South Portland jobs come to us from single-family neighborhoods such as Ferry Village and Thornton Heights, from large apartment buildings, and from retail and campus buildings. Bouchard Cleaning & Restoration DKI answers calls from the city at 207-536-7220, the line our Westbrook office also uses. For water, fire, mold and sewage emergencies we offer 24-hour emergency service, and after hours our on-call staff call back.
Below is how each service tends to apply to the city’s buildings.
Water damage and flooding in South Portland
The January 2024 storm flooded and damaged Bug Light Park and Willard Beach, and the city lost the three fishing shacks at the beach. Wind-driven coastal storms do reach the waterfront edge of the city, and water that comes in from the sea is salty and contaminated. Wet drywall and carpet from a storm like that normally have to be removed before the building can be dried and rebuilt.
More often, the water comes from inside. About four in ten South Portland homes are in buildings with two or more units, and roughly one home in eight is in a building with 50 or more. In a large apartment building a burst pipe or a failed sprinkler head can wet units on several floors at once. Each affected unit gets its own drying equipment and moisture checks until it is dry, and we keep owners and tenants informed. Large buildings are covered in water damage restoration, and the water damage tips cover what to do in the first hour.
Apartment, condo and commercial cleaning
With so many large apartment buildings in the city, turnover cleaning is a regular call. A turnover covers surfaces, windows, walls, carpets and tile floors, and we settle the services, timeline and budget before we start. For the full scope, open apartment and condo cleaning.
For businesses, we clean and sanitize offices, restaurants, gyms, malls, schools and medical buildings, and we do it as preventive care as well as after an illness. Offices, malls and restaurants will find the method in cleaning and sanitizing.
Smoke, soot and puff-back cleanup
Oil is the most common heating fuel in South Portland, at about four homes in ten, ahead of natural gas. When an oil burner puffs back it can push fine soot through the ducts and onto every surface in the house. Leave the walls and ceilings unwiped, because soot is oily and smears.
The ducts are cleaned along with the structure so the furnace does not circulate soot again, and we work with all insurance companies. The details are in our fire and smoke damage services.
Mold after leaks and storms
Within a day or two of a leak or a flood, mold can already be growing. In South Portland it turns up in older basements and in apartment bathrooms with a slow leak behind the wall, and it follows any room that got wet in a storm and was not dried properly. The first visit is an assessment, which tells us which tests and which steps apply. Treatment is anti-microbial, with tear-out and rebuild where materials are damaged. The details are on our mold assessment and removal page.
Sewage backups and biohazard cleanup
South Portland is on the public sewer system, so a sewage backup here usually comes from a blocked line or a drain that was overwhelmed in heavy rain. Sewage carries bacteria and does not belong on a floor you are going to walk on. Contaminated material is removed, and what remains gets cleaned and sanitized afterward. The same service covers bodily fluid cleanup and hoarding cleanup, along with animal waste. Hoarding, bodily fluid and animal waste jobs are described in biohazard cleaning.
Carpet, upholstery and floor care
In apartment buildings and offices, carpet and upholstery are cleaned by technicians working from a van-mounted hot steam extraction unit, and you do not need to prepare. We also pre-treat stains, take out pet odors and wax tile and clean grout in offices and shops. Offices and shops will find the details in floor care services.
Air duct cleaning
With oil the biggest single heating fuel, a puff-back is a regular reason to have ducts cleaned, since the soot rides the air handler into every room. Ducts in the older houses around Ferry Village and Thornton Heights have collected decades of dust, and a remodel adds plaster dust on top. Large apartment buildings sometimes clean the system between tenants. Pets and smokers shorten the usual 3 to 5 years. The duct cleaning page explains the benefits and the usual schedule.
Post-construction cleanup
Builders and owners call us when a new unit, a store fit-out or a renovation is done and the dust is not. We take out debris, dust, mud and adhesive, clean surfaces and walls, reach high spaces with equipment, and wash windows after removing the factory stickers. Carpet, tile and ducts are cleaned too. For the full scope, open post-construction cleaning.
Clothing and contents restoration
A fire in a large apartment building can leave smoke odor in the closets of units that never burned, and a sewage backup in a ground-floor unit ruins what was stored on the floor. Near the shore, storm water can reach basement storage with winter coats and bedding. We wash these items with the Esporta Wash System, which has third-party testing behind its claim of returning about 90% of soft contents to food-grade clean, using a phosphate-free detergent and about half the water. See clothing restoration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which parts of South Portland do you serve?
All of it, including Ferry Village, Knightville, Thornton Heights, Willard Beach, Cash Corner and Redbank. Call 207-536-7220 from anywhere in the city.
A pipe burst in a unit on the fourth floor of our apartment building. Can you dry the units below?
Yes. We extract the water, place equipment in every affected unit and take moisture readings until the walls and floors are dry, keeping the owner and tenants informed.
The storm surge got into our garage and basement. What happens to the wet materials?
Seawater is salty and carries dirt, so soaked drywall and carpet usually come out. Concrete and framing can generally be cleaned and dried. We check moisture before deciding what stays.
Our oil burner puffed back last night. Should we run the furnace?
No, wait. Change the filter, open windows if you can, keep pets out of the soot, and do not wipe the walls. Call us, and your insurance company. Our fire damage tips list the do and don’t steps.
Can you clean a retail space or office while it stays open?
We work out the services, timeline and budget with you before we start, so tell us your hours and which areas must stay open. We clean and sanitize offices, malls, restaurants and gyms.
We manage a large apartment complex. Do you clean units between tenants?
Yes. We handle move-in and move-out cleaning, including carpet, tile and ducts, and more than one crew can work at once.
How do I reach you at 2 a.m.?
Either 207-536-7220 or toll-free 1-800-479-6676 works at any hour, and on-call staff return the calls that come in after hours.
What if my insurance denies the claim?
The cost can be spread over time through our partner Enhancify, and the financing application is on our website. We work with insurance carriers of every kind, and we can answer questions about the claims process.
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