Fire damage restoration is an act of returning fire-damaged property to the condition before the loss. The fire-stricken households may not know what to do after fire damage.
This blog outlines 7 things to consider for cleaning your house after fire damage restoration.
Note that the most important thing to do after firing is to inspect the house for safety.
First of all, check out the electrical wiring before cleaning. Let a firefighter or a representative of your insurance company inspect it. You should take precautions and wear appropriate shoes, long-sleeved shirts, long pants, goggles, and special gloves to record the damage.
You must wear a face mask and keep small children away from the damaged area.
As your insurance regulator takes the first steps, bring along a camera to record the damage.
Your insurance agent will usually update your home insurance policy information and provide you with a list of qualified professionals to help you clean.
Our professionals at DKI Restotech provide the 24- hour service to you in Orange County.
Contents
Cleaning The House After a Fire damage
It is better to clean the house carefully after the fire damage is restored. In general, a house fire is an unfortunate experience. Still, today, thanks to safety fire restoration measures, we do not see any or less fire-stricken houses.
However, even a small fire in the kitchen requires thorough washing and cleaning. Of course, we hope you never experience this tragic event, but if your home catches fire, there are several ways to clean your house, described in this blog.
Cleaning the Exterior of the House
You or your restoration contractor must ensure that the foundations, roof support structures, and entrances are intact before cleaning the house’s exterior.
If the roof is damaged, you should check and clean the drains to remove the remnants of ash or clogs that may cause more damage.
Then look at the outer walls and remove ashes and soot as soon as possible. You may use a brush, water, and borax to clean the surface in less-damaged areas.
It is recommended to start cleaning from the top of the house and prevent re-accumulation of residues. Also, clean the windows with a windshield wiper, finally remove any solid debris, clean the doorway and remove soot and dirt.
Cleaning the interior house
You can start cleaning the house when the inspector allows it.
If the damage-stricken area is extensive, it is better to choose a restoration contractor company to remove residues and start cleaning wood and defective materials.
For small fires, it is better to open all the windows and bring a fan to help the air circulate. Wet all vinyl flooring and toss out carpets and rugs.
For further inspection or cleaning, you can take all wet items to a garage or storage area to repair internal damage.
If the weather is unfavorable and windy, the heating system with air conditioning removes smoke from the house.
Changing the filters daily and putting a dehumidifier in the room is recommended to help quickly eliminate odors and smoke.
Remove the Soot
It is necessary to check all the interior surfaces of the house for soot.
You can combine two tablespoons of soap, four to six tablespoons of trisodium phosphate, and a cup of chlorine bleach with a gallon of warm water to remove soot from interior walls, cabinets, wooden and metal furniture.
Put on the rubber gloves and wash areas with a sponge. As bleach helps reduce the risk of mold growth, it is recommended that you do not dry the walls and ceilings completely for at least 24-48 hours after cleaning.
Remove Smoke from Furniture, Appliances, and Clothing
It is good to know that if some fabrics and furniture remain wet, they may get damaged.
If the furniture is saturated with water and you want to keep the wooden frame, you should immediately purify the fabric and cushion to remove mold growth. If the damage is not severe, you can clean wooden things quickly using a furniture cleaner and ask an expert to wash the fabrics.
It is recommended to give clothes with a laundry label only to the laundry and ask them to eliminate the smell of smoke and clean.
You can remove smoke stains on the fabrics under the instructions on the care label. Using detergents and oxygen-based bleach is a good choice. If stains remain, combine the solution of oxygen bleach and warm water, and allow them to soak for at least four hours or overnight, then wash again.
You can wash washable fabrics with a smoke smell but not stained. Add a cup of baking soda to the final rinse cycle, and if the smoke smell remains on clothes, fill the washing machine with water and two cups of baking soda.
Let the clothes soak overnight, and then wash as usual.
Note that if you have a leather sofa, you should clean it with a damp cloth. Then, dry all leather items in direct sunlight to prevent mold. When the leather becomes dry, you can wash it with soap and then use a leather softener to restore its smooth surface.
Seek advice from Restotech Water & Fire Damage Restoration Services.
Cleaning the Carpet and Cushions
If your carpets and rugs are smoke-covered, you can get a professional carpet cleaner to clean them because they use chemical substances to clean your carpet and cushions.
Note that smoke smell remains in rooms, attics, and wall insulation for months.
After cleaning the interior of the house, in case of smelling heavy smoke, you can use a cleaning method called misting.
Remember that a professional restorer usually uses chemicals to penetrate walls and insulation to neutralize the smoke smell.
Talk to us!
Dispose of These Items After a Fire Damage
In the process of cleaning the house after a fire, we recommend you:
Throw away foods in the refrigerator as they may be spoiled if the electricity is off for more than four hours.
Check the freezer, and if it is not completely thawed, the food inside is not rotten.
Also, you must discard any food such as canned food exposed to heat and fire-fighting chemicals because too much heat will spoil the food even if the cans are not burnt.
Note that water, smoke, and fire-fighting chemicals can quickly damage cosmetics and medicines, and it is better to throw them away.
It is recommended that you do not use any electrical appliances, until water and heat damage has been checked in the wiring, and discard any other suspicious items to avoid the possibility of fire.
Trust Disaster Kleenup International (DKI) in Orange County to bring remarkable beauty and safety to your home after a disaster.
Resources:
Marlowe Leverette. M. (2021, January 07). How to Clean After a House Fire
https://www.thespruce.com/cleanup-after-fire-4160200
Cleaning Up After a House Fire.networx. https://www.networx.com/article/cleaning-up-after-a-house-fire
Throw These Four Things Away After a Fire, No Questions Asked. rainbowintl.
https://rainbowintl.com/blog/throw-these-four-things-away-after-a-fire-no-questions-asked
(2020, December 28). How to Clean After Fire Damage.smrsi.
https://smrsi.com/2020/12/28/how-to-clean-after-fire-damage/
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