Brewer sits across the Penobscot from Bangor, and Bouchard Cleaning & Restoration DKI cleans and restores homes and businesses on both sides. Call 207-947-4454 from Brewer, Eddington, Holden, Orrington or Dedham. We are available 24/7/365. Our corporate office in Hampden is the nearest of our two staffed offices.
Brewer customers can book any of our services. Below is what each one usually involves here.
Water damage and river flooding in Brewer
The Penobscot reaches Brewer’s riverside parks first. In a larger rise the water enters riverside businesses west of South Main Street, and the lower industrial sections shared with Hampden flood too. High water can also reach backyards north of North Main Street, where outbuildings are at risk. Soaked insulation, drywall and carpet from river water generally come out before drying starts.
Most water calls are smaller: a burst pipe, a leaking roof or a failed sprinkler line. About four in ten Brewer homes are in multi-family buildings, so water often travels between apartments. Crews pump out the water, set up drying equipment and check moisture readings throughout. Our water damage restoration page and the emergency tips cover the rest.
Apartment turnovers and commercial cleaning
Four in ten Brewer households rent, and much of the housing is in older two-, three- and four-unit buildings. For landlords and property managers we clean between tenants: surfaces, windows and walls, carpets and tile floors, with duct cleaning added if the unit needs it. You tell us the deadline and the budget and we plan around both.
We also clean and sanitize offices, restaurants, schools, daycares, medical buildings and gyms, as a precaution or once someone has been ill. For the sanitizing method, read cleaning and sanitizing; for unit turnovers, read apartment cleaning.
Fire, smoke and puff-back cleanup
Oil is the most common heating fuel in Brewer, though natural gas heats almost a third of homes. A burner that puffs back coats the rooms with oily soot that smears if you wipe it, and a fire in one apartment sends smoke through the rest of the building. Please wait for us before cleaning anything.
Cleaning covers the structure and the ducts, with deodorizing for the smoke odor that lingers. Where the building is damaged, we can take on the reconstruction ourselves. We deal with all insurance companies and can explain the claims process. The stages after the assessment are laid out on the smoke damage services page.
Mold in older Brewer homes
About half of Brewer’s housing was built before 1960, and old basements and walls hold moisture long after a leak or a river rise. Mold can start in a day or two. If a space was wet and never professionally dried, it may be growing where you cannot see it.
Testing, if needed, is explained up front along with the steps of the removal. Depending on the findings, we use anti-microbial treatment and tear out and rebuild where needed. Do not use bleach, which only lightens mold. The mold assessment and removal page covers testing and removal, and the mold-proofing tips help afterward.
Sewage and biohazard cleanup
Sewage in a basement or a ground-floor apartment is a health hazard and has to be treated as one. Porous materials that sewage reaches usually have to go, and the rest of the space is cleaned and sanitized. In a multi-family building, a backup in one unit can reach the units around it, so we trace how far it went before deciding what stays. We also do bodily fluid cleanup, hoarding, animal waste and vandalism, and we work with landlords and property managers when the property is a rental. See biohazard cleaning.
Carpet, upholstery and floor care
We use van-mounted hot steam extraction on carpet and upholstery, and there is nothing to prepare. Our technicians move the furniture and set it on blocks and tabs afterward to protect the damp carpet. In a rental we often clean between tenants, treating pet odors and stains first, and offices and shops get winter salt lifted out of entry carpet. Tile can be waxed and grout cleaned. See the carpet and tile care page for the full list.
Air duct cleaning
A burner puff-back leaves soot in the ducts, and a renovation leaves dust. With four in ten Brewer households renting, between tenants is a convenient time to clean them while a unit is empty. Pets and seasonal allergies bring the three to five year recommendation forward. Cleaner ducts may also bring heating and cooling costs down. The duct cleaning page explains how the work is done, and the schedule matters most in older two- to four-unit buildings with a shared furnace.
Post-construction cleanup
After a remodel or a rebuild, the leftover dust ends up on windows, in carpet and tile, and in the ducts, so we clean those last to keep it from coming back. Landlords in older two- to four-unit buildings often renovate a unit before it goes back on the market, and flood repairs along the riverside add their own mud and debris. The crew also takes the stickers off new windows and washes the glass, sills and screens. The post-construction cleanup page shows the task list.
Clothing and contents restoration
Clothing, bedding and other soft contents damaged by fire, water, sewage, mold or smoke can often be saved. Cleaning soft contents is a separate step from cleaning the building, and we schedule the two together. After a fire in a multi-family house, neighbors’ belongings may be smoke-damaged too. We use the Esporta Wash System, which relies on a phosphate-free detergent and about half the water. Read more on the contents restoration page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you work on both sides of the river, in Brewer and Bangor?
Yes. We cover Brewer, Bangor, Eddington, Holden, Orrington and the rest of Penobscot County from the same phone line, 207-947-4454.
Water got into our riverside shop. Does everything have to go?
River water carries silt and sewage, so soaked drywall, insulation and carpeting generally have to come out. The structure can usually be saved: it is cleaned, sanitized and dried. We monitor moisture throughout and tell you what can stay.
Our upstairs neighbor's pipe burst and my ceiling is sagging. What now?
Stay out of the room and don’t turn on ceiling fixtures. Call your insurance company and us. We extract the water, dry each affected unit and monitor moisture until all of them are dry.
Who do I call after 5 pm on a Saturday?
The numbers are 207-947-4454 and, toll-free, 1-800-479-6676. After hours your call is returned by our on-call team.
We own a multi-unit building. Can you clean the units between tenants?
Yes. We do move-in and move-out cleaning, including carpets, tile and windows, and we can do the ducts at the same time. Tell us the deadline and we will schedule the work around it.
The basement smells musty weeks after the leak. Do I have mold?
It is possible. Mold can begin within 24 to 48 hours, and it often grows behind finished walls. We assess first and explain what testing is needed before we recommend any removal.
Can the soot be cleaned from our curtains and clothes?
Often yes. Our clothing process is meant for soft contents from fire, water, sewage and mold losses.
What if our claim is denied?
Enhancify, our financing partner, lets you apply right on our website. Separately, we deal with every insurance carrier and can explain how a claim works.
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