Disinfection in Kengarags

The jobs that come up here

In Kengarags we carry out mould removal, odour removal, ozone treatment and treatment after events: flooding from the flat above, a sewage failure in the cellar, long vacancy or a change of tenants. The properties are flats, communal areas, and retail and service units on the ground floors of buildings.

We have no premises and no staff on the ground here — we travel out on request. In Riga travel is included in the price; we do not promise an arrival time to the minute, we agree a day and a time.

In Kengarags the most useful information in an enquiry is the exact address and the floor. Both fit in one sentence, and both change the planning.

What the shape of the district changes

Kengarags is stretched out along the Daugava and Maskavas street. That is not a scenic detail but a logistical fact: two addresses in the same district can be several kilometres apart, and the drive from one end to the other along a single arterial road is not quick. So we plan by address rather than by district name.

Give the building and block number, not just the street.
Say from which side the courtyard can be entered and whether there is a barrier.
If the property is nearer the riverside promenade or nearer the railway, mention it — the route differs.
If there are two properties on the same day, we combine them into one call-out.

If the work is in a communal area it has to be agreed with the building manager in advance: for property managers, stairwell.

Ground floors, cellars and the river

Being near the river does not in itself mean the building will have a damp problem. It means that a few things are worth checking in your particular building rather than assumed for the whole district.

1The cellar after springWhether damp lingers in the cellar after snowmelt or heavy rain, and whether there is a musty smell down there. If there is, it travels upwards through the service routes.

2The ground-floor floorBelow it is an unheated space. The floor stays cool, and moisture condenses on it or at skirting level rather than on the external wall.

3Cellar ventilationAiring a cellar makes sense when the outside air is cooler and drier than the cellar air. In the middle of a summer day it is usually the other way round, and airing creates condensation.

Where there has already been a leak in the cellar, treatment only makes sense once the water has been drained away and the structure has dried. There is nothing to treat on a wet wall — we say so before the work. See mould in the cellar and treatment after flooding.

Estates and pre-war fragments

Most of Kengarags is Soviet-era estates, but among them there are also fragments of older building stock. These two groups behave in opposite ways, and treatment in them is not the same.

Series-built multi-storey block

A shared ventilation stack and the smells between flats that come with it.
Cold panel joints and corners where moisture condenses.
Sealed windows with no air supply stop the draught.
Treatment is usually confined to one flat.

Older masonry or timber building

Thick walls that take up moisture slowly and give it back just as slowly.
Rising damp from the ground in the lower part, not up at the ceiling.
Bricked-up chimney flues that once provided the draught.
We treat historic fabric more gently and more slowly.

So at the inspection we always establish the type and rough age of the building first. In an older building a patch in the lower part of a wall means something entirely different from the same patch on a panel up by the ceiling. More: mould removal, inspection from €40.

We travel the same way to the neighbouring districts, and the route along Maskavas street is worth using if there are several properties.

Work after flooding or a failure

Flooding from the flat above and a sewage failure in the cellar are the two commonest events people call us about. In both cases the sequence is the same, and it is the sequence that determines the result.

First the source of the water is stopped — that is the plumber or the building manager.
The water is drained, belongings are removed, the space is cleared.
The structure is dried; there is nothing to treat on a wet wall.
Only then do we treat, and say how long the space must stay empty.

If weeks pass between the flooding and the treatment and the material dries out with growth inside it, the scope is usually larger: finishes have to be opened up and the area to be treated grows. The price after flooding or a sewage failure is from €90, mould treatment from €1.50/m² with a minimum from €80. See also treatment after tenants.

What to do before we arrive

Most of the time on site goes not on the treatment but on clearing access. If you do that in advance, the visit is shorter and cheaper for you too.

Clear the wall with the patch and empty the cupboards standing against it.
In a ground-floor flat also clear the skirting zone and the spaces under furniture.
If the work is in a cellar, move belongings out beforehand or push them into one place.
Take plants and pets out; put away any uncovered food.
Photograph the patch or the wet area while it is visible.

The space has to be empty during treatment. How long it cannot be used and when to air it we tell you on site — for a cellar and a flat that time is different, because a cellar airs far more slowly.

When it is the building's problem, not the flat's

In a linear estate a great deal of the moisture travels through the communal parts rather than through the flat. Treatment inside the flat is then removal of the effect, and the cause remains. We say that before the work, not after.

The roof covering, the risers, the cellar pipework and the ventilation stacks are the building's responsibility, not the flat's. If the inspection shows the cause is there, we record it in a description you can take to the building manager. See for property managers.

Prices

Flats: 1-room from €55, 2-room from €65, 3-room from €75, 4-room from €85. Private houses from €95. Commercial premises: up to 100 m² €1.20/m², 100–300 m² €0.90/m², 300–1000 m² €0.70/m². Mould: inspection from €40, treatment from €1.50/m², minimum from €80. Ozone treatment €1.20/m², minimum €60.

In Riga travel is included in the price. All prices →

Frequently asked questions

Does being near the Daugava mean the building is bound to be damp?

No. It only means the cellar and the ground-floor floor zone are worth checking separately, especially after snowmelt. In many buildings the river makes no difference indoors at all — it is a question for the individual property, not for the whole district.

Why do you need the house number if the district is already named?

Because Kengarags is long and linear. Two addresses in the same district can be several kilometres apart along one busy arterial road. In Riga travel is included in the price, but an exact address is needed for planning.

There was a sewage failure in the cellar. When can you work?

After the failure has been dealt with and the water drained. Treatment after a sewage failure is from €90. If the structure is still wet it has to be dried first — otherwise the result is short-lived, and we say so straight away.