Restoring a Home After Smoke Damage

1/9/2020 (Permalink)

Fire and smoke damage can be devastating to your personal property and the structure of your home.

If you’ve suffered a fire in your South Patrick Shores, FL home, regardless of the size, you’ll have smoke damage to restore. If the fire was a small one, smoke may cause more damage than the fire itself. Letting this smoke damage sit for weeks, days, or even hours can leave irreparable effects.

Fire and smoke damage can be devastating to your personal property and the structure of your home. The only way you can minimize the damage to your home and property is to act quickly.

The Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) is a globally recognized organization whose overall goal is to establish a higher standard within the industry. Firms such as SERVPRO that are certified by the IICRC provide faster and better service than those that are not certified.

If restoration is not done properly and efficiently, the cost of restoration will increase and the damages will escalate. Quickly hiring an IICRC certified company will give them the opportunity to stop and minimize the damage so that repairs can begin.

Based on how long you wait to bring in IICRC certified professionals and begin the clean up and restoration process, the permanent damage can be minimal or substantial. The following is what can happen based on how long you wait.

Within minutes of disaster

Once the fire has been put out, soot residue begins to settle into the property. Porous materials that have discolored due to the fire and smoke can become permanent. There are other discolored surfaces where the discoloration may be removed if the items are cleaned properly. But if not treated quickly, the acidic soot will begin to stain different surfaces throughout the house.

Within hours of disaster

If the damage done is not quickly attended to the damage will increase. Wood furniture may get to the point where it will require refinishing. Metal objects will begin to rust, pit, and corrode. Walls that have been painted will begin to yellow. Clothing that has been damaged can become permanently stained. And by this point, flooring may require either refinishing or possibly replacement.

Within weeks of disaster

If the damage goes untreated for weeks, the restoration will take longer and cost more than if it’s done the day of the fire. The prolonged soot exposure will permanently harm all surfaces of the home and become embedded in the fibers. At this point, replacing property may be your best or only option. And if the home is not properly restored, the structure may continue to deteriorate as time goes on.

If you would like to get a jump start on the cleaning process before the professionals arrive, the IICRC has suggestions.

Safety First

Cleaning up after fire or smoke damage can be dangerous if certain precautions are not taken. You shouldn’t enter the property without the proper work gloves and appropriate respiratory protection. Exposure to soot residue can cause respiratory distress in addition to other medical emergencies.

Use Box Fans

Once you’ve entered the property having taken the suggested safety precautions, open all the windows and put box fans in. This will force out the contaminated air or dust that may be inside that could cause medical problems. Opening the windows and putting box fans in them will allow for proper ventilation to prevent further smoke damage and will reduce the risk of injury to people in the home.

Clean Everything with Soap and Water

To get as much of the smoke and dust off objects around the house as possible, clean everything with soap and water. When doing this, start with the ceiling and work your way down to the floor. Make sure you get everything when scrubbing down the house including the inside of cabinets and cupboards.

Use High Efficiency Vacuum with HEPA

If you have a high efficiency vacuum cleaner with High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA), use that on upholstery and carpeting. A good filtration system on a high efficiency vacuum will prevent soot from being blown back into the space you’ve already cleaned. If you have a high efficiency vacuum for this purpose, make sure to clean and charge the vacuum regularly.

Launder Washable Materials

To clean washable materials that have been damaged, use an alkaline cleaner which will neutralize the acid that is found in soot. Use this on materials such as bedding, clothes, curtains, and other washable materials. If you have fine materials that have been damaged, they should be professionally dry-cleaned by a dry-cleaner that has experience handling smoke damaged items.

Clean Exterior Walls

To clean the exterior walls and eaves of your home, use a water hose that is attached to a proper cleaner. This will agitate and loosen the soot that is stuck on it. If this isn’t done quickly after the damage has been done, the smoke damage will continue to worsen until it is removed.

Regardless of how large or small the damage is, you should have an IICRC certified technician that has the training and experience necessary to restore the property. If structural distortion or warping has occurred, you may need to call a general contractor. If you bring in an IICRC certified firm to handle the restoration in your Viera, FL home, most insurance companies will cover the cost of the restoration and you’ll pay less of a deductible.