Administrative Assistants Day 2022

4/29/2022 (Permalink)

Celebrating our Office Staff on Administrative Professionals Day

This year we celebrate our SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson office team on Administrative Assistants Day, Wednesday, April 27^th.  We truly appreciate all that our office team does each day and couldn’t do what we do without them. Our team including, Laken, Dawn and Courtney take wonderful care of our customers each day, addressing needs, scheduling our production team and documentation that goes into restoration work.  Our Office Manager Laken has been with us since 2018 and has a certification in Water Removal Technician from the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification. Dawn is the Accounts Payable and Receivable Administrator for SERVPRO of Springfield / Greene County.  Dawn joined our team in 2021 and has many years of experience in accounting and assists our customers by taking payments in person and on the phone. Courtney also joined our office team in 2021 and is an Administrative Assistant and answers our phones, schedules, and dispatches our production team to jobs.

Springs Arrival in Southwest Missouri means Burst Spigot Pipes

4/29/2022 (Permalink)

Spring Time Brings Burst Spigots Call SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson at 417-724-0084

It's that time of the year, winter has left us the temperatures start to warm up and we are ready to leave winter behind us.  Unfortunately, many people have broken pipes left over from winter and don’t even know it yet.  SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson always sees an uptick of calls from customers that have been outside working all day and unbeknownst to them water was running in their basement or main level of their home all day while they were working outside.

Typically, these are caused by leaving the hose connected all winter, the leftover water freezes in the stem of the faucet spigot.   The best way to prevent this is to disconnect all hoses in the fall.  It is also a good idea to check inside your home if you plan to be working outside with the hose during that first spring day.  If this unfortunate event happens to you call SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson 417-724-0084 our trained professionals know how to take care of this quickly and efficiently to minimize damage to your home.

How to Deal with Skunk Odor

4/29/2022 (Permalink)

Call SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson for skunk odor removal at 417-724-0084

It is not uncommon to see skunks wandering around in Southwest Missouri this time of year.  Skunks are usually not a problem unless one gets trapped in the crawlspace of your home, when this happens the smell can permeate the house and everything in it. Skunk spray is not easy to get rid of it is an oily compound that is rich in sulfur. Sulfur atoms have a way of bonding with other atoms, and this makes it much harder to eliminate the smell.

 This leaves the big question how to get rid of the skunk smell?  This is where you will need a professional’s help.  SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson will start by locating and removing the source if needed, identify each item that needs to be treated, remove any affected insulation in the crawlspace, ventilate the area by using air movers. We use SERVPRO’s bio-odor neutralizer on the affected areas, this completely eliminates the smell and does not just mask it.   Inside the home we remove all filters from the HVAC system, ventilate the air ducts and structure and pull in as much fresh air as possible.

 If you find your home has been invaded by these stinky creatures, we recommend you Call animal control or pest company that can relocate the skunks.  Clean up any pets that may have been affected. And Call SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson at 417-724-0084 to get the process going as quickly as possible. For more tips on odor removal visit our website.

SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson Annual Easter Egg Hunt

4/29/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson Annual Easter Egg Hunt

Friday April 15^th SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson hosted our 2^nd Annual Good Friday Easter Egg Hunt for our office and production crew, this event was sponsored by the marketing department and organized by our Marketing Manager, Katie Jackson.   Our crew works hard each day serving our customers, so it is always a great to take some time to have fun together as a team, along with candy prizes there were of course cash prizes in the eggs. Breakfast was served along with the annual hunt, and a great time was had by all! At SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson we encourage a positive team atmosphere and team culture, if you would like to be a part of our team please submit your resume by contacting us on our website.

SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson Laundry Facility Upgrade

4/29/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson new laundry facility

SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson has recently completed upgrades to our laundry facility to better serve our customers. When one of our customers’ homes is affected by a fire, even a small fire most time all the clothing and textiles in the home are affected.  We recently purchased new commercial washing machine, we now have 3 washing machines and 3 dryers, we also enlarged our laundry storage facility to accommodate more storage for dry cleaning and regular laundry services and added some new laundry carts, a new ironing press and fresh new paint and flooring. Our contents cleaning specialist have already put our new equipment to work washing cleaning and protecting and packing laundry for our customers. If your home suffers a fire or smoke and soot damage, please call us to schedule a time to assess your property. Our professionals will walk you through the process of restoring your home and contents.

Working Women in Nixa Networking

4/8/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson is proud to be a part of Working Women in Nixa (WWIN)

SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson is proud to be a part of Working Women in Nixa (WWIN), they meet the 3^rd Tuesday of each month at the Main Event Center in downtown, Nixa, Missouri.

Working women in Nixa is a monthly networking event sponsored by the Nixa Chamber geared to Nixa’s businesswomen, each session is focused on connecting and empowering women in the community. Session feature guest speakers, learning and leadership opportunities. This meeting is fun and informative as we discuss important topics that women in the workforce and business owners face, cultivating friendships with like-minded women.

In March speaker Heather Zoromski, she spoke about “Not Being Afraid to Create Your Own Path”. SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson Account Manager Amberlyn Simmons, attends monthly meetings and enjoys the fact that women supporting other women and genuinely caring and encouraging one another.  For more information you may go to the Nixa Chamber Working Women in Nixa website.

Are you prepared for severe weather?

4/8/2022 (Permalink)

In the Ozarks severe weather comes in many forms; in the spring it mostly comes in the form of tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and flooding.  While storms vary it’s important to be prepared for any of these forms of severe weather.  It’s a good idea to have some basic supplies and some preparation done ahead of time. Make sure everyone in your home knows the designated place to shelter. Have a plan to get out of the house in case of emergency, make sure each family members know the best way to get out of the home. Have a designated place to meet when it is safe to go outside.

Create an emergency kit.

1. Flashlights and batteries.
2. Emergency Radio or NOAA weather radio
3. Personal Sanitation products
4. First Aid kit
5. Plastic Tarps
6. Gloves and Masks
7. Extra clothing and blanket
8. Tools to shut off utilities
9. Battery pack chargers for your cell phones.

10.You should have an emergency supply of food.  Enough food for each family for at least 3 days and one gallon of water per day per family member.

Before a storm hits take some time to secure loose items around the house that can fly away.  Items like trash cans, lawn furniture, grills, and flowerpots.  If you have a generator, check to make sure it is in good working order. Hopefully you never need to access these items but if you ever do, it being prepared will be a huge help to your family.

Once the storm is over if your home has suffered storm damage, you may always reach out to SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson, we have the man power and resources you will need to get your home back to normal. Call us at 417-724-0084.

Tips on Cleaning and Preserving your Taxidermy

4/7/2022 (Permalink)

If your home or business has suffered fire or smoke damage and your trophy mounts have been affected, please feel free to call SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson

SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson specializes in many different types of cleaning but did you know we do taxidermy cleaning?  Living in the Branson area as you probably expect we get quite a bit of taxidermy cleaning.  Our staff is trained and knowledgeable in safely and efficiently cleaning your prized trophy mounts, SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson has an in house taxidermy cleaning specialist with many years of experience.  We use a four-step process to clean our customers trophy mounts.  The cleaner is a powder form that is easily mixed with warm water, this step cleans and deodorizes the mount.  You spray the fur with the cleaner and use a lint free cloth to wipe the entire mount.   Repeat this step as necessary until the fur is clean. Second, we spray a solution called sheen and shield and wipe or use a soft dog brush to brush the fur back in place, while also brushing the solution into the fur.  The third step we use lemon furniture polish (we prefer Pledge brand for this job), to wipe the horns and antlers and eyes.  This will help keep the dust off and help keep them shiny once they are back on your wall.  The fourth step is applying cedar oil.  Dab some cedar oil onto a lint free cloth and wipe once over all of the fur, this will help keep any and all bugs away from your mount and prolong the life of your taxidermy.

If you would like to try your hand at cleaning and preserving your own mounts, here are a few tips:

• Always brush/wipe in the direction with the fur.
• Only work on one mount at a time, finish the entire cleaning process before moving onto the next mount.
• Never fully saturate the fur with any liquid, this will loosen the glue holding it all together.
• Clean your taxidermy every six months to prolong the life and quality of your mount.
• You can buy a taxidermy cleaning kit here - https://www.mckenziesp.com/TCK1-P16790.aspx

If your home or business has suffered fire or smoke damage and your trophy mounts have been affected, please feel free to call SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson we can come out and assess the damage and get a plan in place to restore your home and trophy mounts.   Call us today at 417-724-0084.

SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson assist with local outdoor Festival

4/7/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson team worked around the clock to removing water out of the tented areas at the Bass Pro World Fishing Festival

Bass Pro Shops of Springfield, Missouri hosted the 2022 World’s Fishing Fair, the fair is a national five-day fishing festival that took place March 30 – April 3.  This event was also a celebration marking the 50^th Anniversary of Bass Pro Shops. 

An estimated 500,000 visitors were expected for the festival; with over 200 exhibits, nightly concerts, and fun events for the kids.  The venue space was situated in front of and around Bass Pro Shops flagship store in Springfield, Missouri held over 100,000 square feet of tented space, this size of this venue was quite impressive.  Per usual southwest Missouri weather did not cooperate the first few days of the event and Springfield received around 3 inches of rain.  SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson was contacted to help mitigate the damage inside the tents. SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson team stepped up and our crews worked around the clock to remove hundreds of gallons of water out of the tented areas, we also used extracting equipment, squeegees and pumps. We were quite honored to be able to help make this event a success and are so appreciative to have Bass Pro Shops as a part of our community.

How to Determine If Water Damage is New or Old

4/4/2022 (Permalink)

Water damage is the most common form of property damage to your Springfield or Greene County home or business because of the many ways it can occur. Natural events like rainstorms and flooding may lead to water damage, but they can also happen with internal issues like burst pipes and sewage backups that let water flow into your residential or commercial property, damaging it in the process.

Sometimes, the damage can be hidden so you might not notice it right away. When you do, you may wonder how long ago the damage happened. As time passes, unaddressed water damage deteriorates and causes more harm. So knowing when an area has experienced water damage can give you an idea as to the extent of the damage as well as the urgency of having the damage restored.

If you come across water damage but aren’t sure when it happened, use the following tips to determine whether it’s new or old.

Touch the Affected Area

New water damage will still be wet, but the affected material will still be firm, not soft. Older water damage will create soft, mushy spots due to the amount of time the material has had to absorb the moisture.

For example, drywall that’s been affected by new water damage will be damp but still stable. It will not have lost its structural integrity yet because the water hasn’t had time to significantly harm it. Drywall with older water damage, however, will have a softer texture, since enough time has passed for it to absorb water and harm the drywall. To help you figure out how long drywall has been wet, know that standing water can wick up drywall at a rate of one inch per hour for the first 24 hours.

Look for Rings

Staining and discoloration are among common signs of water damage. More specifically, rings may develop on softer materials, such as drywall, when they’ve been periodically harmed by water.

If you see a darker spot with no rings around it, this shows that the water damage is new. Older, sporadic water damage (for example, a slow pipe leak) will have rings around it, and like a tree, more rings show age. Different shades and colors of rings tell you that the area has been soaked, dried, soaked, dried, etc.

Search for Mold Growth

Water damage and mold growth go hand in hand because water damage creates the ideal conditions for mold spores to grow and form colonies.

Mold needs moisture and an organic food source to grow. Once mold spores encounter both, this triggers mold growth. Mold damages materials it grows on, eating away at the surfaces. Mold damage can get so bad that it affects a building’s structural integrity.

So, if you find mold growing in your Greene County home or business, there’s a good chance water damage has occurred somewhere in the structure. Mold will develop within 24-48 hours of water exposure and will keep growing until the source of moisture is eliminated.

Professional Water Damage Restoration Services

If you discover your property has sustained water damage — whether old or new, large or small — address the situation as soon as possible! Water damage only worsens with time, and mold growth soon follows. With old water damage, the danger exists that affected materials could become so unstable that they collapse.

So call the professionals at SERVPRO of Nixa/Branson promptly. The sooner you get help, the less damage there will be to deal with – along with less cost.

After removing any excess water and moisture from your property, we will thoroughly dry out the affected areas and materials. From there, we’ll restore the damage and clean the space. If mold has grown as a result, then we can provide mold remediation services as well. With professional help, your property will be safe, clean, and restored to its former condition.