Mould contamination has been identified as a major contributor to illnesses and poor air quality.  Some types of mould can cause cancer, immune system deficiencies, organ damage, bronchial constriction, internal bleeding, skin disease or gastrointestinal illnesses.

What causes mould?  The following factors can contribute in creating mould

• Starter spore colony
• Nutrient source
• Moisture
• Humidity greater than 45%
• Temperature of 20-30`C
• Bad light
• Time

All Aces Services have the answers to your mould problems.  Our mould inspectors in Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast are all fully qualified through the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC).  They have state of the art moisture detection equipment and will be able to provide a full report with scope of works to solve the problem.

Our inspectors can come to your home to inspect your mould problem.  They take readings of humidity, temperature and moisture in all areas including walls, ceilings, carpets and subfloor.  This will help to find out why the mould is growing.  They can also take swab samples and air samples which are sent to a lab for testing.  This can provide information on the type of mould that is present and how harmful it might be.

Depending on the severity of the mould there are various ways to get rid of it.

• Any area that is only affected with surface mould will be HEPA vacuumed, washed down and given an antimicrobial treatment.
• An area that has been wet will probably have surface mould as well as mould that has penetrated all the way through.  This area will need to be removed and replaced as it cannot be cleaned.

We can use

• “Air scrubbers with charcoal filters” – these are big HEPA vacuum cleaners for the air.  They work by sucking the air through a pre-filter, then a carbon filter, then a HEPA filter to break down the contaminants.
• Hydroxyl (OdoroxBoss) – Hydroxyls (-OH) are safe, naturally occurring molecules that are created in our atmosphere when the sun’s ultraviolet rays react with water vapour.  Odorox Hydroxyl generators replicate this natural process.  They are 100% safe for people, pets, plants, rubber, plastic, vinyl, textiles, electronics and other sensitive materials, 33% more effective at oxidising pollutants than ozone and 2.5 times more germicidal and fungicidal than liquid chlorine.

Once cleaning has been completed our inspectors will retake the swab and air samples to check that the mould problem has been rectified.

One misconception that people have is that bleach will get rid of mould.  It is actually only just removing the colour of the mould and not the actual mould spores.  This is why the mould keeps growing back.  One product that is effective in removing mould is the Microban Clean Carpet Sanitiser.  All Aces Services are now registered users of this product.  It contains three anti-microbial agents to reduce and control the growth of odour causing bacteria and fungi as well as odour counteractants to neutralise unpleasant odours.

If you are in Brisbane, Sunshine Coast or Gold Coast and have a mould problem, please don’t hesitate to contact All Aces Services on 1800 00 1010.

Here at All Aces Services, we like to support the local community.  Each month we donate a portion of each job performed to a different charity.  In the past, the charities we have supported are :

• The National Breast Cancer Foundation
• Movember
• The Salvation Army
• Surf Lifesaving Queensland
• Royal Flying Doctor Service
• Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation
• Guide Dogs Queensland
• Youngcare

The charity we are supporting in June 2010 is Sids and Kids.  Their major fundraising day this year, Red Nose Day, is on Friday 25th June.  This charity is topical for us because we have our own parents to be – Garry and Carmel are expecting a daughter in October 2010.  We’d like to wish Garry and Carmel all the best for the pregnancy and the birth of their daughter.

Concrete sealers are beneficial to your wallet considering the amount of time and money it can cost you to have your concrete relayed or repaired. Concrete sealers substanstially increase safety as well as increase the appeal of your concrete. They prevent contamination, abrasion, cracking, efflorescence leaching and much more.

Concrete is a porous material and you can either use a penetrating sealer which ‘fills’ all the holes leaving a ‘matte finish’ (so it looks the same as any concrete slab, but enhances the cracks and characteristics of the concrete which is now popular in the modern look). Or you can apply an acrylic top coat sealer which sits on top of the concrete and gives a ‘gloss finish’.

A penetrating sealer is more beneficial for the concrete and is easier for long term maintenance, however it has a ‘rough’ texture and is difficult for mopping. The acrylic top coat  is easy to clean as it is smooth like tiles, easy to mop and keep clean but more difficult for long term maintenance as the top coat sealer can wear down and may require top ups or stripping back and a new coat being put down over the top.

We have recently been contacted by one our large building insurance clients to complete a concrete sealing job. The insured’s home has had some severe water damage throughout which has required some extensive building works to take place.

When the water has gone over the polished concrete floor it has damaged and broken down sections of the sealer which does not give off an attractive appearance.

Our technician attended the site to test some areas with stripper to ensure the pre-existing sealer would be easily removed and also tested a small area to determine the correct sealer to use for the job.

At All Aces Services we look after all of your emergency disaster restoration needs.  We complete a lot of work through insurance companies and building insurance companies.

Whether your house is damaged due to a cooking incident or a candle catches fire to a curtain, we will attend to restore your property and personal belongings as quickly as possible.

All Aces Services offers 24 hour fire damage restoration to quickly respond to your distress.  We will inspect the damages, quickly quote and even bill it to your insurance company to start the restoration process immediately.

The fire damage restoration process includes:

1. Stabilising contents of the property
2. Removing contents from the site
3. Cleaning and reinstating items
4. Cleaning and reinstating floor coverings, walls, ceilings, window furnishings etc.
5. Inspection of any restoration services that have been carried out
6. Ozone treatment of the property to help remove the smoke odour
7. Air scrubbers with carbon filters to help remove odour even while cleaning

Fire damage causes the following if not attended to immediately:

• Heat causes thermal damage to building structures, contents and fixings
• Smoke can permanently damage exteriors and paint
• The heat can cause fatigue in metals which causes future breakdown and failure in materials
• Smoke also damages wood, decorative and protective finishes. It also discolours white goods and plastics
• Corrosive contaminants from heat, fire and smoke can attack metals that are part of your property

For all of your fire damage restoration needs in an emergency, contact us 24 hours/7 days on 1800 00 1010.

Whether it be because the dog likes the feel of the rug, or the cat is marking its territory, or they are both just plain lazy – there is no doubt that pet urine can do some real damage to our most valuable rugs. In some cases it may not be because the rug is of a high dollar value, but more so the sentimental value, that requires the rug to be restored.

The biggest question to ask yourself is ‘What’s my tolerance level?’

If your pet ‘rules the roost’ so to speak and is classed as one of the family, then when FiFi pees on the 50 year old persian rug, it may not be such an issue as FiFi can do what she likes – therefore just cleaning the rug and a mild treatment might be enough as FiFi will most likely go back and do it again.  Then there are others that don’t have pets and a friend has come to visit with their Maltese who loved the feel of your new designer shag pile rug, so much it used it as a toilet.  Therefore the smell will be escalated even more and the tolerance level will be low.

Whatever the tolerance level, we are able to fix the urine in the rug by submerging the rug to fully remove the odour with a 100% Guarantee or we are able to do surface treatments for when the smell really isn’t that bad.

Sometimes if the smell isnt too bad, and its just the stain that is causing a problem, our technicians who are qualified through the IICRC in Advanced Stain Removal will be able to assist.

Whether it be a $100 000 silk rug or a rug that has been in the family for 3 generations, they can be just as valuable as each other and we are able to tailor a clean to suit your needs.