Does Your Home Have Damaged Caused By Fire

2/26/2020 (Permalink)

Was your home recently damaged by a kitchen or other source of fire/smoke? Are you searching the web for DIY tips on how to clean up the damage yourself? Here are four reasons why you may want to hire a professional restoration company.

Hidden Health Hazards

Unfortunately, the dangers of a fire don’t end once it’s extinguished.  Smoke and soot damaged structure and contents has lingering residue which could be hazardous to your health.  Soot is the residue from the incomplete combustion of objects. Organic materials, plastic, foam, textiles and other household materials don’t burn cleanly. The soot produced can be the result of the chemical reaction caused the extreme heat of the fire or from materials that didn’t burn completely.

If the materials disturbed contains toxic chemicals, the soot particles floating in the air may contain cancer-causing asbestos fibers, ammonia, tar, formaldehyde, etc. Walking through your fire-ravaged home could allow chemically-laden soot to get into your eyes, lungs and skin.

Exposure to soot in a fire-damaged home is obviously at its highest during the cleanup process. This is why professionals take the precautions of testing, wearing personal protective equipment as needed.  If the cleaning is not done completely, the health effects of smoke could linger for years. Leave fire restoration to professionals who can employ deep-cleaning techniques to truly restore your home to its pre-fire condition.

Specialized Equipment, Products and Know-How

Cleaning solutions and a dust mask are not nearly enough to adequately clean up fire and smoke damage.  Common household products and cleaning techniques are not always sufficient to clean up the soot and odor. A thorough cleaning of the structure and contents in the home eliminates the residual odors and removes the lingering health threats of fire residue.  Professional tools and the knowledge of proper cleaning techniques – are at the heart of a thorough, safe fire restoration.

Also, be aware that laundering smoke-damaged clothing in your washer could deepen the damage and leave undesired odors in the washing machine. Fabric/Garment Restoration professional have the techniques to clean and salvage contents damaged in a fire.

Salvageable Furniture and Other Household Goods

Experienced restoration professionals can assess what can be restored and what is damaged beyond repair/restore. With advanced recovery techniques, a fire restoration contractor can help minimize your losses and restore or treasures.  But, if an item is beyond repair and are truly unrecoverable a restoration professional will inventory the items and then and dispose of them properly.

Restoration Professionals Expedite the Process

Restoring your home back to its pre-fire damage condition is not a straightforward task. There are belongings to salvage, cleanup to do, and the home’s structure to repair. Then, there is working with the insurance company and their claim’s process. The entire process is a headache to attempt yourself.

In fact, your efforts to save money with DIY fire restoration could easily backfire if you throw out salvageable belongings and don’t complete insurance claims correctly. The time it takes to perform the cleanup without help could also be detrimental. More damage can occur if soot is not cleaned up promptly. Relying on a fire restoration contractor who’s familiar with every aspect of the disaster recovery process is a much better option.

Schedule Professional Fire Restoration Services

SERVPRO of Tustin’s team is ready to respond and provide affordable, convenient fire and smoke damage restoration services. We make the recovery process as quick and painless as possible. Contact us today to learn more about our fire restoration services.