How to clean your Home after a fire?

9/7/2017 (Permalink)

Cleaning Your Home After a Fire

When the firefighters leave, you might want to start cleaning your home immediately.  Unfortunately, you will notice that an extraordinary amount of ash and smoke are left behind that can begin to cause corrosion, discoloration, unpleasant odors, among other damages.

In addition to fire, smoke, and soot damage, your home may also suffer from water damage as a result of the firefighting efforts. This type of damage can be especially upsetting and destructive for your family to process. You may feel stressed and vulnerable, so you’ll need a caring expert to guide you through this crisis.

If a professional isn’t hired to immediately clean up the smoke and fire damage, the costs for restoration will hit the roof after a few weeks. Metals may need to be replaced, carpet will permanently discolor, and glass may be severely engraved, needing replacement. Keep in mind that due to the acidic nature of the ash, the longer it takes to hire experts, the more destruction it will cause.

What to do after a fire?

• Limit movement in the home to prevent soot particles from being embedded into upholstery and carpets.
• Keep hands clean so as not to further soil upholstery, walls and woodwork.
• Place clean towels or old linens on rugs, upholstery and carpet traffic areas.
• If electricity is off, empty freezer and refrigerator and prop doors open.
• Clean and protect chrome with light coating of petroleum jelly or oil.
• Wash houseplants on both sides of leaves.
• Change HVAC filter.
• Tape double layers of cheesecloth over air registers.

“Do it yourself” techniques very rarely work to resolve issues of ash and smoke residue left behind after a fire. Inexperienced attempts at trying to complete such tasks could lead to further contamination and damage of your home and personal possessions. The best option is to reach out to a reliable fire restoration service with the licenses and certifications to complete such services in your area.

SERVPRO of Martin County is a company with more than 40 years of leadership in Fire and Smoke Clean up and restoration. Our track record of results has earned us the trust of the insurance industry, countless homeowners, and in one unforgettable instance, even the Pentagon. Our goal is to help minimize the interruption to your life with our Fire and Smoke Clean Up and quickly make it "Like it never even happened."

Have Smoke or Fire Damage? Call SERVPRO of Martin County (772) 334-8762