AdvantaClean of Alexandria & Arlington Our Work

Location: Fredericksburg, VA 22406

Problem: This customer is remodeling his basement and was concerned about radon levels in his basement. He decided that installing a system while he was remodeling was the right time and it was.

Solution: AdvantaClean worked with the homeowner to install the radon mitigation system in a location that worked with the remodeled basement. Discretely in the corner, the system will pull the gas from the basement and vent it out above the roof, safely away from the inhabitants.

Leaky Shower Pan

Location: Alexandria, VA 22302

Problem: This customer saw water damage on the wall in his office and noticed that he would get a stuffy nose when he was in that room. The wall was shared with the bathroom and it turns out the shower pan was not installed correctly.

Solution: AdvantaClean set up the mold control barriers, removed the shower and shower pan, then thoroughly cleaned the bathroom and office using our antimicrobial techniques and equipment. The stuffy nose should abate after that!

Mold can occur anywhere there is moisture, and there is always moisture in the soil beneath your home. If there is excess moisture, it can rise through the soil and cause mold growth in your crawlspace. This customer in Arlington experienced that very issue, and called in AdvantaClean to help!

First we installed a better drainage system to reduce puddling in the crawlspace by digging down and placing pipes beneath the soil to work with a sump pump we installed. After smothing the dirt back on top, our team installed a new vapor barrier, making the crawlspace secure from moisture accumulation!

Location: Arlington, VA 22201

Problem: This customer had problems with water in their crawlspace, leading to high levels of moisture and mold growth. They called AdvantaClean to come fix both problems.

Solution: We came out and installed a sump pump and drain pipe to deal with the recurring issue of water in the crawlspace. Our crew came back out a few days later to remediate the mold, solving both the problem and the cause!

Location: Arlington, VA 22214

Problem: Our customers know that they can rely on us to provide good service, so when one customer bought a new home, he called us out to install a radon system in that one as well. The level in his home was 4.7 pCi/L, above the EPA regulated standard of 4.0 (the equivalent of 200 chest x-rays each year).

Solution: This was a new construction home and the builder installed a passive system during construction. The passive system had a 3 inch vent pipe that vented from below the slab, ran inside the walls into the attic and exhausted through the room. He called AdvantaClean in to install a radon fan in his attic to create an active system that will much more effectively reduce the radon level in his basement and throughout the house.

Location: Alexandria, VA 22305

Problem: This customer filled a basement bedroom with stuff as she consolidated belongings from two homes. After a year or so, she and her husband noticed that they had stuffy noses at home cleared up when they left. It took another year for them to find the moldy box sitting on top of moldy carpet in the basement bedroom in the far corner.

Solution: AdvantaClean tested the area to identify the type of mold and to determine the mold levels. Based on the test results, this was an urgent matter. AdvantaClean helped with antimicrobial cleaning of the items stored in the bedroom and then performed full mold remediation for the carpet and walls. We identified the likely source of the water, vapor penetration through the foundation caused by a leaking down spout extension, outside and just above the far corner of the bedroom.

Location: Stafford, VA 22554

Problem: It is important when installing a sump pump in a damp area of your crawlspace to make sure a quality pump and basin are installed correctly. This customer had one installed previously but it didn’t work well enough to keep mold from growing.

Solution: AdvantaClean came out and checked into the sump pump situation. The old one was a good pump but the basin was just a Rubbermaid tub with holes poked into it. We took it out and installed a good one in its place and removed the mold growth.

Location: Fairfax Station, VA 22032

Problem: Before moving into his home 18 years ago, this customer installed a radon gas system. Over the years he didn’t think he needed to check the levels again, but something told him to do another test. The levels were still within the EPA standard, though higher than they were when the system was first installed.

Solution: While the system was still working, the fan does lose efficiency over time. AdvantaClean replaced the fan, doubling the efficiency and making the system run even more quietly.

Location: Alexandria, VA 22206

Problem: This customer didn't realize it, but her refrigerator was leaking water for a long time. She became aware of the issue when she saw water damage in the room behind the kitchen and called in AdvantaClean right away.

Solution: We were able to schedule her water damage restoration right away and remediated the mold. Once the mold was taken care of, we referred a handyman to the homeowner and he came and replaced the drywall, restoring her kitchen to normal function!

Location: Alexandria, VA 22304

Problem: A customer was starting to remodel her basement when she asked us to come and test her home's radon gas levels. The tests showed that the levels were just below EPA limit of 4.0 pCi/L. After discussing her options, she opted to install a system preemptively.

Solution: We worked with her on the location of the system, so that her remodeling project would incorporate the system with maximum effect on gas, and minimal effect on personal style!

Location: Arlington, VA 22201

Problem: This clinic had a drain pipe rupture from the unit above. Sewage spilled into the clinic by the utility room, laundry room and staff break room. The carpet outside these rooms was contaminated and the walls were wet.

Solution: The customer did not want to remove the carpet so we cleaned it with steam and a professional cleaning solution. We opened up the walls to sanitize them completely and to remove the wet insulation. When we started, there was a distinct odor of urine. Once our mitigation and drying efforts were completed, the odor was gone and the structure was clean and dry.

Location: Arlington, VA 22201

Problem: A customer in Arlington, VA called in to say he had visible mold growth in his kitchen, dining and living room areas. Concerned about his family's health, he asked us to come out for a free mold inspection and estimate.

Solution: Using a containment system, we sealed off the affected areas so we wouldn't contaminate the rest of the home. We remediated the mold, HEPA vacuumed the surfaces and used an antimicrobial solution to wipe down the walls and floors. When our team was finished, the customer's home was a safer and healthier environment.

Location: Alexandria, VA 22308

Problem: This customer had a radon level of 7.3 and wanted a mitigation system installed. The basement was finished except for the closet under the stairs.

Solution: We installed a sub-slab depressurization system with an internally mounted radon fan. The fan was in the attic and exhausted through the roof.

Location: Arlington, VA 22206

Problem: When this church called us to do an air duct cleaning in the sanctuary, we saw at once it would be a challenge to clean the vents in the vaulted ceilings above the pews.

Solution: These photos show how we solved the technical problem. We needed to clean the distribution vents above the pews but couldn't move the pews. Working with Sunbelt, we found a solution and thoroughly cleaned the ceiling and vent covers that had been unreachable.

Moisture in a crawlspace doesn't just come from flooding or even humidity in the air. The ground beneath your home has water in the soil and with less than ideal drainage, the soil can produce enough vapor to cause mold growth, which is what happened to this home in Arlington. 

One solution is to install a vapor barrier in the crawlspace, sealing it along the edges to the walls and supports. Doing so traps the vapor beneath the plastic sheet so that it doesn't contribute to the relative humidity in the home. AdvantaClean offers this as well as other moisture control solutions, and after we remediated the mold we found we also installed a vapor barrier for the customer. 

One of the ways you can manage the moisture in your crawlspace is to install a vapor barrier, which traps any moisture rising from the soil beneath the home under a sheet of plastic rather than letting it add to the humidity in the air. A useful tool - unless an amature installation gives you a false sense of security when in truth the situation requires more!

For this Alexandria homeowner, a vapor barrier was just part of the solution for crawlspace moisture control. Another company had put one in but not sealed it, so we found water puddled on the top, indicating there was a bigger problem as well. For a more complete solution, AdvantaClean installed a drainage system with a sump pump, a dehumidifier, and encapsulated the crawlspace with 12 mil fiber reinforced polyvinyl sheeting. Needless to say, moisture is less of a concern now!

Radon gas is dangerous to your health and found in the soil beneath your home. Neighborhoods often see trends in the concentration of radon gas throughout the area. In this Arlington home, we found slightly elevated levels which were not excessively high but still higher than comfort allows. 

As an initial step towards mitigation, we proposed to install a vapor barrier in the crawlspace, sealing it along the walls to attempt to trap the radon gas beneath it, keeping the home safe. We installed it in such a way that would allow us to install the radon mitigation system later if needed, but after careful monitoring it appeared that the vapor barrier was sufficient to reduce the levels slightly which made the home above a safe area to live.

Musty odors aren't usually a good sign, particularly in a part of the house where you store things. For this customer, a musty odor led to an initial discovery of mold on the back of the carpet, the tackless strips, behind the baseboards and under the steps down into the basement - a fairly routine, quick cleaning for the experienced AdvantaClean team.

What we didn't know was that there had been a flood years ago and there was addition mold growth hidden behind the walls in a different area of the basement. After working in our contained area we ran a post-remediation mold test, which revealed that while the area we remediated was indeed clear, the rest of the basement was still highly contaminated. This homeowner was intent on doing the job right, and asked us to work on the rest of the walls. Once completed, the smell was gone and the home safe!

Excessive humidity can cause mold growth anywhere, particularly in a home that has dark rooms stuffed with furniture and boxes. In Falls Church we helped a woman who needed to move her belongings into storage while she moved into an assisted living facility, but wasn't able to because there was surface mold on most items, all throughout the home. AdvantaClean was able to properly clean the furniture, arrange for a moving company to pack it out, and store it securely in a clean state for the day when she can use it again!

When a dryer starts to lose efficiency, most people reach out to an appliance technician to find out why. Often it's as simple as needing the dryer vent cleaned out properly! Dryer vent cleanings should be done every 1-2 years in most households, even in cases where homeowners do clean their lint traps regularly. The trap helps, but it is the vent that runs from the interior wall to the exterior vent that commonly sees buildup. 

Fortunately, AdvantaClean offers both residential and commercial dryer vent cleaning services. A couple of hours at the home and our technicians returned the system to regular efficiency!

Standing water in a crawlspace can be a real problem, creating an ideal breeding ground for mold which can affect the health and structural integrity of the house above. These homeowners needed a solution to prevent water from coming into their crawlspace, to remove it if it does enter the crawlspace, and to remove the mold already there.

AdvantaClean was able to refer a landscaping company to help restructure the yard to help water flow away from the home, while we installed a proper drainage system and sump pump in the crawlspace to handle any water that still found its way in. With those preventative measures in place, our team removed the mold and returned space to a usable condition.