How to Avoid Lingering Smells this Summer

Posted by: Lara's Services Group on April 15, 2022

How to Avoid Lingering Smells this Summer

Summertime is known for being overscheduled with lots of activities and the "go, go, go" mentality. While you and your family are enjoying nicer weather and getting out of the house, you might not have time to stop and realize the smells lingering in your home.

With warmer months bring more moisture, water, unique smells, and new routines that may introduce new odors in your home. Left alone for too long, these odors can disrupt the fun that comes along with summertime and leave you feeling the burden of a problem that needs professionals to solve.

Is your furry friend a little too excited to spend time outside now that the weather is nice? Puddles, dirt, mud, and grasses can all end up being dragged into your home in your pet's fur or paws. These outside contaminants can end up embedded into you rugs or carpets, leaving a nasty smell if not cleaned right away.

Pool days can also increase the chances of a wet or musty smell being stuck in the soft surfaces of your home. Dripping bodies on your floors can overtime turn musty, along with old wet towels thrown in a heap and left for too long. Once this moisture makes its way into your home, it can sometimes be extremely difficult to get out.

Keeping your windows open all summer long is one of the many perks that comes along with the beautiful weather of the season. Unfortunately, it can open up the opportunity for unwanted odors to make their way in as well. Smoke from a campfire or grill can soak into your walls, leaving a lingering smell of smoke, food, grease, or propane.

Fun in the sun, pool days, and grilling al fresco are some of the best parts of summertime. Don't close your home off to these activities for fear of unwanted smells entering your home. Our team of professionals can come into your home and eliminate these odors at the source with limited interruptions to your fun summertime plans.

Learn more about our services, our processes, and more today on our website. We are standing by to help you and your family get back to enjoying your home in the warmer summertime months!


Frequently Asked Questions

While there could be some initial cost-saving in laying new shingles over an old, aged roof, we generally don't recommend re-roofing. Old shingles also mean an old roof deck. By tearing off the old shingles, our licensed roofing contractor will then be able to spot any areas of instability or damage to the roof deck that may have been hidden by the shingles. We can replace any sections where there may be wood rot. Roof installation techniques and materials have also changed over the last couple of decades, and your old roof may not be up to code. "Re-roof" jobs may also not carry the same warranties as a full replacement.

Yes! Our experienced, licensed roofers will inspect your roof up close to assess the scope of any obvious damage and also map out the probable unseen damage just below the surface. With that knowledge at hand, we will let you know if roof repair is the most affordable option or if you're better off with a full roof replacement.

For the majority of surfaces in your home, bleach won't actually get rid of your mold problem. It's the "iceberg effect." Visible mold is usually a small percentage of the actual amount of mold growth. Bleach can't kill mold on porous surfaces like wood, and while tile or fiberglass surfaces can be cleaned with bleach, often the mold has spread far deeper. The reason why mold remediation companies don't recommend DIY cleanup isn't that they want to make more money; they know, in their experience, that a mold problem is usually far more invasive than can be seen with the naked eye. Simply cleaning the surfaces can provide false assurances that you got rid of the mold, only to have it come back time and time again.

Sometimes mold remediation is included if the cause of the mold was a "covered peril" like a burst hot water heater or water damage caused by firefighters extinguishing a fire in your house. Gradual water damage - like from a leaking pipe or hose - will often cause mold growth, but your insurance coverage will usually not cover that by claiming that it was caused by poor maintenance or neglect. If your insurance company denies your claim, you should request an inspection from a mold remediation company that can help you document the source of the mold.

Most homeowner's policies cover most water damages, but not all water damages are created equal. There can be a lot of exceptions to coverage depending on the intricacies of your policy. This is why it's a good idea to be familiar with your policy and call your agent right away when damage occurs.

A good portion of water damage can be prevented by proper household maintenance. Routine plumbing maintenance as well as sump pump and appliance maintenance are effective ways to avoid preventable damages. If you live in a cold climate, preparing your home for the winter can also help avoid damage. Finally, it's a good idea to regularly check the exterior of your home, particularly your roof, for damage to ensure water isn't unexpectedly leaking into your home.

DIY soot removal is not recommended. Commercially available products can actually cause permanent damage to surfaces. Soot itself is primarily oil-based, but that residue also contains toxic, possibly biohazard contaminants.

Identifying the source of the water damage is one of the first steps in both the insurance claim process and before beginning to dry out and repair the damaged areas. After all, if you replace a sagging, wet ceiling that was caused by a roof leak but don't fix the roof, too, the next rainstorm will start the cycle all over again. The buckling to your hardwood floor could be caused by a leaking pipe. We will pinpoint the exact cause of your water damage and make sure the source is repaired. We make sure your restoration job is done right the first time.

If the inspection/assessment process was able to pinpoint the source and cause of the mold growth, once that source is repaired, you can be relatively confident about the success of remediation. Ask if your restoration technician has the IICRC certification for "Applied Microbial Remediation Technician." You can also request a "post-remediation mold clearance" from a third-party mold inspector to re-test the area for any remaining traces of mold before the area is treated with a sealer or encapsulant to resist future mold growth.

Each shingle brand provides a different guideline for how long they expect their shingles to last. A properly installed asphalt shingle roof will generally last up to 20-30 years with regular maintenance and inspection, especially after severe weather events.

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