Follow These Guidelines for Fire Damage Restoration

Posted by Jack Harry on October 11th, 2019

If you have recently faced a disastrous situation of fire damage, then you should prepare yourself for the cleanup after the fire department and insurance company leaves your house. The whole mess will seem overwhelming in the beginning and it will be hard to decide what to do and where to start from. However, you can follow these tips which will guide you to learn what to do after the house fire. 

Secure the Property

If you decide to leave your house due to any reason, make sure that your house is secured as much as possible. The burglars and looters will try their luck after seeing a damaged house without homeowners. Moreover, also inform the local police that your house is unoccupied so that they protect your house. You can also use a temporary fence around your house to block unwanted entrances. 

Contact the Professionals

There are local disaster relief centers available in every area. You can contact them for help if you cannot stay at your home due to severe damage. Moreover, you can also hire fire damage restoration in Arlington VA. The professionals can start the recovery process and help you out. You can also take the help of family members and friends. 

Safety of Pets

You can arrange a temporary stay at one of your friends or family members’ place. however, you should also take care of your pets as they can get frightened after such a huge disaster. The pets can start to scratch or bite due to their hyperactive instincts after fire damage. Therefore, it is better to handle them with care and do not let them go near the damaged contents of the house. You can also arrange temporary shelter for them until your house is fully restored. 

How Professionals Restore Your House

The professional restoration company can help you in the mitigation process after the damage. These companies must be involved immediately after fire damage. Because the recovery and restoration process should be started at earliest. Otherwise, your property and belongings will be affected by smoke damage following the fire damage. 

For example, the plastic-based surfaces and marble will be permanently stained by fire within minutes. Whereas, the fabric of furniture and upholstery, metal-based items and fiberglass start to turn yellow within hours of fire. Moreover, the wood and floor will be compromised within days. Therefore, it is better to call the professionals and let them start the restoration process on an immediate basis. These companies are aware of the restoration importance; therefore, they respond immediately. They will also communicate the recovery procedure, scope the current damage and give you an estimate of the recovery process as well as control the damage. Moreover, the professionals also clean the whole house properly, dispose of the waste and provide an effective odor removal service. 

Cleaning Smoke Affected Contents

While the professionals are working on controlling the continuing damage, you can evaluate the damaged items and determine which items need to be discarded. You can also take the help of the professionals in assessing which items are repairable whereas; which items need to be disposed of. The items directly affected by the fire, heat, and smoke should be discarded as the smoke odor cannot be eliminated from such items. 

The professionals will also guide you in the cleaning process and involve you to distract your mind from the damage. They test the items and mix chemical solutions to use on each item. Since these experts use environmental-friendly products, you do not have to worry about the side effects. The soot is removed from all the affected items and the cleaned items are placed in another location. various cleaning methods are used based upon the nature of the items such as furniture, kitchen appliances and utensils, toys, decoration items, begging, curtains, carpets and more. 

Cleaning Facility

Some affected items will need to be treated in cleaning facilities for smoke cleanup in Arlington VA. You can make a list of these items and also take pictures for your record. Some items can be cleaned within your home or the garage and these items should not be sent to the cleaning facility.