Cleaning Smoke Damage After a House Fire

4/9/2020 (Permalink)

Many homeowners think that they can clean-up smoke damage to their home after a fire. Unfortunately, that is never a good idea. Cleaning up smoke and soot damage requires professionals to do the job. That’s where SERVPRO comes in!

Bring in the Fire Damage Pros

A house that has e a fire is typically not safe to enter or spend time in, so practice extreme caution and don’t enter the house. The integrity of walls and floors may have been damaged, along with other hazards. It’s important not to enter the home until remediation professionals tell you it is safe to do so.

While you should not undertake trying to clean up smoke and soot damage from a house fire yourself, you should get the professionals into your home as soon as possible to keep further damage at a minimum. Ash and smoke, if left untreated, will cause corrosion, discoloration, and a lingering powerful and offensive odor. Ash will start causing damage and discoloration almost immediately, and the damage may be permanent and irreversible. Anything that was made of plastic will begin discoloring quickly. Metals will easily tarnish and corrode, and fiberglass will begin to yellow. This can be kept to a minimum if you act quickly after a fire.

If you get fire damage restoration professionals in soon enough after a house fire, they can mitigate or eliminate the smoke and ash damage from the fire and prevent further damage to your property. Unfortunately, if you don’t get the pros in early, the loss becomes worse and worse, and the costs to repair will begin to soar within just a few weeks. Let SERVPRO of East Phoenix help!

Know Who to Hire

Many companies claim to be fire damage restoration specialists, but they may not actually have the proper training and certification to do the job. The Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) is the primary oversight agency for the industry. Companies recognized, registered, and certified by the IICRC will have taken extensive coursework to earn their certification.

What a Trained and Certified Fire Damage Restoration Professional Does

A trained and certified fire damage restoration professional will first identify all affected materials and the source of odors, if possible. They will be extremely thorough. They will determine what can be salvaged and cleaned and what cannot be and must be replaced entirely. They will then begin the clean-up process by removing built-up ash residue. Once the ash is cleaned, they can better identify the sources of odors, which they will treat with special detergents made to neutralize the odors. Once fire damaged materials are treated, they will be sealed to prevent future odors from emitting into your home.

If you or anyone you know needs smoke or fire damage restoration services, SERVPRO of East Phoenix is here to help! Contact us today at (602) 507-6163. We’re available 24/7 to help.