ARS to Host Lunch for the Public on May 17

5/8/2012

An open house with free burgers, hotdogs and door prizes is set for Thursday, May 17, beginning at 11 a.m.

BEDFORD, IOWA - Advanced Restoration Services, LLC (ARS) has scheduled a customer appreciation lunch, 11 am - 1 pm, on Thursday, May 17, 2012. The event will take place at the company's headquarters located at 507 Central Avenue, Bedford Iowa.

The customer appreciation lunch is free of charge and open to the public. The company will be grilling hot dogs and hamburgers and will provide refreshments. Attendees will receive complementary door prizes.

"We care deeply about our work and our community and want to show our appreciation," says Rob Villars, ARS President. "You don't have to be an existing customer to come and enjoy a hamburger or hot dog. It's our treat."

In celebration of another year of success, Advanced Restoration Services is hosting a Customer Appreciation Lunch, on Thurs., May 17, 2012, from 11 am - 1 pm at 507 Central Ave., Bedford, IA. The event is open to the public and features free food and door prizes.

Advanced Restoration Services is one of Taylor County's premier companies. The full-service, family-owned damage restoration company certified by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), has been growing in service contracts at a double-digit pace every year for the past several years. Last year, the company grew more in sales than any year prior, and for 2012 so far, engagements on project's have surpassed company expectations.

Some of Advanced Restoration Services recent achievements include:

• Winning the Main Street Iowa Award for the Best Business Success Story in 2011. The award acknowledged ARS's rapid growth and dedication to community revitalization and economic development.
• Completion of the historic rehabilitation of an approximately 110-year-old landmark building, the old Bedford Battery Company Building, located at 510 Central Avenue, Bedford, IA. The building now houses ARS's expanded Contents Cleaning and Restoration Division (ARS CCRD). ARS CCRD's services include hand-cleaning restoration, high-capacity residential and commercial laundry washing and drying, contents drying, deodorization, ultra-sonic cleaning, reverse osmosis water filtration, de-ionization for delicate electronics and climate-controlled storage, among other services.
• Responding successfully to calls after a series of devastating thunder and hail storms last summer. Almost overnight, storms grew ARS's active "project board" for its Water Damage Restoration Division alone by 18-fold as the company handled the water extraction and cleanup of numerous homes and buildings in Taylor County, IA, Page County, IA, and Nodaway County, MO.

The company's accelerating pace of activities continues by moving its fall fire department golf benefit forward in the calendar. This year, Advanced Restoration Services will sponsor its golf tournament aiding local firefighters on Thursday, June 21, 2012, at 1 pm. The 3rd Annual Great ARS Shootout will be held at the Clarinda Country Club. The goal is to raise $4,000 for area fire departments. Registration forms are available at arsiowa.com/golf, or by calling Ryan Miller, ARS Sales and Marketing Manager, at (712) 254-1243.

"These are exciting times for our company," says Villars. "It feels great to be busy and even better to give something back to the community. We hope many in the area can stop by on May 17 for a hot dog or a burger."

About Advanced Restoration Services

Winner of the 2011 Main Street Iowa "Best Business Success Story" Award, Advanced Restoration Services, LLC, Bedford, IA (arsiowa.com), is a full-service, family-owned restoration company certified by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). Serving customers in Southwest Iowa and Northwest Missouri, ARS offers everything from basic cleanup service to complete A-to-Z disaster cleanup, storage and reconstruction. A proud member of eight leading cleaning and restoration organizations, ARS abides by the IICRC Code of Ethics and provides ongoing education and training leading to certification for all of its technicians.

2 Big Reasons to Add Your Air Ducts to Your Spring Cleaning List

3/14/2012

The first day of spring, March 20, is quickly approaching. Soon the grass will be turning green. The trees will start to bud and the flowers will start blooming. 

It is also time to start thinking about spring cleaning. If you Google "Spring Cleaning List" you will get hundreds of thousands of results. You can find list detailing all sorts of tasks for both inside and outside the home. I encourage you to add air duct cleaning to the list. Here's why:

1. Potential energy savings.

Research by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows that clean air ducts can enable heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to run more efficiently. Clean systems are less likely to break down and more likely to have a longer life span. You may experience lower energy bills.

2. Cleaner air.

Clean air ducts can improve the air you breathe. Excessive amounts of dirt and dust particles are normally released into the air from your supply registers. Our high-powered HEPA vacuums and other specialized tools dislodge and remove contaminants such as, dust, debris, pet hair, dander and vermin.

See Air Duct Cleaning for more information.

What Is It Like to Work With a Restoration Services Company?

3/7/2012

Recently, the Clement Family of New Market, Iowa, experienced a house fire that caused extensive fire, smoke and water damage. Some of the items damaged where an antique dining room buffet and photo albums containing precious memories.

Could their home and precious possessions be restored?

Happily, the answer is yes. (See before and after photos at right. More photos in the full case history.)

The repair work was extensive. We gutted the entire house, replaced all the electrical and 'thermo fogged' everywhere. In our shop, we 'ozoned' and hand cleaned many of the Clement's possessions.

Thermo fogging and ozone cleaning break down and remove the odors from smoke-damaged objects.

Here are homeowner Brian Clement's thoughts on the fire restoration process:

"They made sure we got what we wanted."

"It all fell boom-boom right into place."

"I never felt out of the loop."

Find out all the work involved in this fire restoration by reading the full case history.

Recipe: Pineapple Bake

1/11/2012

Submitted by Hollie Peckham, Office Manager, Advanced Restoration Services

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 - 20 oz. cans pineapple tidbits (drained)
• 1 cup ritz crackers (crushed)
• 1 stick butter (melted)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Grease a 9x13 baking dish.
3. In a separate bowl, combine cheese, pineapple, sugar and flour. Put mixture into greased 9x13 dish. Top with crushed crackers and butter.
4. Bake for 30 minutes.

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View other recipes in our collection.

Radon Tests High in the Region

1/3/2012

While the EPA recommends that all homes be tested for radon gas regardless of location, some areas have a higher potential for radon screening than others. Iowa (see map above) is one of those areas. Several counties in northwest Missouri and eastern Nebraska also have a high potential for radon gas. See the related article above for more information on radon testing.

EPA offers the Directory of Builders as a one-stop service to home buyers who are looking for builders that use radon-resistant construction techniques in new homes. The Directory contains the names of builders using RRNC who have voluntarily registered with EPA. EPA encourages all builders that use the recommended radon-resistant techniques to be listed in the Directory. Read more about Radon-Resistant New Construction.

What the colors mean*

Red             High Potential for Radon
Orange    Moderate Potential
Yellow   Low Potential

*The predicted average indoor radon screening level exceeds 4 picocuries per liter (high), 2-4 pCi/L (moderate), less than 2 pCi/L (low).

Protect the health of your family. According to the EPA, among nonsmoking Americans radon is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths, with an estimated 20,000 each year. Radon exposure is a preventable health risk. The key is to have your home tested for radon. If high levels are detected, you can fix the problem.

Choose a qualified contractor

If your home is found to have high levels of radon, a trained contractor with technical knowledge can help you pick the right treatment method. As with any home repair, it is a good idea to ask for references and get more than one estimate. Most homes can be fixed for about the same cost as other common home repairs. Advanced Restoration Services is certified by the Iowa Department of Public Health to test your home or business for radon. We are moving toward becoming your local radon mitigation specialist.

If you plan to fix your home's radon problem yourself, you should first contact your state radon office for guidance. See the EPA website for more information. Also, check out A Citizens Guide to Radon.