A fire within your home, even a small one, can send soot and smoke throughout your entire home, expanding the area of fire damage considerably. When you experience a home fire, it is essential you follow specific rules to make clean up easier, to minimize damage, and to restore your home back to its original condition. Here are some recommendations and tips to help you get to work cleaning up your home after a fire.
Take Immediate Action
Your first step after fire damage occurs is to notify your insurance company to begin the repair process. This will start the process of making a claim. Take photos of the damage before you begin any clean up and make an inventory of items and serial numbers of damaged electronics.
If your home has any exterior damage that has caused the interior of your home to be exposed to the elements, contact a restoration company to install exterior tarps and home protection barriers to prevent further damage. For example, attaching a tarp onto your burned-out roof can keep the attic space from receiving further damage from moisture and mold growth if it rains soon after the fire.
It is also important to clean up any water damage inside your home from the fire-fighting or suppression process. Water will collect on the floor and in your basement, so use a shop vacuum or carpet cleaner to extract the standing water and begin to dry out the areas. Mold and mildew can begin to grow within just a few days.
Deal With Soot and Smoke
Another area of concern when cleaning up after a fire is the soot and smoke that is left over from the fire. Smoke travels throughout your home, much further than the actual fire has burned, and it leaves behind greasy black soot that can stains upholstery and carpeting. Try to limit movement through your home before you can clean up the soot. Excessive walking through your home can cause the soot to become embedded within your furniture and rugs.
Cover your home's HVAC air registers with a double layer of cheesecloth. The cheesecloth will act as a filter to stop the soot particles from traveling further through your home. You can also cover furniture with old sheets, towels, or curtains to prevent their becoming stained further from the smoke and soot. Talk to your fire damage restoration professional about cleaning and restoring furnishings that have become soot stained.
Share13 November 2018
After I started focusing more seriously on making over my home, I realized that there were a few things I needed to do. For starters, I realized that I needed to go through and work with a professional to rework the space. We talked about things like workflow and the initial impression of the space, and it was great to hear someone else's opinion of what needed to happen. Within about six months, the entire area was completely finished, and I was really happy with how things turned out. This blog is all about choosing a remodeling theme when you are making over your home.