Frequently asked questions
Questions about restoration, mold, insurance or cleaning. Still unsure? Call (605) 721-4116.
Who do I call for water damage in Rapid City after hours?
Call Fresh Start Cleaning & Restoration in Rapid City — we offer after-hours emergency service for water damage, so a burst pipe at 2 a.m. or a flooded basement on a Sunday gets answered. We're based at 7045 US-16 and run emergency water extraction and structural drying across the Black Hills, from Box Elder and Black Hawk to Sturgis, Spearfish and Custer. One local IICRC-certified crew handles the extraction, drying and cleanup, not a rotating subcontractor list.
How much does carpet cleaning cost in Rapid City?
Carpet cleaning price depends on how many rooms or square feet you want cleaned, how soiled the carpet is, and whether you need extras like pet urine treatment, stairs, upholstery or tile and grout cleaning. Fresh Start Cleaning & Restoration quotes your Rapid City home or office before we start, so you know the number ahead of time. Tell us the rooms, the flooring and any problem spots and we'll give you a straight figure.
What should I do in the first hour after a pipe bursts?
Shut off the water at the main valve, kill power to the affected area at the breaker if water is near outlets or the panel, move furniture and boxes off wet carpet, and call Fresh Start Cleaning & Restoration in Rapid City for emergency water extraction. Take photos before anything is moved — they help your claim. Don't run a household shop vac on standing water or wait to see if it dries on its own; water wicks into drywall and framing fast.
How long does it take to dry out a flooded basement?
Most basement flood cleanup jobs in the Black Hills take roughly three to five days of structural drying, though heavily saturated carpet, pad, drywall and framing can take longer. Fresh Start Cleaning & Restoration extracts the standing water first, then sets air movers and dehumidifiers and returns to take moisture meter and hygrometer readings. Equipment comes out when the readings say the structure is dry, not when the floor merely feels dry to the touch.
Does homeowners insurance cover water damage in South Dakota, and do you bill insurance directly?
Most South Dakota homeowners policies cover sudden, accidental water damage like a burst supply line or a failed water heater, while long-term seepage and neglected leaks are usually excluded — your adjuster makes the final call. Fresh Start Cleaning & Restoration documents the damage with photos, moisture readings and thermal imaging, and bills your insurance company directly for the restoration work, so you're generally dealing with your deductible rather than fronting the whole job.
What towns in the Black Hills do you serve?
Fresh Start Cleaning & Restoration works out of 7045 US-16 in Rapid City and serves Box Elder, Black Hawk, Summerset, Piedmont, Sturgis, Spearfish, Deadwood, Hill City, Keystone, Custer and Hermosa, including homes near Ellsworth AFB. That covers both water damage restoration and carpet cleaning — emergency water extraction and mold remediation, plus truck-mounted carpet, upholstery and tile and grout cleaning for houses, cabins, vacation rentals and commercial buildings across Pennington and Lawrence County.
How do I know if I have mold behind a wall?
Common signs of hidden mold in Black Hills homes are a musty smell that won't air out, staining or bubbling paint on drywall, warped baseboards, and allergy symptoms that ease when you leave the house. Any wall that got wet from a leak or flood and was never properly dried is a candidate. Fresh Start Cleaning & Restoration uses moisture meters and thermal imaging to find wet cavities, then handles mold remediation to industry protocols rather than painting over it.
Do you clean area rugs and oriental rugs, or only wall-to-wall carpet?
We clean both. Fresh Start Cleaning & Restoration handles area rug and oriental rug cleaning as well as wall-to-wall carpet, upholstery, tile and grout across Rapid City and the Black Hills, plus carpet repair and re-stretching when seams open up or the carpet ripples. Wool and other natural-fiber rugs get gentler treatment than synthetic wall-to-wall carpet, which matters in our dry climate where fibers and backings can turn brittle.
Can you get cat and dog urine odor out of carpet?
Yes — pet urine removal is routine work for Fresh Start Cleaning & Restoration in Rapid City. Urine soaks past the face fibers into the pad and subfloor, so surface cleaning alone leaves the smell behind. We locate the affected areas, treat the carpet and pad, and deodorize rather than mask the odor. Badly saturated spots sometimes need the pad replaced, and we'll tell you honestly if that's the case before you spend money on cleaning alone.
Can you clean the carpet and upholstery in my RV before the Sturgis rally?
Yes — Fresh Start Cleaning & Restoration cleans RV interiors, and aircraft interiors too, for customers around Rapid City and the Black Hills. That covers carpet, upholstery and deodorizing, which is worth doing before the Sturgis rally or the start of travel season when a rig has been sitting closed up all winter. Book ahead for rally week, since that's the busiest stretch of the year for RV interior cleaning in the Hills.
Water damage?
After-hours EMERGENCY service is available. If we can’t answer, leave a message and we’ll call back.