21 Jun What To Expect From The Fire Cleanup Process
Whether you’ve undergone a few contained flames in the kitchen or a full-scale house fire, it’s always best to visit the experts for help.
No matter how little or large the extent of the smoke damage and destruction, a fire damage restoration vendor is professionally trained and equipped to handle fire cleanup and make certain your home is safe to return to and reside in again.
Our Long Beach Fire and Smoke Damage Repair Experts say that although most of the steps in the cleanup process will (and should) be performed from the professionals, there are actions you can take before the experts arrive and the fire mitigation process officially starts.
The Way A Home Is Restored After Fire Damage
A fire–and the smoke that’s generated –impacts specific aspects of a house differently and therefore each area may call for a different method of sanitizing, restoring or rebuilding.
You may not be able to observe the extent of the fire damage because often it has occurred in areas that aren’t visible, such as behind walls and in the attic or it has affected the structural, electrical or plumbing systems.
Even walls or surfaces that are not in the same room where the fire originated can be damaged.
In addition, surfaces with smoke damage and soot require special cleaning agents, as ordinary household cleaning products can be ineffective or may even cause additional damage.
If water damage happens –from extinguishing the flames or if the sprinkler system goes off through the fire then there is a potential for mold growth, which may also have to be addressed in addition to fire and smoke damage.
A trained Long Beach Fire Restoration Professional will be able to assess the degree of the fire damage and determine the areas and contents of a home that can be cleaned and restored and which ones need to be replaced.
Commonly Used Equipment
A drastic part of fire cleanup focuses on purifying contaminated air and neutralizing odors caused by smoke. Most Long Beach Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration experts will use some of these pieces of equipment to help clean and sanitize the air and make a home safe to breathe again.
HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) vacuum – A high-powered vacuum with filters that trap airborne particles such as soot for example. It can be used on surfaces such as ceilings, walls and floors.
Air scrubber – This machine aids in eliminating odors and clean the air with a filtration system to suck air in and filter it before releasing it back in the house.
Negative air fan – Removes contaminated air that’s inside a home through ducts, creating negative air pressure (a vacuum effect).
Ozone machine – Neutralizes odors and should only be utilized after a house is cleaned, emptied of all materials and vacated. The machine is usually employed for a couple of days and the home has to be ventilated for an additional 24 hours before reentry.
Steps Performed By A Professional Fire Restoration Company
While there are specific steps only a fire damage restoration service must perform, there are ways you can aid throughout each phase of the procedure, too.
Our Long Beach Smoke and Fire Damage Remediation Experts say that you ought to attempt to get advice and instructions from the company you hire to make sure that you finish any tasks that will make the fire cleanup run more smoothly, and avoid doing anything that will hinder advancement.
Inspection
Our Long Beach Fire and Smoke Damage Repair Experts say that one of the first steps from the fire mitigation process is figuring out the cause of the fire, as well as the degree of the smoke damage, and then documenting it through photographs to provide to the homeowner’s insurance company.
All rooms are tested for soot or smoke damage. Evaluation cleanings (which utilize a special dry cleaning chemical sponge) will determine what surfaces are affected and the degree of damage.
The Long Beach Fire & Smoke Restoration company should then go into detail about the cleaning procedure to the homeowners, as well as what the demo/rebuild phase may consist of (if applicable) and begin to make a decision as to what things are salvageable after a comprehensive inventory has been completed.
Prevention Of Further Damage
A fire cleanup vendor will remove any materials from the home as quickly as possible to avoid further damage because the longer they are from the affected area, the more difficult they’ll be to clean.
Before fire damage restoration services arrive, homeowners can place coffee grounds out through the house to help with decreasing the smell, as they absorb odors.
Switch off HVAC systems until the home is inspected by a professional to avoid additional contamination to unaffected areas. Some fire cleanup companies may advocate having vents, ducts and furnaces cleaned/serviced to prevent soot from circulating throughout the home.
Removal Of Things Damaged By Fire/Smoke
Our Long Beach Fire and Smoke Damage Repair Experts say that homeowners must be actively engaged during the inventory process and notify the fire restoration company of important/sentimental items, or things they may need returned to them quickly if they are in temporary home.
Components are photographed, inventoried and packaged, and then taken offsite into the fire restoration company’s cleaning facility where they’re stored during the repairs.
Since the fire cleanup procedure can vary depending on the company and the individual homeowner’s situation, it is common for fire- or smoke-damaged items to be inventoried and later determined as salvageable or non-salvageable.
Containment, Repairs and Completion
Containment – This measure is suggested to help limit odors from contaminating the air across the house and maintain the damage contained at the source of the fire and affected areas of the home.
Repairs – If the fire restoration company isn’t able to finish some of the necessary structure, the homeowner should find a general contractor to do the job when the fire damage restoration service has completed their part of the repairs.
Our Long Beach Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration Experts say that once pricing, scheduling and other specifics of the reconstruct have been agreed upon, then the contractor can start rebuilding and get the homeowners back into their home as quickly as possible.
Conclusion
The homeowner and fire restoration company should be in agreement that the home is clean and the smell of smoke is no more present. If there’s a discrepancy, the two parties may dictate an air sample evaluation after the fire cleanup is completed and prior to beginning any construction.