The fire damage done to a home can be quite extensive and hard to deal with for a landlord or a homeowner, but it does not have to be an extremely difficult task if you are careful and do a little research before you begin the remediation of the property. Small fires are the easiest to deal with, obviously, but the damage of some even larger fires can be dealt with by you as long as they do not do much structural damage to the home. Structural damage will need to be dealt with by a professional who is trained in these things, but the majority of the cosmetic damage that gets done to your home can be fixed by you.
When the fire marshal tells you that it is okay to go back into your home, there are a few things that you should know. If you evacuated pets from the home at the time of the fire, then you do not want to let them back into this environment yet. This is especially true for birds, since avian species are sensitive to environmental changes. If you have a bird that was exposed to the smoke, take it to a vet as soon as possible.
The electricity to the home should be off before you go back inside, since the fire truck responding to your house might have left quite a bit of standing water inside. It just depends on the size of the fire. Get rid of the standing water as quickly as you can to help prevent water damage to the floors and mold growth.
The windows and doors of the house should be opened so air can get in and out of the house easily. This will help rid your home of the smoky smell. Electrical appliances in the house that were exposed to the smoke and/or the heat will need to be checked before using them. You will be tempted to use a stand-up vacuum cleaner to vacuum the soot off of your floors, but the brushes on it will only drive the soot further into the carpet. You will want to use an attachment without brushes for this, if you have one big enough.
Wash the leaves of any plants in simple water to remove soot.
Porous surfaces like your walls and ceilings will have smoke damage, but these will have to be painted over. These stains cannot usually be cleaned.
Any containers of food that were open at the time of the fire should be discarded.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Fire Damage Restoration Tips
Fire Damage Restoration Advice
One of the most devastating things can happen to a home owner is to have a house fire. And once the embers are finally smoldered out, the first thing one usually wants to do is to go into the charred remains to see just what are you home can be salvaged and cleaned. However, you should hold off on doing this until you have sought council from your insurance claims adjuster. This way, you can make sure that you do not waste your time, and money, and cause more damage as opposed to repairs. Your insurance adjuster can give guidance on how best to restore and/or replace your destroyed or damaged belongings.
One helpful thing that an insurance claims adjuster can do is refer you to a fire restoration company. Companies such as these can give very helpful tips to prevent further damage from being done to your home and property. Fire restoration companies can even tell you how to restore damaged properties. They will also give you an estimate of the likely price of thoroughly cleaning and deodorizing your home. Even though these services are, more often than not, expensive, it will most likely be a lot less than having to replace your damaged floors and furniture.
Now, if you find that you are incapable of affording the services a fire restoration company can offer, there are certain measures that you can take on your own. However, be sure that your fire marshal approves your plan and deems it safe enough for you to do before you go back into your home.
It is important that the very first thing you do to repair your home is to get as much air circulating through it as possible. The easiest way of doing this is to simply open some doors and open some windows and bring in a fan. If there has been any water damage, perhaps as a result of the fire trucks, you will probably want to invest in a de-humidifier. Any wet items should be dried as soon as possible. You might also want to consider buying a heavy duty vacuum cleaner. If you cannot afford cleaning services, do not use an upright vacuum or attachments because this would only set soot damage further in the carpet. After the vacuuming is done, you should cover the carpet with a tarp, so you do not cause further soiling while cleaning.
One of the most devastating things can happen to a home owner is to have a house fire. And once the embers are finally smoldered out, the first thing one usually wants to do is to go into the charred remains to see just what are you home can be salvaged and cleaned. However, you should hold off on doing this until you have sought council from your insurance claims adjuster. This way, you can make sure that you do not waste your time, and money, and cause more damage as opposed to repairs. Your insurance adjuster can give guidance on how best to restore and/or replace your destroyed or damaged belongings.
One helpful thing that an insurance claims adjuster can do is refer you to a fire restoration company. Companies such as these can give very helpful tips to prevent further damage from being done to your home and property. Fire restoration companies can even tell you how to restore damaged properties. They will also give you an estimate of the likely price of thoroughly cleaning and deodorizing your home. Even though these services are, more often than not, expensive, it will most likely be a lot less than having to replace your damaged floors and furniture.
Now, if you find that you are incapable of affording the services a fire restoration company can offer, there are certain measures that you can take on your own. However, be sure that your fire marshal approves your plan and deems it safe enough for you to do before you go back into your home.
It is important that the very first thing you do to repair your home is to get as much air circulating through it as possible. The easiest way of doing this is to simply open some doors and open some windows and bring in a fan. If there has been any water damage, perhaps as a result of the fire trucks, you will probably want to invest in a de-humidifier. Any wet items should be dried as soon as possible. You might also want to consider buying a heavy duty vacuum cleaner. If you cannot afford cleaning services, do not use an upright vacuum or attachments because this would only set soot damage further in the carpet. After the vacuuming is done, you should cover the carpet with a tarp, so you do not cause further soiling while cleaning.
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