Topsham homes and businesses can call 207-536-7220 at any hour for water, fire, mold or sewage emergencies. Bouchard Cleaning & Restoration DKI works across Sagadahoc County from our Westbrook office, and the same crews handle the rest of our services in Topsham. Our on-call staff cover Topsham 24/7/365 and phone you back after hours.
Topsham is mostly single-family houses, and the sections below describe the jobs those houses generate.
Water damage in Topsham
Most water damage calls in Topsham come from a burst pipe, a roof leak or a failed sprinkler line, and most of the town’s housing is single-family houses where the water spreads from one floor into the walls and basement. Standing water is pumped out and drying equipment goes in, with moisture checks until the structure is dry. Water damage restoration explains the process, and in the meantime the water damage tips help.
The Androscoggin runs along Topsham’s western edge. In the largest floods, the National Weather Service lists properties between Auburn and Topsham as severely flooded or cut off. Most years the river stays within its banks here. If the river does reach a basement, we remove the porous material it touched and dry and sanitize the rest.
Sewage backups, septic and biohazard cleanup
Part of Topsham is served by the Topsham Sewer District, and homes outside it rely on private septic systems. The difference matters when sewage comes back up: a backed-up septic tank or a failed line leaves contaminated water in the house or yard, and the cleanup has to include the affected floors, walls and contents.
Contaminated materials are removed, and the remaining surfaces are cleaned and sanitized. We also clean up after bodily fluids, animal waste and vandalism, and we handle hoarding cleanup with owners, property managers and realtors. More on sewage and other biohazard work is under biohazard cleaning.
Fire and smoke damage, including puff-backs
Almost half of the houses in town heat with oil, and others use gas, propane or wood. An oil burner puff-back can leave soot throughout a house, and a chimney fire leaves residue near the stove and flue. Soot smears when wiped, so leave it for our assessment.
Openings get boarded up and tarped first, and contents are packed out with an inventory. The ducts can be cleaned as well. We deal with all insurance companies and can help you follow the claims process. Other fire services are covered by smoke damage restoration.
Post-construction cleanup
About a quarter of Topsham’s housing has been built since 2000, and new houses, additions and finished basements keep going up. A builder or homeowner finishing a project can hand the cleanup to us, and we give a free quote. Cleaning the duct system last keeps construction dust from blowing back out of the vents. Post-construction cleaning has the full scope.
Mold assessment and removal
Mold follows any water that stays in a house for a day or two, in a new house as much as an old one. Basements, bathrooms and attics under leaking roofs are the usual places. Our assessment names the work and the testing it requires. Removal can include anti-microbial treatment and tear-out and rebuild. Bleach lightens the stain without killing the mold. Mold assessment & removal explains each step.
Carpet, upholstery and floor care
Single-family houses with wall-to-wall carpet are the norm here, and the upholstery that goes with them. Our vans carry van-mounted hot steam extraction, and the technicians move the furniture, so you do not have to prepare the room. We pre-treat stains, remove pet odors and can apply Scotchgard for protection. Carpet typically dries in 12 to 24 hours. Finished basements, where a pipe leak can soak carpet, get extraction first and cleaning after. We also wax tile and clean grout; floor care services has the full list.
Cleaning, sanitizing and apartment turnovers
Topsham’s mix of small offices, daycares, medical buildings and restaurants can all have sanitizing done ahead of an outbreak or after one is confirmed, using the TOMI SteraMist system. The cleaning and sanitizing page lists the buildings and pathogens it covers. A smaller share of the housing here is rented, mostly in a few larger apartment buildings. For those, we clean units for move-in or move-out, as described under apartment and condo cleaning, and we work to the landlord’s timeline and budget.
Air duct cleaning
Because the housing here is mostly recent, the dust in a Topsham duct system more often comes from construction than from age: a finished basement, an addition or a new kitchen puts drywall dust into the returns. Almost half of the houses burn oil, so a puff-back is the other common reason. A duct run in a mobile home is short, and it fills with dust quickly. Pets, smokers and allergies in the household shorten the recommended interval; see our duct cleaning page.
Clothing and soft contents restoration
A sewage backup in a finished basement, a pipe break near a closet or a kitchen fire can soak or smoke a family’s whole wardrobe, bedding and curtains. Winter coats and seasonal clothes stored in a basement are often what gets wet first. Most of it can be saved. We use the Esporta Wash System, whose third-party testing reports about 90% of soft contents returned to food-grade clean, using a phosphate-free soap and roughly half the water a standard wash needs. See clothing restoration for more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you cover Brunswick, Bowdoin and Harpswell as well as Topsham?
Yes. We serve Topsham and nearby towns including Brunswick, Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Harpswell, Durham, Lisbon and Bath. The number is 207-536-7220.
Our septic tank backed up into the house. Is that your kind of job?
Yes. Sewage cleanup is part of our biohazard work. Keep everyone out of the area and call. After the contaminated material is taken out, the space gets cleaned and sanitized.
How do I find out if my house is on the Topsham sewer district or septic?
Your town office or the sewer district can tell you if your address is connected. If you are unsure, tell us when you call and we will clean the area either way.
We just finished a renovation. Can you clean it before we move back?
Yes. We clean up the leftovers, wash the windows and sills, treat carpet and tile, and clean and inspect the ducts. We give a free quote.
A pipe burst in the wall while we were away. What should we do right now?
Shut off the water if it is safe, stay out of rooms with sagging ceilings and call us. Keep the heat at about 70 degrees in winter to help the drying. Our water damage tips give the full list.
Does a manufactured or mobile home need a different approach for water damage?
We extract the water, set drying equipment and monitor moisture in the same way. We look at the floor and walls in each case and tell you what can be dried and what has to come out.
Can you clean smoke odor out of a house after a chimney fire?
Yes. We deodorize and clean soft contents with the Esporta Wash System. Do not wipe the surfaces or run the furnace before we have checked, since that can spread the residue.
Do you work with our insurance company?
Our staff deal with all insurance carriers and can explain how a claim moves forward. Where a claim is denied or there is no coverage, Enhancify, our financing partner, can spread the cost; start with the financing application.
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