PRO Clean: How to deal with winter emergencies

By Janie Pritchett-Clark

Burst water pipes, clogged drains, and ice dams that seep through the roof, ceilings, walls and floors: it can happen at home. It happen at the office. An eighth-inch crack in a pipe can release up to 250 gallons of water a day. By the time you find the problem, office assets could be floating in thousands of gallons of water. Or worse.

“The first thing to do is to turn the water off,” says Tylinda Milstead, who co-owns PRO Clean with husband PJ. “That may sound simple, but people get so panic stricken they forget to turn off the water source.” Don’t call your insurance company first, says Tylinda. Call for help.

“The quicker you get to the problem the less the damage. Insurance companies want you to call for repair right away because it mitigates their losses.” This is no time to call for quotes; insurance and industry standards set the prices. What you need is good help fast. Good help means certified by IICRC (Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration).

“If they’re not certified, the likelihood of them unknowingly cutting corners is greater. If the repair is mishandled you could lose the value of the property to rot, mold, mildew – all things that cannot be remedied.” You also want a quick response. An appropriate response is not “I have five carpet cleanings scheduled, I’ll be there tomorrow,” The proper is response is, “We’re on our way. We’ll do our best to be there within the hour.”

The Milsteads took over PRO Clean in 2005 as a small family business. Since then they’ve grown from one truck to four, have added commercial and residential maid service, nearly doubled their water drying equipment, added warehouse and shelving to clean area rugs, and expanded their floor covering and replacement division. Not to mention a 45% increase in revenue.

Dealing with restoration and repair takes science and teamwork. There are water extracting machines, a vortex of dryers and dehumidifiers, chemicals that sanitize, deodorize and keep the environment safe, the removal of carpet and contaminated materials, and moisture readings to monitor. And finally the restoration of everything back to normal.

“It’s always high drama and you need someone calm and capable to help in the crisis. “We care about people and it’s nice to know someone cares about your family, your home and your business.”