Most Water Damage Gets Worse After It Looks Dry

Water on the floor feels like the problem, but the real danger is what you can’t see. We sit down with Shawn Tash, co-owner of 1-800 Water Damage of Sarasota and Bradenton, to unpack what actually happens after a pipe burst, a sewage backup, or a kitchen fire and why acting fast can be the difference between a clean recovery and months of expensive repairs. If you live or work in Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Venice, or nearby areas, this is the practical guide you’ll want before the next emergency hits. 

Shawn shares how his construction background led him into water damage restoration and mold remediation, and why the job is as emotional as it is technical. We dig into the biggest misconceptions he hears every week, including the belief that water will “just dry up,” even when moisture has already soaked into drywall, cabinets, and other porous materials. He explains how moisture meters and thermal cameras help confirm hidden dampness, and why proper drying and dehumidification prevent secondary damage that can quietly spread behind walls. 

We also tackle Florida’s biggest fear topic: black mold. Shawn breaks down why color alone doesn’t identify mold, when testing matters, and why bleach can be a trap that removes staining while leaving the underlying growth and moisture conditions intact. Along the way, he describes what a true 24/7 emergency restoration service looks like, how quickly his team can respond, and what ethical, honest help should feel like when you’re stressed and trying to protect your home or business. 

If this helped you, subscribe for more local expert conversations, share this with a neighbor who owns a home or manages property, and leave a review so more people can find trustworthy guidance when they need it most.

Transcript

Welcome To Good Neighbor Podcast

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Virginia McConnell.

SPEAKER_02 0:13

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast Live. Are you in need of a restoration company? One might be closer

Meet The Local Restoration Team

SPEAKER_02 0:20

than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Sean Tash, with 1-800 Water Damage of Sarasota and Bradenton. How's it going?

SPEAKER_01 0:29

Good, good, Virginia. I appreciate you taking the time to uh invite us to this podcast and looking forward to uh sharing our uh services with the community.

SPEAKER_02 0:40

Yeah, awesome. We're excited to learn more about you and your company. Can you tell us can you tell us more?

SPEAKER_01 0:46

Um well my name is Sean Tash. I'm the um co-owner and operator of 1-800 water damage of Sarasota and Brighton. Um as you mentioned, we are a local uh restoration company servicing Sarasota, Braid and Tent, Lakewood Ranch, Venice, pretty much all the surrounding areas were through Sarasota, Mancy, parts of Hillsborough, um Pedallas County. So uh wherever the need is, we will go. Um then uh anything else you'd like to know? Sorry, this is not my forte.

SPEAKER_02 1:19

Oh yeah, no, no, you're doing great.

How Sean Got Into Restoration

SPEAKER_02 1:21

It's great. Um, how did you get into this business?

SPEAKER_01 1:24

Um, I was in construction for about 20 years of my life, um, doing anything from residential to commercial construction. And about 13 years ago, a co-worker of mine, they were in the industry, and I thought I'd switch things up, and I jumped into the water technician side of things and saw that there was a big need, especially here in Florida, for you know, water restoration, mold restoration. And I fell in love with it mainly because you're really there to serve the community, and you're there in their worst time, you know, their house gets flooded or there's fire. I mean, they're going through a very emotional stuff state of their uh life right there. And it's it's great to be the shoulder they can lean on and put their house or their business back together better than it was prior to the disaster.

SPEAKER_02 2:12

Yeah, absolutely. And you know, these are things people just don't expect. And you know, not just natural disasters, but things that you just don't even see coming.

SPEAKER_01 2:23

So yeah, I mean, everyday things from a pipe burst in your house to a sewage backup um to a kitchen fire, you're not expecting it. And you know, 80% of people will go through once in a lifetime.

SPEAKER_02 2:37

Right, right.

Water Damage That Looks Dry

SPEAKER_02 2:38

And so what are some myths or misconceptions in your industry?

SPEAKER_01 2:42

Um, yeah, see that here. Uh here. Okay. Um the biggest one is um water, it'll just dry up on its own. Uh homeowners get a water uh loss of some sort, and they get the mop and the tow's out and they wipe it up and they think everything's great. Uh what they don't realize is the water is in the porous material, it's in the walls, it's uh cabinets, and if it's not treated uh immediately and professionally, that will then eventually turn into mold. So just because it looks dry, it doesn't hurt to call us or another restoration company out there. Uh let us put the moisture meters on it, let us check it out with thermal cameras. Um, I don't charge for those services. And if it's all dry, congratulations, I'll hire you as a future water tech. Uh, but if it's wet, let us address it, let us bring in our equipment and dry it properly. That way there's no secondary damage.

SPEAKER_02 3:44

Yeah, I'm sure that is a huge deal in Florida.

SPEAKER_01 3:48

The the mold and yeah,

Black Mold Panic And Bleach

SPEAKER_01 3:51

we always say Florida is the mold capital of the world. Yeah. All the elements, and that's the other really big myth here on a daily basis is um the black mold scare. Um, people see black mold in their house and they think 1990s, oh, that's what's gonna kill me. We gotta burn the house to the ground. Um it's so far from the actual truth. There is millions of species of mold, it is a living organism. Just because it's black does not mean it's the quote unquote black mold. Um, I've seen it in every color of the rainbow. Unless it goes to a lab and gets tested, don't jump to the conclusion um that is it's like the stachybotchers or the clotusporiums of the mold family. Um, and don't use bleach. Everyone, I and a grandma used to say just bleach the mold. Well, the ironic thing is mold thrives off of water. Bleach is primarily made of water, and then there's a bleach component. You're feeding the mold with the water, so it's a it's a double-edged sword. Yeah, you bleached the color, but you fed it with water. So now it now it just had dinner time, and it the the the color's gone, but the mold's still there. Uh let's see, the the water damage that and um yeah, that's those are the two the two biggest myths. I can do it on my own or the black mold, you know, having the fair got it to you that they need a river house apart. Have it tested, get a couple opinions. Don't watch HG TV for how to do mold remediation. It is a license to trade in the state of Florida. Uh someone has a license to do it, take care of it, have what's done separately, and there's no cross-contamination in the house or the business.

SPEAKER_02 5:46

Okay.

Who They Help And Response Time

SPEAKER_02 5:47

All right. And so who are your target customers and how do you attract them?

SPEAKER_01 5:50

Uh, target customers would be really anyone in our communities, whether you're a homeowner or a business owner. Um, if you have uh had even the smallest amount of water intrusion in your business, um, or a small fire, large fire, or if you do see odd things growing on the walls, um, give us a call. We come out 24-7, 365, and we truly mean that. Um, I've been out at two in the morning, I've been out at five in the morning, I've left Christmas uh holidays to go out and service the community. So anyone that has a concern, um, whether it's water, damage, fire, smoke, mold, sewage backup, um, give us a call. You know, we'll we'll talk things over the phone. If it's an emergency, you know, we'll come out right then. We usually can be on site within about an hour. Um, if it's a non-emergency, uh, we'll schedule a you probably next day appointment. But pretty much everyone is potentially a customer. Um, and again, you know, we do free estimates and we do run 24-7. Our trucks are fully loaded to go at all times.

SPEAKER_02 6:58

Okay, awesome.

Family Life And Community Service

SPEAKER_02 7:00

And have you ever thought about doing your own podcast?

SPEAKER_01 7:04

Um, no, well, no, I'm not gonna say no. Yes, I have, but um date fright's probably my my my nemesis. So even as I was preparing for this, I was like, you know, using grok to do questions and answers, and how do I sound the way I want to sound? And make it like it's my very first podcast ever.

SPEAKER_02 7:26

Oh, well, you're doing great. Yeah, and then outside of work, what do you do for fun?

SPEAKER_01 7:34

Um, well, I'm married and I have a six-year-old boy named Easton. Um, he's truly the uh love of my life. Um, I I try to have as much fun with him as I can, go fishing, uh, play out back in the yard, um, take him to the beach or the pool. Taking him to the pool is the greatest thing because two hours at the pool knocks him out, he takes a nice long nap.

SPEAKER_02 7:58

Right.

SPEAKER_01 8:00

Um pretty active in our local church. I'm on their serve team. Uh so I'll give a shout-out to Waters Church here in Apollo Beach. That's where I uh my family go to. It's a great church, and um um a lot of good friends and family members, you know. I guess I'd call them that go there. And so yeah, I help out there and volunteer some time and um very active into that. So between the family and the church, that keeps me pretty busy.

SPEAKER_02 8:26

Okay, all right.

What To Remember About The Company

SPEAKER_02 8:28

Well, um, Sean, please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about 1-800 water damage of Sarasota and Bradenton.

SPEAKER_01 8:36

Um, we really pride ourselves on being ethical, honest, and fair. And I'm sure they've heard that from every business owner out there. Um, but you know, if you look us up on Google Business uh profile or Google Maps, uh we've been in business for just about three years. Uh and we're proud to say we have about 105 five-star uh ratings on Google. And for me, it's not just the number. To me, it's that's 105 families that we positively impacted and helped through a disaster. And so we you know, we take a lot of pride in serving our community and doing it with the utmost respect of the homeowner or the business owner, um, and just trying to get him back to uh a pre-event condition. So, you know, call us like again. Uh my phone is truly glued to my hip 24-7. Um, if you call you'll most likely get me first, and then if uh um I'll dispatch the team or myself, I'm usually on probably 95% of the jobs. So if if you want quick service in an honest reputable company, I'd say that's what's really important for the community.

SPEAKER_02 9:51

Okay, and you can you tell our listeners one more time how um how they can learn more about 1-800 water damage of Sarasota and Bradenton?

How To Reach Them And Closing

SPEAKER_01 10:00

Yeah, so um a couple ways you could go about it. If you were to go on Google or any search engine, um you could type in 1-800 water damage of Sarasota and Bradenton. It is a um territorial franchise, so there's about a hundred of them around the country, but that's our specific location. So they can look us up on a search engine, they can look us up on uh Google Business um or Google Maps, I'm sorry, um, and take us to our home page and talks about our team, our services, um, or if they um maybe their property manager um or someone that has you know uh rental properties, they can always call me directly and you know I'd sit down with their team at lunch and go over our services and just kind of get to know them on a personal level and build that relationship. So Google or call me direct. And if you if one I can throw my phone number out there and they can call my phone directly, and uh I don't mind if they call it anytime or day or night. Just uh if you're a spam caller, wait till the next day.

SPEAKER_02 11:05

Wait, wait till after 6 p.m.

SPEAKER_01 11:07

Yeah, but my direct line that reached me at would be 941-402-5747.

SPEAKER_02 11:16

Okay, all right. Well, Sean, I really appreciate you being on the show. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.

SPEAKER_01 11:23

Well, thank you very much for Jenna for having us on the show and looking forward to uh the future.

SPEAKER_00 11:31

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gmpsarasota.com. That's gmpsarasota.com or call 941 141 1865.