Fire Damage Restoration Tips

12/20/2019 (Permalink)

Family room in Boston, MA home after a fire

Fire damage restoration is complicated for those who do not deal with it on a consistent basis. Many times we get calls to ask for advice on how to clean up after fire. Below we have listed tips that can help most fire cleanup situations.

Please keep in mind that fire damage restoration takes time and skill. See below and realistically consider whether you want to try these ideas on your own or enlist the help of a restoration specialist like SERVPRO of Allston, Brighton & Brookline, where we will guarantee our work!

1. Remove smoke damage

Wash walls one small area at a time. Work from floor up to prevent streaking. Wash the ceiling last. Wipe down and dry the areas that got wet to prevent possible growth of mold and mildew. You can do this with small solution of household bleach and water. If drywall and insulation is soaked your best option is to contact a professional to ensure the materials are fully dried.

SERVPRO of Allston, Brighton & Brookline 617-903-5055 will help

2. Limit activity and movement

Once you are cleared to reenter your home by first responders do your best to work on one area at a time to prevent spreading soot into other areas. The worst thing you can do is give yourself more work in what is already considered a very laborious process. Place clean towels or old linens on rugs, upholstery and carpet in high traffic areas.

3. Avoid smearing soot into fabrics

Soot from smoke damage is greasy so ensure you dust it off to prevent rubbing it your fabrics and upholstery. Fabrics and upholstery are very porous and will likely absorb the smoke odor. You may need to wash the fabrics multiple times in order to fully get rid of the smoke odor. Make sure that your hands and cleaning equipment is clean so you do not add more soot to the material.

4. Thoroughly Dry Everything!

This will be the most important yet tedious step. You will need to determine whether or not you should restore (dry) or replace items that were affected by the water (ie. carpet, flooring, insulation and more). It takes on average about 48hrs for a wet area to promote the growth and spread of mold. Your home will most likely be wet if a fire department put out the fire. Before repainting and putting things back to its original place make sure your walls, insulation, ceiling, furniture and all other porous materials are completely dry. You can rent commercial grade fans and open windows. The key is to know when everything is dry! Do not stress yourself and make the mistake of turning the fans off too soon. Instead, call SERVPRO of Allston, Brighton & Brookline. We have the equipment that will let us know what areas need to be dried and when drying has been completed.

5. Repaint & Restore

Once the walls are thoroughly cleaned and dry you can repaint a fresh coat of paint on the walls and ceiling. Before painting it is very important that the walls and ceiling is thoroughly dried so there are no streaks. You are now ready to put furniture back in its original space.

Fires are no joke and the damage they leave behind much less. Our goal here at SERVPRO of Allston, Brighton & Brookline is to be able to make the restoration process as seamless as possible. That way you can work on getting the rest of your life back in order pre-fire. Let us help 617-903-5055