Disaster Recovery & Restoration,
Services in Hinsdale, IL

Water, fire and mold restoration in Hinsdale, IL

ServiceMaster Restoration Services provides 24/7 water damage restoration, fire and smoke cleanup, mold remediation, biohazard cleanup and cleaning for Hinsdale homes and businesses from our Lisle headquarters. The most useful local fact: 15.8% of Hinsdale's housing was built in 1939 or earlier, so many repairs start with older building materials.

How old are Hinsdale's homes?

Hinsdale has 6,215 housing units, and the Census Bureau's American Community Survey puts the median year built at 1981. That median hides a village of two halves. Almost half the stock (49.2%) went up before 1980, and close to one home in six dates to 1939 or earlier, while 27.7% was built between 2000 and 2019.

For a restoration crew, that split means two very different jobs can sit on the same block. A 1920s house may have plaster walls, original hardwood and cast-iron drain lines. A 2010s rebuild next door usually has drywall, engineered flooring and a sump pit under a finished basement. Drying, demolition and cleaning plans have to match the materials actually in the walls.

Older houses need testing before tear-out

EPA notes that homes built before 1978 are more likely to contain lead-based paint. Its Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule requires anyone paid to disturb painted surfaces in those homes to be certified and to follow lead-safe work practices. Cutting out wet plaster or sanding smoke-stained window trim is exactly that kind of work.

Asbestos is a separate question. EPA lists vinyl floor tiles, textured patching compounds, vermiculite attic insulation and old pipe coverings among the places asbestos may be found, and fibers are released mainly when those materials are disturbed or damaged. None of this means a given Hinsdale house contains either hazard. It means suspect materials should be sampled before a wet floor or ceiling comes out, not after.

Where does flood water come from in Hinsdale?

Salt Creek is the big one. DuPage County's watershed plans describe the Graue Mill Subdivision as sitting along the main stem of Salt Creek inside the Village of Hinsdale, where storms in July 2010 and April 2013 caused widespread home, street and yard flooding. The county's fix combined flood walls and gates, larger drains, regrading, check valves and added pumping. The same county page lists Hinsdale among the communities in the Flagg Creek watershed to the south.

Flooding does not need a creek, either. The village kept a public update page after the June 26, 2021 flood, when more than 50 residents submitted damage claims through the Illinois Tollway and its contractor. Hinsdale's yard flooding guidance also points to high groundwater in some areas, deeper basements that reach it, and a rule that sump and downspout water must cross at least 20 feet of lawn before reaching a street or a neighbor's yard.

Weather adds the rest. The National Weather Service office in Chicago reminds northern Illinois residents to protect people, pets, pipes and plants before a cold snap. Pipes that run along poorly insulated exterior walls are among the likeliest to freeze and split. Summer thunderstorms bring the opposite problem: more water than gutters, yard drains and sump pumps can move.

Plaster walls dry on their own schedule

Plaster and lath respond to water differently from modern drywall, so moisture readings are taken behind the surface and progress is tracked day by day. EPA advises drying water-damaged materials within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth, which is why the first visit focuses on extraction and airflow.

What should you do in the first hour after water or fire damage?

1. Get everyone out if there is fire, smoke or gas odor. Call 911 and stay out until the fire department says the home is safe to enter, as Ready.gov advises.
2. Stop the water at the main valve. It is usually close to where the water service comes in through the foundation.
3. Keep away from wet electrical equipment. Turn off power at the panel only if you can reach it without standing in water.
4. Leave old paint and plaster alone. Do not scrape, sand or break out damaged walls in a pre-1978 home until testing is done.
5. Photograph every room before moving anything. Then call your insurer to open the claim.
6. Move rugs, books and photographs to a dry floor. Wood furniture on carpet can stain it, so set it on blocks or foil.

Newer basements fail at the sump

Hinsdale's post-2000 homes often have finished lower levels that depend on a sump pump during heavy rain. When the pump stops or a discharge line freezes, water spreads under carpet pad and into the bottom of drywall, which is why basement water damage is usually opened up and dried in place.

Restoration and cleaning services in Hinsdale

Water damage

For burst pipes, appliance leaks and storm water, our water damage restoration team in Hinsdale handles extraction, structural drying and moisture monitoring. The broader water damage restoration page explains each phase, and our guide to the first hour after a burst pipe is worth bookmarking.

Fire and smoke damage

Soot behaves differently on plaster, stained woodwork and modern finishes. See fire damage restoration for Hinsdale homes for board-up, soot removal and odor control.

Mold

Musty basements and stained attic sheathing are common in older houses. Our mold remediation service in Hinsdale uses containment and HEPA filtration, as described on the main mold remediation page.

Biohazard and specialty cleaning

For trauma scenes or unattended deaths, biohazard cleanup in Hinsdale is handled discreetly. For deep cleans after a project or a move, see cleaning services in Hinsdale.

We work with your insurance company and help document the loss; our insurance claim assistance page explains how.

Serving Hinsdale and the surrounding area

Hinsdale sits in both DuPage and Cook counties, and we also serve nearby Clarendon Hills, Oak Brook, Burr Ridge and Westmont. Our headquarters is at 924 Ogden Ave in Lisle, and we have served DuPage and Will County for more than 20 years.

Questions about a leak, a fire or a musty smell? Send us a message or call (630) 241-1111 any time, day or night.