More than half of the households in Orono rent, and Bouchard Cleaning & Restoration DKI cleans and restores apartment buildings, student houses, family homes and businesses here and in Old Town, Veazie, Orrington and Glenburn. Call 207-947-4454. We are reachable 24 hours a day, with on-call staff covering the late hours. We are proud sponsors of the University of Maine.
Orono can use any of our services. The sections below describe how each one usually plays out in this town.
Fire and smoke in apartment buildings and rentals
Nearly half of the housing units are in buildings of two or more units. A fire or smoke event in one unit affects the others through shared walls, ceilings and ductwork, so the cleanup covers more than the unit where it started. Soot is oily, so wiping it only spreads it, and tenants should leave belongings where they are until we have looked.
Boarding up and a pack-out with an inventory come first, so furniture and clothing can be cleaned, and the building is deodorized and its ducts cleaned afterward. Our contractors can handle reconstruction. Insurance claims of every type are routine for us. The process is in our smoke and soot cleanup service.
Move-out cleaning, apartment turnovers and commercial cleaning
With so many rentals, a lot of Orono’s cleaning happens when a lease ends. We clean surfaces, windows, walls, carpets and tile floors, remove pet odors, and can add duct cleaning, working to the date the next tenant moves in and the budget you give us. Landlords with several units can schedule them together through apartment & condo cleaning.
We also clean and sanitize offices, schools, daycares, restaurants, gyms and medical buildings. Sanitizing matters most where many people share space, and the approach is laid out under cleaning & sanitizing.
Water damage in Orono
In a building with shared floors, a burst pipe or a failed sprinkler line in one unit typically reaches the one below it, and every affected unit has to be dried. We extract the water, set up drying equipment and monitor moisture in each space until it is dry, and we keep owners and managers informed along the way. Pipes freeze when heat is turned down in empty units over winter.
Drying a multi-unit building is described in water damage restoration, and the water damage tips help tenants and owners while they wait.
Carpet, upholstery and floor care
Carpets in rentals take heavy wear. We clean carpet and upholstery with van-mounted hot steam extraction, move the furniture and set it back on blocks and tabs, and the carpet typically dries in 12 to 24 hours, which fits a short window between leases. Tenants and owners don’t have to prepare anything. Stains and pet odors are treated, tile floors are waxed and grout is cleaned. The scope is on the floor care services page.
Mold assessment and removal
In a rental, mold is often found at move-out or after a leak that went unreported. Mold can begin a day or two after water gets in and can grow behind walls and under flooring, so a musty room deserves an assessment.
Before any work starts, we explain what it involves and which tests are needed. Removal uses anti-microbial treatment, and materials that cannot be saved are torn out and rebuilt. Bleach lightens mold without killing it. Tenants and owners can read more under mold assessment & removal and the mold prevention tips.
Sewage and biohazard cleanup
A sewage backup in a shared building can reach several units through the floor drains. Contaminated materials come out first, and the rest of the area is cleaned and sanitized with the TOMI SteraMist system, an ionized hydrogen peroxide mist that leaves no residue. A unit left in poor condition by a tenant may also need bodily fluid, animal waste or hoarding cleanup, and we work with homeowners, property managers and realtors on those. See biohazard cleaning.
Post-construction cleanup
New housing has been added in Orono since 2000, and new buildings and renovations need a clean before anyone moves in. In apartment buildings that often means many units finishing together. We remove debris, dust and adhesive, wash windows, sills and screens, clean carpet and tile, and clean and inspect the ducts so the dust does not return. The final clean is set out under post-construction cleaning.
Air duct cleaning
In an apartment building the ducts are worth cleaning after a fire in any unit, since smoke travels through them. They also need attention after a renovation, and sooner than usual where pets, smokers or allergies are in the picture. Between tenants is a convenient time, with the unit empty and the carpets being done. The trade association suggests every 3 to 5 years. Our duct cleaning page covers the benefits.
Clothing and contents restoration
Clothing, bedding and soft furnishings from a fire, flood or mold loss can often be saved. After a fire in a shared building, the neighbors’ closets pick up smoke through the walls, and a student’s winter coats, bedding and linens can go through the same wash as a family’s. Esporta washing uses about half the usual water, and in its testing nine in ten items come back food-grade clean. The clothing restoration page explains it.
Frequently Asked Questions
A fire in the next unit left smoke in our apartment. Do we have to wait for the owner?
Call us when you are ready. Please don’t wipe soot off the walls, and don’t use soot-covered furniture or turn on appliances until they have been cleaned and checked. Your insurance company and landlord will decide who pays, and we can answer your questions about how the claims process works.
We manage several rental houses in Orono. Can you clean them all at the end of a lease?
Yes, we can schedule several units together around move-in dates, cleaning surfaces, windows, walls, carpet and tile in each.
How do I reach someone on a holiday weekend?
Dial 207-947-4454 or 1-800-479-6676, holiday or not. Our on-call staff return the call.
Our upstairs unit had a burst pipe. How does drying work in a multi-unit building?
We extract the standing water and dry every affected unit, from the source down to the lowest floor. We monitor moisture in each one and tell you when it is back to normal.
Can you sanitize a shared building after a stomach bug outbreak?
Yes. We sanitize shared buildings both as a preventive step and after a confirmed illness such as norovirus.
A tenant left the unit in poor condition. Can you handle that?
Yes. We handle heavy cleaning, pet odors, animal waste and hoarding cleanup, and we work with property managers and realtors on those jobs.
Do you clean the ducts in an apartment building?
Yes. Duct cleaning is part of our apartment and condo service and is a good idea after a fire or a renovation.
What happens if insurance won't pay?
Enhancify, our financing partner, lets you pay over time, and you can apply on our website. When a claim is covered, we work with all insurance carriers.
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