Fire and Smoke Restoration is a delicate task that must be done carefully. While the fire itself will have burnt through many things, secondary damage caused by smoke and soot can be just as destructive.
Naturally, you’ll be worried about your home and belongings and will hope to salvage as much as possible. When the fire is extinguished, you should call a professional fire and smoke restoration service to minimize your losses and restore your home.
This article will explain the safety risks associated with fire and smoke damage and explore how fire and smoke remediation works.
What Are the Dangers of Fire and Smoke Damage?
The damage doesn’t stop long after the flames have been put out. A fire-damaged home will be permeated by smoke and soot. These are corrosive and will continue damaging all surfaces and items. Fire also produces a large number of volatile chemicals that can deal great damage to your home.
Water or foam used to put out fires will elevate moisture levels and encourage mold growth. While not corrosive, mold will eat away at everything and inflict more damage in the process.
Besides physical damage, smoke, soot, and ash are greatly hazardous to your health. Inhaling these may lead to a wide range of respiratory problems. To ensure your safety and prevent further damage, fire, and smoke damage must be dealt with immediately.
Is It Safe to Clean Up After a Fire Yourself?
While cleaning up after a fire needs to happen quickly, please resist the urge to handle it yourself. First, the house might be structurally unstable and unsafe to enter; you never know when things might collapse. On top of that, exposure to all the smoke, soot, and chemicals is hazardous without the proper precautions.
If not done properly, cleaning up after a fire can worsen matters. Because of this, the best thing to do is to call a certified fire restoration service as soon as the fire is put out. They will have all the necessary equipment and expertise to fully assess and mitigate the damage, salvage as many possessions as possible, and restore your home.
How to Remediate Fire and Smoke Damage
Once the fire is extinguished, your best bet is to call a fire remediation service immediately. Fire and smoke restoration is a delicate process. Below are the main steps that should be taken to remediate the damage and restore your home effectively:
Inspect the Premises
When it comes to fire damage, safety is the first concern. Water, gas, and electricity should be turned off. A house inspection is necessary to identify the affected areas and determine the best approach.
From there, the main objective will be to remove smoke and soot as quickly as possible to prevent further damage while salvaging as many possessions as possible.
The fire and smoke restoration specialists will quickly determine how to proceed and inform you in detail.
Clean Smoke Damage
The first crucial measure is to remove all the smoke, soot, ash, and debris as quickly as possible. All house parts should be inspected for soot particles, including structures, furniture, appliances, and personal belongings.
In the meantime, the affected areas must be completely dried and dehumidified to mitigate water damage. All salvageable wet items and materials must be removed and dried out immediately. The fire restoration specialists will save as many of your possessions as possible.
Once the damages are contained, all the affected areas and materials should be cleaned or otherwise discarded. This also includes completely removing the hazardous smoke odor from your home.
Repair and Restore
Cleaning up after a fire involves removing plenty of affected materials around your house. All that’s left is to replace and repair damaged materials to restore your home to its original state.
If a fire has damaged your home, it’s important to contact a professional restoration company as soon as possible. Enviro-Dry is one of the leading restoration companies in Lee’s Summit, and we offer comprehensive services for residential and commercial property owners.