Many people panic when they find that their home has been damaged by water, going online or to the phone book and calling the first water damage restoration listing they can find. While the speed with which they are moving is to be admired, picking the first outfit that comes along to work on your home or business isn’t.

This cannot be stressed often enough….there are no government guidelines or regulations to dictate who can and cannot do this sort of work, so pretty much any yahoo can throw a mop in the back of his Camaro and say he’s in the business. Check out the following video and see if these two clowns inspire any confidence at all (BTW, the shorter of the two is yours truly, thank you very much….).

Hiring some fly by night outfit like this is one sure way of making certain that your problem doesn’t get solved, and that you end up paying a lot more on your repair bills in the long run. Why? Because you’ll have to figure out that the company you initially hired was a mistake, back up, and take another run at it.

Okay, but with water damage restoration companies a dime a dozen in pretty much every community, how is one to know who the prime candidates are? The answer is simple. The water restoration industry has done an admirable job of policing itself through the establishment in 1972 of the Institute for Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC), which has established standards of care and industry accepted methods for treating not only water damage, but problems caused by mold and fire as well.

The IICRC offers training and certification in all areas of water damage restoration, with over 150 instructors nationwide. Companies wishing to earn a measure of credibility and experience in this business will ideally have all of their staff competently trained, with a thorough understanding of all procedures as well as practical, real world, hands on experience.

Of course, no seal of approval or certification is a guarantee against incompetence, however, hiring a company that is IICRC certified will tell you that the company has invested time, effort, and financial resources into making sure their personnel are best equipped to handle all of your water damage repair needs.

IICRC certification means that the company will be available 24/7/365, answering their own phones and able to have a technician out to your home or business within an hour of your call. The technician can assess the level of damage, determine a course of action, and begin the water removal and restoration process quickly to avoid further damage to your property.

IICRC certification also means the company you hire will offer a complete range of services, from water extraction and drying, to carpet cleaning and mold remediation, to structural repair and restoration, basically whatever is required to return your home to its pre-loss condition. In addition, all work is fully guaranteed for a period of one year from the date of completion.

Don’t entrust your home or valuable possessions to the two bozos in the video above (even if I am one of ‘em). Look for the IICRC seal before even making the initial call. You can rest assured of a quality job done right the first time.

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