Skowhegan, Norridgewock, Madison, Canaan and the other towns of Somerset County reach Bouchard Cleaning & Restoration DKI through our Waterville line, 207-872-6676. The line offers 24-hour emergency service. Calls after hours go to a local answering service, which pages our on-call staff to call you back within 15 minutes.
Skowhegan houses, mobile homes and commercial buildings can use any of our services. The sections below begin with the problems that come up most often here.
Flooding from the Kennebec and Whitten Brook
River flooding in Skowhegan is concentrated on a few streets. When the Kennebec nears bankfull, water reaches Elm Street and Alder Street near the Weston Dam, and Route 2 can close. If Whitten Brook is running high at the same time, the water can also spread to Pleasant Street and Summer Street. In the biggest floods River Street goes under about a foot of water and the bridge over the river floods. Whitten Brook enters the Kennebec at Elm Street, so a basement on the brook can flood when the river itself is not high.
Floodwater from a river or brook is dirty. Drywall, insulation and carpet it soaked usually have to be removed, and the structure is then cleaned, dried and rebuilt. We monitor moisture until it is back to normal. About one home in seven in Skowhegan is a mobile home, where a leak in the space under the floor can run for some time before it shows inside, so check there after a freeze. Our water damage restoration page and water damage tips go into the process.
Puff-backs, woodstoves and chimney fires
Skowhegan heats mostly with oil, and about one household in twelve burns wood, more than in most of the towns we serve. A burner puff-back coats a house with soot through the ductwork, while a woodstove or chimney problem leaves a similar residue closer to the stove. Wiping soot only spreads it, so leave the walls alone until we have looked.
Once the house is boarded up and secure, belongings are packed out and inventoried, and the building is deodorized with its ducts cleaned. We can handle the reconstruction as well, and we work with all insurance companies. Our fire cleanup services have more on this.
Mold in basements and crawl spaces
Nearly half of Skowhegan’s homes were built before 1960. A basement or crawl space that stays wet after a spring thaw, a brook overflow or a plumbing leak can grow mold on framing, insulation and stored boxes, and it can start within a day or two. The assessment comes before any treatment and tells you which tests are required, then we treat the mold with anti-microbial products. Where materials are too far gone we tear them out and rebuild. A dehumidifier and a working sump pump help prevent it, as our mold prevention tips explain. The full process is in mold assessment & removal.
Sewage backups and biohazard cleanup
Heavy rain and high water put pressure on drains, and floor drains and basement fixtures are the first places a backup shows. Sewage carries bacteria and has to be treated as a health hazard. We remove what cannot be saved and clean and sanitize the area.
We also clean up bodily fluids, animal waste and vandalism, and we do hoarding cleanups with homeowners, family members, property managers and realtors. Each kind of biohazard job is explained under biohazard cleaning.
Cleaning and sanitizing for businesses and landlords
Medical buildings, nursing homes, schools, daycares, municipal buildings, restaurants and offices can have us sanitize ahead of an outbreak or after one; cleaning & sanitizing has the method.
About one in five Skowhegan homes is in a building with more than one unit. Landlords of those buildings can book apartment and condo cleaning timed to the next tenant, as listed under apartment & condo cleaning.
Duct cleaning
With roughly two thirds of homes on oil and a good number burning wood, ducts and returns in Skowhegan pick up soot and fine ash over the years, and a puff-back puts a heavy coat of it into every run. A basement flood from the Kennebec or Whitten Brook can leave silt and damp residue in ducts that sit low, and those need cleaning before the furnace starts again. Mobile homes have short, tight duct runs that fill with dust quickly. Pets and smokers shorten the interval. See duct cleaning for the recommended schedule.
Carpet, upholstery and floor care
Mud season and winter sand work into carpet and entry floors. Our technicians clean carpet and upholstery with van-mounted hot steam extraction and move the furniture themselves, setting it on blocks and tabs. The carpet typically dries in 12 to 24 hours. Stain and pet odor removal, tile waxing and grout cleaning are also offered. The floor care services page has more.
Post-construction cleanup
Skowhegan’s older houses are renovated one room at a time, and after a flood or a fire the whole structure gets rebuilt. Either way the drywall and sanding dust ends up on window sills, in light fixtures and inside the vents. When the crew is finished, we remove the debris, mud and adhesive, wash walls and high spaces, take the factory stickers off new windows and wash the windows, sills and screens. We then clean the carpet, the tile and the duct system. Quotes for post-construction cleaning are free.
Clothing and soft contents restoration
Winter coats, boots, blankets and bedding are bulky, so they often live in a basement or a closet near the entry, which is where brook water and sewage backups arrive first. Woodstove smoke and puff-back soot get into upstairs closets as well. Most of this can be washed clean. The Esporta Wash System we use cleans with a phosphate-free soap and roughly half the usual water, and the manufacturer’s third-party testing shows about 90% of soft contents returned food-grade clean. Read more on clothing restoration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you cover Norridgewock, Madison, Canaan and the rest of Somerset County?
Yes. Call 207-872-6676 or toll-free 1-800-479-6676 from any of them. We serve all 16 Maine counties.
Whitten Brook came into my basement. Is that handled the same as river flooding?
Yes. Brook water is dirty like river water, so porous materials it soaked usually come out, and we clean, dry and monitor the structure.
The river is high and Route 2 is closed. Can you still reach us?
Call anyway. Tell us the address and what you can see, and we will plan the work with you as the water goes down.
I live in a mobile home and found water under the floor. What should I do?
Shut off the water if a line has burst, call your insurance company and call us. We extract the water and dry the structure and monitor moisture until it is dry.
Our woodstove chimney caught fire. Is the soot different from a furnace puff-back?
It is a similar oily residue, and the advice is the same: do not wipe it, and have it cleaned before it is spread around. We also clean the ducts if smoke reached them.
Can you handle a larger commercial loss?
Yes. As a DKI member we can also request additional technicians and equipment from the network for a larger job.
Do you clean nursing homes and medical buildings?
Yes. We sanitize them as a precaution or after an outbreak of norovirus, MRSA or C. diff.
What if my insurance won't cover it?
Our staff work with all insurance carriers. With a denied claim or no policy, you can pay over time through Enhancify, our financing partner; the application is online.
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