Tips and Articles

Fresh and Clean sees itself as a professional company. Part of being truly professional is uncompromised enforcing of safety measures at work, first and foremost to protect our workers, and, of course, to protect anyone else who happens to be in the work area. Our workers participate in yearly safety training sessions in the relevant fields, such as rope access, working in enclosed areas, etc., in accordance with the requirements of the relevant laws and regulations. Our company employs several professional managers for rope access work who make sure that all of the teams receive proper instruction and, of course, are fully equipped. When we are asked to do work that is more complicated than usual, we create a risk poll together with a professional safety advisor to make sure that we conform with the most stringent standards and ensure peace of mind for all of the relevant parties. Our workers are insured for employers’ liability and third party liability, and they have extensive professional experience working in challenging environments. If you are looking for a professional team to carry out a complicated task at your factory—contact us today!

Was your house ever flooded or is currently flooded? Was the rain too much for you to deal with? Every year we get called to treat dozens of floodings during the winter, with an estimated damage that often reaches tens of thousands of shekels. We would like to share with you some simple tips from our experience that can save you much anguish. 1. Clean the downspouts: Clear out any leaves and dirt from downspouts that are located on the sides of the house (while taking safety measures such as using a ladder, wearing a protective helmet, etc.). 2. Clean the drainage systems in your porch or patio: Every outdoor area with flooring should have a drainage system. The drain may sometimes be clogged with leaves and debris or covered by plants. It is very important to clear away whatever is blocking the drain and pressure-wash it with a hose or pressure washer and see the water coming out at the other end. 3. Check the sealing on your windows and glass doors: Call in a professional to make sure that all of your windows are sealed against rain and wind. 4. Check the plastic fittings: Electrical devices such as a water dispenser, washing machine, or refrigerator with a water dispenser tend to overflow and cause flooding. The fittings weaken over time and break due to pressure in the pipes. Make sure to check your devices at least once a month. 5. Are you leaving the house for a day or two? Turn off the main water shut-off valve! Many floodings occur when the house is empty for a long period of time. 6. Make sure that you have insurance for your home and its contents! Even if you’re only renting an apartment, your furniture is second-hand, etc.—when you suffer from water or fire damage, you may find yourself all of a sudden spending tens of thousands of shekels. Was your house flooded anyway? Call us and we will come as quickly as possible! We provide professional treatment for water damage, perform underfloor drying, and provide a comprehensive solution for anything that needs treatment. We protect your interests and make sure that your home is in the best hands. Because, to us—a satisfied customer and a comfortable home are top priority! 

How do you make sure that all of your rights are fulfilled, how do you get referred to the right restoration company, and what is the next step to take? In this article we explain about the process, but you must remember that the insurance companies operate slightly differently from each other, and you should ask for all of the details from your insurance agent or directly from the insurance company. The first stage is to report the event via your insurance agent or insurance company. This is called “opening a call”. If your home was flooded due to the efforts of the fire fighters, you may receive initial aid from the insurance company immediately, and the company may send emergency cleaning services to your home or approve for you to call for emergency cleaning services. The next stage is to call an appraiser to assess the dimensions of the damage. You can call in your own appraiser in addition to the appraiser hired by the insurance company (this is recommended—but, of course, requires payment to your appraiser). The appraiser that is hired by the insurance company may come in person or send other professionals on his or her behalf—restoration contractors and, in some instances, an engineer—who will assess what work needs to be done to restore your home to its previous state. The appraiser will then send the damage assessment to the insurance company in detail. The insurance company usually accepts the recommendations of the appraiser in full (minus deductible amounts that are up to you to pay). If you bring in a private appraiser, your appraiser can negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf and may sometimes succeed in increasing the assessed value of the damage to be treated. When there is only minor damage, the insurance company usually transfers the amount directly into your bank account, and you will have to deal directly with the contractor who was sent to you by the appraiser—or with any professional that you choose. In cases where the damage is more serious, the insurance company will refer to you the restoration company that offers them the price quote that they most prefer. This gives you the budget framework, as well as a professional to do the job. If you choose to work with the restoration company offered by the insurance company, you will get the full amount (depending on what was approved—this is called “reinstatement”), as the work progresses, in return for the payment receipts that you send to the insurance company. If you decide to choose your own restoration company or any other contractor—or, if, for some reason or other, you decide against restoration—you can get part of the full amount (this is called getting the “indemnity value” in place of the “reinstatement value”). Too low of a pricing for the work will enable the contractor to get the job but require him or her to lower the work standard, drag feet, and be unable to complete the job properly. Our company is recognized by most insurance companies and appraisers, but does not work for them on a regular basis. This state of affairs allows you piece of mind—when we send a price quote to the insurance company, we do not go after any personal gain but aim only to do the most professional work that we are able, sensitively and courteously, at the right price.

As part of our work, we clean soot from homes. Sometimes all of the home contents are burnt and the walls are completely black, and this is a sad sight to see. On the other hand, some fires break out in the exact same way but end up causing only minor damage—a small amount of soot, a foul smell, and nothing more. What makes the difference? The crucial difference is how soon you act. Whether or not you take immediate action and begin to put out the fire may depend on whether the fire breaks out during the night or day, or when there was anyone at home. A very important factor in whether a fire will break out is the existence of smoke detectors, as well as adherence to a few basic safety measures. A smoke detector can wake you up from your sleep or bring on the neighbors if you are not at home, which can make the difference between a home that is sooted to the bone and between a room that only needs some cleaning and painting. Smoke detectors are simple to install on your own and cost between 30–50 ILS in any hardware store. In addition, there are a few safety measure that you can take to prevent the fire from breaking out in the first place. - If you own an electric bicycle or an electric scooter, it is very important that you monitor the recharging process, do not recharge during the night, and make sure that the battery has no deformations. Every summer anew we get called to fire events that were caused by bad batteries in electric bicycles or electric scooters, after the bicycle or scooter was recharged unattended and the battery exploded and started a fire. These batteries, which are lithium-based, are very explosive. When they detonate, they send out explosive sprays of lithium that greatly increase the damage and danger. - Following on from the previous point, do not leave anything to recharge overnight, not even your cellphone. Many fires that we encountered were started by a recharger that caught fire and lit up a mattress or piece of furniture. After that, the path to a full-blown fire is very short. - Do not overload power plug sockets and multi-sockets. A few examples that we have encountered: a time switch socket to which a 2-hp air conditioner was plugged in went up in flames. The electrician who was called in said that this was a very common occurrence. A multi- socket to which a washing machine (high power consumption) and an aquarium heater (high power consumption) were plugged in caught fire and almost caused a disaster. - Various types of power failure: Consult with a certified electrician as to whether the electrical panel is wired properly, the electric phases are equally loaded, the electricity is properly grounded, etc. Many fires are caused by faulty electric panels, overloaded air conditioner motors, or some other faulty electric device. - Candles and matches: This is probably the most common fire hazard. Every year we get called to treat fire damage from candles that were kept lit unattended. Do you have smoke detectors and take all the needed precautions? Great. Now you just have to make sure that you have building and contents insurance. If you have a mortgage, your mortgage already covers building insurance. Purchasing contents insurance, in addition, may save you tens of thousands of shekels.

When there is an ongoing problem with the pipes, even if you only have a relatively small leak, the water accumulates under the floor over time and causes damage. Also when there is significant flooding, even for a short period of time, the water tends to penetrate the floor and become trapped there. To stop the damage, it is necessary to identify the source of the moisture and conduct professional underfloor drying. To identify such moisture, it is necessary to examine the bottom part of the wall: if there is any sign of pealing, or if the wall is damp 2–5 centimeters above the baseboard, the water is probably climbing upward by capillarity rise, looking for any possible way out and thereby ruining the wall. Sometimes it is possible to actually see or feel the dampness and, if not on ground level, there will often be clear signs of moisture on the ceiling below. There also may be a “secretion” in the form of white powder consisting of minerals or salts, rising from between the floor tiles and attesting to the existence of water under the floor. After a professional locates the origin of the leak, and, after the source of the problem is solved, it is possible to dry the floor. The drying is done by opening small round holes in hidden places, such as under the refrigerator or washing machine, and reaching the substrate under the tiles with the hoses of the drying machines. The length of time required for drying depends on the type of substrate under the tiles, the size of the floor, and the degree of moisture. The drying may take between a number of weeks and several months.

Cleaning gutters - it is recommended to remove leaves and dirt from gutters hanging on the sides of the house (pay attention to safety, ladder, helmet, etc.).

Carpet cleaning is a complex and many-faceted issue. There are many types of rugs. This article discusses wall-to-wall carpeting and regular household carpets (called "area rugs").