When you’re a homeowner or business owner, it’s inevitable that your building will need maintenance at some point. Discover how Advantage Kwik Dry & Flood Pros became successful at mitigating property damage.
There’s no place like home, and no place that stresses out a homeowner more when things go wrong.
Fire, water damage, plumbing leaks, messy pets – the list of things that can distress a homeowner and business owner is nearly endless. Fortunately, Advantage Kwik Dry Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning and Flood Pros Disaster Restoration Services stand ready to respond whenever trouble strikes.
Owner and founder Mickey Bennett opened Advantage Kwik Dry in 1992 on the premise that his company would provide excellent service to homeowners and business owners alike. It wasn’t long before Bennett’s range of operations included not only Winnebago County, but also Boone, Stephenson, Rock, Walworth and Dane counties as well. Not long after he started his business, Bennett founded a new service provider, Flood Pros, that deals exclusively with property damage from smoke, fire, water and mold. Both companies are located at 11137 Bertram Road, Machesney Park, Ill.
“We were doing a tremendous amount of carpet cleaning business including a couple of hundred commercial customers,” Bennett says. “We began to realize the need for a quality restoration service that could respond in an hour and focus on mitigating property damage quickly. That’s when Flood Pros was conceived. Now we are usually the first to be called in to help.”
Flood Pros directly addresses property damage such as toilet leaks, water and mold damage from broken or frozen pipes, and basement flooding caused by failed sump pumps. Along with vacuuming out water, the company supplies powerful fans and dehumidifiers to dry damaged floors, walls and furniture as quickly as possible to prevent mold and mildew.
Flood Pros now runs a fleet of 16 specially equipped vehicles out of its headquarters and employs 15 trained and experienced staff members. It’s also supplemented with regional contractors who mostly work exclusively with Flood Pros.
“We are on the preferred vendor list for many of the area’s insurance agencies, as well,” Bennett adds. “We have an excellent working relationship with insurance agencies, building a reputation that incudes more than 10,000 satisfied customers for Flood Pros and more than 100,000 customers for Advantage Kwik Dry over the past 25 years.”
Bennett says Flood Pros employs the latest technology to mitigate property damage.
“We know how to dry and save drywall, plaster, carpet and hardwood floors,” Bennett says. “We focus on drying and saving versus tearing out and rebuilding. This saves the insurance company money, plus there is less inconvenience to the homeowner with our proprietary methods of mitigating property damage.
“Customers and insurance companies know they can count on us to prevent mold, mildew and rot that occurs when surfaces are exposed to water for too long a time,” Bennett adds.
He has noticed some homeowners try to fix problems like flooded basements themselves, which can take too long and increase the extent of the damage.
“We can extract water quickly, including sewage and other gross contaminants, saving homeowners a lot of headaches,” Bennett says. “We can test for mold and analyze the air count level. Realtors and buyers appreciate our services because they can assess newly listed homes for potential mold and other health hazards.”
Because mold is of particular concern for the health and well-being of families and employees, Flood Pros provides professional mold remediation and restoration services.
“We know why mold enters a home or building and grows, and we have the knowledge and equipment to properly address the problem,” Bennett says. “Mold spores require moisture to spread and grow. Water anywhere indoors can promote the growth of mold in just a few days, and the longer it’s left untreated, the more damage it will cause. Mold damages property and it can create harmful allergens and irritants.”
A roof leak, a plumbing leak or any other source of water can cause an outbreak of mold.
“First, we detect the source of moisture, then we isolate affected areas and fix the problem,” Bennett says. “Keep in mind that mold spores are everywhere in nature. We can’t get rid of them entirely, and there will always be some in your home or building. However, when the mold spore levels are too high indoors, that is when you should be concerned. Flood Pros’ remediation process can reduce the mold spore counts.”
Flood Pros also fixes basement wall cracks in walls behind drywall, sealing them with a lifetime guarantee.
Beyond water damage, Flood Pros also addresses damage caused by fire. This includes removing the damaged areas, boarding up and tarping the roof, and cleaning all structural elements, air ducts, floors, and furniture and appliances. Flood Pros then removes any soot remaining and conducts an ozone treatment.
Bennett says smoke and soot penetrate and become trapped in walls and ducts, carpets, drapes, upholstery, furniture and household contents. Smoke odor and residue can cause deep, corrosive damage in just a few days. It must be professionally removed before cleaning and deodorizing. Otherwise, its odor will remain and can last for years.
“We can totally eliminate that smoky smell that permeates pretty much everything,” Bennett says.
Advantage Kwik Dry also delivers everyday cleaning services for carpet and upholstery, air ducts, fabric and fiber, tile, draperies, and oriental and area rugs. Another highly specialized service concentrates on odor removal.
“We can eliminate pet odors by saturating the affected areas with an enzyme deodorizer, followed by a sub-surface extraction tool that flushes the carpet pad,” Bennett says.
Major odor problems such as a sewage backup require disposing of carpeting and padding, as well as cleaning and sanitizing the concrete surface.
There’s another trouble spot in homes that’s often overlooked, Bennett adds.
“We provide air duct cleaning,” he says. “People don’t realize how much smoke, dust, dirt and other contaminants are lodged in their heat/air conditioning ducts, and they don’t do enough to keep them clean. When we show them photographs of before and after cleaning, they are astounded.”
Advantage Kwik Dry and Flood Pros employees are certified by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), which means they receive continuous training to utilize the latest innovations in technology and methodology.
“We are a certified firm with the IICRC, one of only a few providers in the region with this certification,” Bennett says. “We have committed ourselves to gaining the highest level of education and we strictly follow the cleaning procedures that your carpet manufacturer recommends.”
Looking to the near future, Bennett is planning to establish a home base in Janesville to better serve his south-central Wisconsin customers.
“We’re also planning to introduce radon testing and monitoring to our list of services,” he says. “Radon is a problem in the Rockford area. It’s a naturally occurring carcinogen that seeps in through basements.”