Flood Damage Clean Out in Omaha, Nebraska.

If you live within one of Omaha’s flood zones chances are you will have to eventually deal with a flood, if you have not already. It’s a disheartening experience to see your home sitting in chest high water, not knowing what condition it will be in when you return. You may have placed some objects in the top of a closet or upstairs, but it is likely there will be a large amount of furniture and goods that are unsalvageable. There is hope though, with a quick reaction and hard work your home can be saved. Here are some things that you can do yourself to improve the situation in your home after it has been flooded.

 

First contact us at Dumpstermaxx, you will need a roll off dumpster to dispose of furniture and other items that could not be saved. After you have inspected your home and have an idea of how much waste your flood clean out will produce. This is going to be much harder than a spring clean out, it is likely you are going to have an entire home clean out as well as a yard clean out. We can tell you how many rental dumpsters you will need to finish the job. Waiting on waste services can mean weeks or months of debris in front of your house providing a home for wildlife and posing a threat to children. Don’t wait for anyone else, get the trash and debris out of your yard as soon as possible.

The first thing you will need to do when you return home after a flood is to start the drying process. You will need to open windows and doors to get air flowing to aid evaporation. If you have power, use floor fans and dehumidifiers to speed up the drying process. Carpet and upholstered furniture will be a complete loss and should removed immediately, they will be a continued source of moisture and will develop mold and mildew. Damp objects left in the home after a flood make it harder to dry walls out and will increase the likelihood mold will develop in the walls.  A wet and dry vacuum will help you to remove all the water standing in your home. If wallpaper was submerged, it should be removed from the walls and thrown out, wallpaper can act like a seal and keep moisture inside the walls.

Your yard may be filled with debris from the flood, some of which may be your neighbor’s possessions. When possible, save photo albums, awards, and keepsakes and make an effort to return them to their owners. Make sure to wear heavy boots and gloves when removing debris from the yard. You may come across wood or shingles with nails still in them. Gather up all loose debris such as the aforementioned wood and shingles along with trash, tree limbs and vegetation, or any other items which may have come to a rest in your yard. Once you have removed all debris from your yard it will allow you to inspect your home for damage. Make repairs when you are able, for more complicated repairs a professional should be engaged.

It takes long hours and backbreaking work to save your home from further damage after a flood, but it can be done. We can help you by providing additional dumpsters if you decide to remodel, or if Demolition of the home is the only choice. Contact Dumpstermaxx for rates and availability on our dumpsters and waste receptacles. Let us help in your waste disposal efforts after a flood.

This blog is originally posted here: https://dumpstermaxx.wordpress.com/2018/09/22/flood-damage-clean-out-in-omaha-nebraska/

Storage Unit Clean Out in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Storage units can be deceptively large, and can, over time, become packed so full that nothing else can fit into them. You may have your own storage unit, it may be one that you inherited from a relative, or your business may have several storage units. Whatever the reason you have a storage unit, cleaning it out can be a complicated process. If you live in the greater Oklahoma City area, Dumpstermaxx can help you through this process. We will partner with you to make your storage unit clean out successful.

First you need to find out what the dimensions of your storage unit (or units) are. We can then make a determination of how many and what size roll off dumpsters you will need. Once you have found out how much waste your storage unit clean out will produce, we can drop your rental dumpster right at your location. There is likely to be more waste than you expect when cleaning out your storage unit. There will be nearly as much trash as a home clean out or spring clean out, perhaps more if there are multiple storage units involved. Be sure to proceed carefully when you begin to clean out the units. Stacks of papers or other items can topple over on someone while they are cleaning out the unit. To prevent an accident anything that is a possible hazard should be removed first, while using an abundance of caution. Once you are sure you have removed anything that could potentially cause an accident, then you need to decide what has value and what does not. If there are records for a business being stored in the unit, decide if the papers have been scanned or not. Scanned items do not need to be retained, nor do papers that are decades old unless mandated by law. If it you inherited a relative’s storage unit, go through boxes to see if anything in them has value. Books, jewelry, paintings, old clocks, sculptures all may have value, if you are unsure, have an expert come to the storage locker to appraise the worth of the items. If nothing has value, you must decide if they have value to you or not, don’t dispose of a heirloom that you may regret at a later date. Any unwanted items should be disposed of in your dumpster. Some of the items that you are disposing of may be quite heavy, be sure to wear support devices and use proper lifting techniques when carrying weighty objects. Smaller items should be removed first in order to clear a path for the more substantial things that need to be thrown out. When possible, two or more people should be involved in moving heavy objects.  When disposing of furniture like bedroom dressers, or things from an office like a file cabinet, check all drawers to ensure nothing valuable is left inside and inadvertently thrown out.  Be sure to be diligent when inspecting home and office furniture, someone may have taped an important document to the bottom back, or sides of the items. Some desks have hidden compartments where something could be concealed, carefully inspect them before disposal.

It can take days or weeks to completely clean out your storage locker, patience is key when performing a storage unit clean out to prevent injury or loss of valuable items. Contact Dumpstermaxx for rates and availability on our dumpsters and waste receptacles. Let us help in cleaning out your overfilled storage unit.

This blog is originally posted here: https://dumpstermaxx.wordpress.com/2018/09/15/storage-unit-clean-out-in-oklahoma-city-oklahoma/

Renovation Clean Out in Denver, Colorado.

Denver is well known for its historic properties. The thin air and low humidity allow buildings and homes to last longer than in more humid climates. If you have purchased one of those historic properties, or have one you are planning to sell, there are some things you should be mindful about.

When renovating your property, it is going to require waste containers, contact us at Dumpster Maxx and we can advise you on what size of roll off dumpster you may need and how many. Both construction and a demolition can produce masses of debris, so you need to plan accordingly. Once that determination has been made we will deliver your rental dumpsters right to the renovation location. This may be a home clean out along with a back yard clean up, or it may be a warehouse clean out three times the size of any spring clean out you have ever done. Some of the historic homes and business in the area have accumulated well over a century’s worth of junk and trash, making it a challenge to remove it all.  It may be an intimidating job to remove it all yourself, but a little planning can make all the difference.

A top to bottom inspection of your historic property must be made in order to move forward. Make sure to wear protective clothing, safety goggles and where construction is going on, hard hats. In any renovation you need to know what has value and what does not.  Scrap metal laying around like copper or stainless steel can be sold to be recycled and make a tidy profit. It is especially important to remember if the local utility is installing new phone lines, don’t let them walk away with the old copper ones.  Rusted metal and tin have no value and should be disposed. You also need to know in a renovation what can be saved and what cannot. It may be your desire to keep as much of the original structure as possible in your historic home or building, but it is not always possible. A mahogany staircase and balustrade may show little signs of wear, even if they were made in the Victorian era, but termite damage is not always obvious. Have old wood structures inspected for termite damage. In some cases, it may be possible to save old staircases and ornate support columns, but if the damage is too expensive they must be removed and thrown out. When you know where you structure is sound and where it is not, it is time to look at its contents.

Perishables, old furniture too damaged to salvage, and unwanted junk should be removed from the home to allow further inspection. Be careful not to throw out anything that might be considered collectable or antique furniture that might fetch a hefty profit at auction. Comic Books, baseball cards, paintings, and first edition books should be put aside to be assessed.  Broken fixtures, should be thrown in the dumpster, it is unlikely they are the original fixtures in homes and business over one-hundred years old.  Obsolete fixtures like gas sconces may be considered collectable or may even be used in some of the historic gas light districts around the country.  Old carpet should be rolled up and thrown away, it is a possible source of mold and dust mites.  Old toilets should be thrown out and replaced, keep in mind that if the home was built before 1900 it is unlikely it originally had any indoor toilets like we have today.

After you have cleared all the debris, junk, and damaged items you, or a contractor, can get a good look at your historical building and determine the extent of renovation needed.

Call or Email Dumpstermaxx today and let us help you with your renovation disposal needs.

This blog is originally posted here: https://dumpstermaxx.wordpress.com/2018/09/08/renovation-clean-out-in-denver-colorado/

Vacant Lot Clean Ups in Phoenix, Arizona.

That property you have on the edge of Phoenix has not been sold and now the code enforcement is receiving complaints about it. You have fenced it in with a high chain link fence, but somehow tumbleweeds have made their way inside and are piling up. Along with the tumbleweeds are high grass and an assortment of litter accumulated when passing cars decide your lot looked like a suitable trash can.  Debris from the old motel that was demolished there still needs to be removed and you think there may be a homeless camp in the historic building you plan to remodel on the other side of your property. You have received quotes from cleaning crews and they are just too expensive. What can you do about cleaning up that vacant lot? Dumpstermaxx can help you.  Here are ideas for a vacant lot clean out.

First you need to tour your vacant lot. Make sure to wear thick long pants and work boots when you examine the lot. Broken glass, rusty nails, and even angry rattlesnakes may be on your property, so it is best to use an abundance of caution. After you have determined how much waste you have to get rid of, contact us at Dumpstermaxx for all your dumpster rental needs.  We will deliver as many roll off dumpsters as you need to complete your vacant lot clean up.

After receiving the dumpsters, you need to design a plan of attack. Cleaning up a large vacant lot near a busy roadway is different than a yard clean up, and that old historic building is not going to be a simple spring clean out or a home clean out. There needs to be careful thought before proceeding. In addition to thick long pants and work boots, you will need safety goggles, thick work gloves, and depending on the condition of the historic building, a hard hat.

The fist thing that needs to be removed are the tumbleweeds or any large pieces of trash that may have blown into the lot.  They are hiding other trash and debris beneath them. Remember to step carefully when removing the tumbleweeds one the things they may hide are boards with nails in them and shards of broken glass.

Once you have removed tumbleweeds and trash, you need to remove all litter from the grounds. This may reveal many unexpected items that need to be disposed of, from old tires to furniture. Vacant lots are often popular dumping grounds, and having the property fenced in won’t preclude dumping from occurring. A vacant lot with no fence will require frequent dumping clean outs.  Once you have removed all visible items you may want to take the additional step of using a metal detector to find any screws or nails that might be just below the surface which can be stepped on, or become projectiles when the property is mowed.

Once you have cleared the lot of litter, attend to landscaping if there is any, and mow grass to prevent it from becoming overgrown. This will give you a path to both the demolished motel on your property and the historic building that needs to be inspected.

Debris from the motel demolition should be disposed of, again being careful of old screws and nails. Some things like long metal poles and copper wire can possibly be sold for scrap, so separate those accordingly. Once you have made your way to the historic building you will want to proceed with cation in case there are holes in the floorboard or loose fixtures. Remove any unwanted items and you will have it ready for renovation.

This blog is originally posted here: https://dumpstermaxx.wordpress.com/2018/09/03/vacant-lot-clean-ups-in-phoenix-arizona/