Salvaging Your Belongings After A Fire And Smoke Damage

If you have ever dealt with a home fire, then you might form the opinion that the fire was the easy part of it because you are faced with the problem of smoke damage, and cleaning it out is not always an easy task. After the fire, your insurance company needs to be notified, and the agent can offer advice on the proper steps that need to be taken to restore or replace your damaged items. If you are a renter, then you must notify your landlord or the owner so the both of you can evaluate the situation and go from there.

Your insurance agent will likely recommend that you contact a fire damage company that can help restore your belongings. Only they can accurately assess which items can be salvaged and which must be thrown out. In addition, they will be able to completely remove the lingering smoke odors that would have most likely traveled to other parts of your home. Even if the fire was contained to one specific area of your house, such as the kitchen, do not be surprised to find your upstairs bedroom reeks of smoke or is stained with residue.

First thing's first. Once you get the okay to go into your home, open up the windows to allow proper ventilation, which will help rid some of the smoke lingering in the air. Turn on the fans and the air conditioner to increase the airflow from room to room. You will most likely notice a significant difference in the air quality after a few minutes of opening up the windows and using fans.

If the sprinklers were set off during the fire, then any wet items must be removed immediately. Wet items that are left in their spots might create an even bigger problem in the long run, mold. Also, these wet items need to be dried as soon as possible, so leaving them outside where the sun and wind can dry them is optimal.

Removing soot from items made of fabric is easier said than done. Because soot is oily, wiping it down might actually cause it to smear and make the damage and staining worse. You can use a vacuum to pick up the small particles, but you might need a stronger, heavy duty, commercial vacuum to get every last morsel.

To rid the smoke odor from items such as curtains, clothing, and other upholstered material, you can toss them into the washer. Never use deodorizers or sprays of any kind, such as an air freshener, because that might make the odor worse, and it will do little to nothing to rid the air of the smoke odor. If the help of a fire damage company is called upon, they will use a form of cleaner that breaks up the molecules to eliminate the odor.