GUS Group

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When disaster strikes...

We can’t predict when disasters will strike—but we can learn what steps to take when they do. Here are some practical ways to help you react quickly and effectively.

Emergency work

The faster you act, the more you will minimize and prevent damages. Contact your insurer as soon as possible so that they can dispatch a reliable damage restoration professional to conduct emergency work, and to provide you with additional damage restoration services.

Make your life easier

Make an inventory of your property and store it in a safe place—it’s an easy way to prevent complications down the road. Improve your file even more by including photographs and video images. Also, keep receipts and warrantees, which are concrete proof of your property’s worth. These preventative steps will accelerate the processing of your insurance claim.

Download our property inventory form [PDF]

What to do after a flood or water damage

Stay away from contaminated water and electrical hazards.
Shut off the water main.
If everything seems safe, turn off the circuit breakers in order to cut electricity flow to areas affected by water damage. Unplug and remove small appliances.
Safely block off damaged doors and windows.
Move furniture or place it on blocks to prevent stains on carpets or floor coverings.

The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), a certifying institute for inspection, cleaning and damage restoration technicians in North America and England, recommends that you do not try to deal with water damage on your own. Instead, retain the services of a specialized and certified company that employs professional technicians specially trained in water damage restoration. They will be able to identify subtle damage caused by humidity that can affect your ceilings, walls and property.

Loss prevention

A healthy interior environment

We spend 90% of our time indoors, especially during the winter season. The United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates that interior air is two to five times more polluted than outside air. The IICRC recommends the following steps to maintain a healthy interior environment, helping you to protect your family’s health.

Maintain the relative humidity level below 60%. Higher levels promote the growth of mold and allergens.
Vacuum often. Carpets and upholstered furniture retain dust, dry dirt, mold spores and other allergens.
Have your carpets and furniture professionally cleaned once a year. This way, the proper extraction techniques are used in order to remove dirt instead of spreading it around.

Mold patches

Imagine the following scenario: when vacuuming one day, you move aside the chest of drawers in your basement only to find black patches on the gypsum wall behind it. Don’t worry—there’s no need to panic. These patches are caused by condensation.

All residences have mold spores, which simply wait for ideal conditions to grow, such as:

Heat
Humidity
Poor ventilation
Sources of nourishment, such as organic materials like paper, wood, jute, dust, etc.

Here’s an explanation of what happened behind your chest of drawers. The cold behind the wall, the warmth of the room, and poor ventilation caused by the position of your chest of drawers against the wall all combined to produce condensation (humidity). With time, mold spores moved onto the gypsum (paper) to grow and create the patches you saw.

This is the same kind of mold that is often found in bathrooms—it’s only on the surface. You don’t need to knock your wall down...you just need to clean it.

Don’t use bleach. It is corrosive, dangerous when used inappropriately, and unnecessary in this particular situation. Here’s how to clean the mold patches:

Dilute dishwashing soap in a bucket
Put on rubber gloves and a dust mask (the kind used for painting)
Wet a cloth with the solution, fold it twice, wring it and wash the surface, frequently changing the side of the cloth you are using. The mold is gone when you cannot see it anymore.
Rinse with clean water
Paint the surface if it has been discoloured
...and you’re done!

If the mold seems to have caused major damage, or if you aren’t confident in your cleaning results, a GUS specialist will be happy to assist you.

Damage Dos
and Don’ts

Whether you are confronted with damage from fire, smoke, water, vandalism or hazardous waste, our guide has everything you need to know to help you manage these difficult situations.

Download our guide [PDF]