly.

Stay safe and once again THANK YOU to our amazing BC Firefighters!

Back to Business: Shaw Kelowna is Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned!

6/17/2020 (Permalink)

Cleaning certified technicians spraying EPA-approved emerging pathogen disinfectant in one of the office spaces at Shaw Communications in Kelowna, BC.

SERVPRO® of Kelowna had the pleasure to complete our "Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned" service at Shaw in Kelowna, BC earlier this month.

As their staff re-enters the workplace, they can be reassured Shaw took the extra steps in preventing the spread of COVID19.

We have experience in dealing with biological contaminants. This proactive viral pathogen cleaning program goes well beyond janitorial cleaning. Our product line carries EPA-approved emerging pathogens claims & hospital-grade disinfectants. We spray the entire space with disinfectant, as well as wipe all high touch surfaces. The service is safe, affordable and requires no wiping after we complete the work!

Call us today for a Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned consultation. We service the ENTIRE Okanagan valley. Let us help you get back to business!

Aberdeen Hall is Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned as Students Return to the Classroom

6/9/2020 (Permalink)

A technician spraying EPA approved, hospital grade disinfectant on lockers at Aberdeen Hall Preparatory School in Kelowna BC.

Disinfecting is a vital part of preventing the spread of COVID-19 and essential to the safe return of students and staff back into the classroom.

As members of the Okanagan community and with many of our own staff having school aged children; our top priority is the health and safety of the students and staff as some return to class this June.

Our team had the pleasure and opportunity to assist in the transition back to school; completing a thorough Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned service at Aberdeen Hall Preparatory School last weekend.

Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned is a proactive viral pathogen cleaning program that goes well beyond normal janitorial cleaning. The service follows processes and procedures that adhere to the standards set by the Public Health Agency of Canada. We use EPA-Approved Hospital-Grade Disinfectants certified for direct food contact surface use. Meaning its safe for you, but not for viral pathogens. Our technicians have advanced training that covers disinfection and the proper use of personal protective equipment. Improper use of products or cleaning methods can actually spread the microorganisms that are responsible for infections. 

It was a unique experience to walk through the empty halls and classrooms at Aberdeen Hall. Seeing water fountains closed, distance markers and arrows on the floor. Desks spaced 6 feet from one another and safety & closure notices up on doors confirmed to us that the administration and staff at Aberdeen Hall were doing everything they could to keep their students safe.

"Our staff and faculty have worked diligently to ensure that everyone who returned to Aberdeen Hall felt comfortable in doing so. The health and safety of our students and staff has always been our #1 priority and this message rings true now more than ever. We're very happy with the thorough fog cleaning service provided by SERVPRO last Saturday and feel confident in the knowledge that we have adhered to the highest possible safety standards as we welcome our students back to campus. SERVPRO was very professional, knowledgeable and a pleasure to work with. We are so appreciative to them for reaching out to our school and providing us with this service." - Lindsay Grieve, Director of Operations Aberdeen Hall Preparatory School 

As the SERVPRO team completed the disinfecting process in each classroom, hall and office; it was heart warming knowing that we were assisting in ensuring the school was appropriately disinfected. Further providing reassurance that this wonderful school is safe.

SERVPRO of Kelowna is proud to be Here to Help^®

Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned – a defensive cleaning program

5/27/2020 (Permalink)

A technician spraying SERVPRO disinfectant and wiping high touch-points at a local furniture business in Kelowna, BC.

Let us help you get back to business

As our communities re-open, we’re all moving back toward a new kind of normal. The expectations of visitors, customers, and employees who come into our establishments have evolved, and staying safe and well is a top concern. The global COVID-19 pandemic has changed what it means to be clean, and we’ve developed a program to help your business meet the new higher standard of clean that is now expected.

Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned is a defensive cleaning program we’re offering to businesses and commercial locations to address the current COVID-19 pandemic. This proactive viral pathogen cleaning program goes well beyond janitorial or carpet cleaning. By choosing Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned, you, your employees, your customers, and your community can rest assured that you’ve selected a higher cleaning standard – you are Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned.

Extensive training and specialized products

As the #1 choice in cleanup and restoration*, we stand on more than 50 years of experience and expertise to help your business become Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned.  Beyond fire & water, SERVPRO professionals are trained and experienced in biohazard decontamination and chemical spills – always adhering to the cleaning and decontamination standards set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local authorities. 

From formulating and creating our proprietary cleaning products, like SERVPROXIDE, at our headquarters in Gallatin, TN, to taking the utmost care while disinfecting, we will ensure you and your business are set up to inspire consumer confidence as the economy continues to reopen.

3 C’s – Consult, Clean, and Certify

When the stakes are this high, you want a partner who has developed an industry leading, proprietary training program, cleaning solutions, and remediation processes over decades. We’ve cleaned up some of the most challenging biohazards imaginable. Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned reflects our unique experiences and capabilities. The program is grounded with our unique 3 C’s: Consult, Clean, and Certify.

• Consult – Every business is different, which is why you’ll be assigned a Cleaning Protocol Consultant who understands your business and will create a cleaning program to meet your specific needs. This program will be developed based on your business type, size of space, amount of high frequency touch-points, foot traffic and congestion points.
• Clean – Based on your specific business needs, your location will undergo a thorough, deep clean, using exclusive cleaning products, according to protocols set forth by the CDC. Our employees have years of experience, and we will go beyond the scope of work that regular janitorial staff perform. Cleanup procedures generally include cleaning of porous and non-porous surfaces, disinfecting of non-porous surfaces, cleaning and disinfecting of equipment, tools, and/or supplies used for cleanup process, and disposal of hazardous materials.  In the event of a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 event, we will be there cleaning within 24 hours to ensure you get back to business as quickly as possible. 
• Certify - Once your business location has been Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned, you will gain access to proprietary signage, digital emblems, and other collateral that communicates that you’ve selected a higher standard of clean available to help protect your employees and customers. And because we add the day, month, and year to that proprietary stamp of clean, your guests will know that not only did you choose Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned, but that your location is being cleaned regularly at this standard.

Call today for a Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned consultation

We’re Here to Help – 24 hours a day, seven days a week – until life is back to normal in the communities we all call home.

Call SERVPRO of Kelowna today at 250-899-9789 for your Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned consultation.

* #1 Choice in cleanup & restoration based Commercial Attitude & Usage Tracking study. Polling 816 commercial business decision makers on first choice for future needs related to cleanup & restoration work. Study conducted by C&R Research: October 2019

Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned means professionally trained SERVPRO franchises perform the requested cleaning, sanitizing and disinfection services according to proprietary SERVPRO protocols and recognized industry and CDC standards with EPA approved cleaning products to deliver a SERVPRO certified cleaning experience.  Each SERVPRO franchise is independently owned and operated.

Vinegar: A Non-Toxic Home Cleaning Option

4/17/2020 (Permalink)

Make a homemade vinegar cleaning solution to clean bathrooms- including toilets.

A mixture of white vinegar, water, and dish soap can tackle some of the dirtiest jobs in your home. Create this solution by mixing one-part vinegar to one-part dish soap. Then add water to dilute, depending on how potent you want the solution. Add to a spray bottle and VOILA, a DIY homemade vinegar cleaner.

Vinegar is a fabulous chemical free bathroom cleaner, removing soap scum from bathtubs, showers, sinks, and dirty toilets. Vinegar also makes a great alternative to drain cleaners. To do this boil a litre or so of water and pour it down the drain. After that, combine equal parts water, baking soda, and cleaning vinegar (one cup of each) and pour it down the drain. Cover the drain and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Finally, flush it all down with more boiling water. Ta-da….smelly odors and clogs have been removed!

While vinegar is a fantastic cleaner and you can use in practically every room in your home, it doesn't mean that vinegar is a good cleaner for every surface! Never use vinegar to clean marble, granite, or soapstone surfaces. This is because the acid can cause natural stones to pit and lose their shine. Also avoid cleaning knives and any solid wood furniture as it can ruin the finish.

Lastly, vinegar can have a very potent smell. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil and it will easily cut the odor. Enjoy and keep cleaning!