Fires are one of the most traumatic events a family can experience; even the smallest home fire can cause unbelievable damage to real estate and personal property. Depending on the type and severity of the fire, restoring your home afterwards will take varying degrees of work. Sometimes in an attempt to get their homes back in order as quickly as possible; people attempt the restoration themselves. While this will certainly get the ball rolling, fire damage restoration is not a job for the layperson.
Before you can even begin the restoration, you must assess the damage. In addition to any areas that may have been actually burned by fire, there’s almost always smoke and water damage to the building structure and your personal property. Smoke from a fire can leave a thick layer soot and ash that settles on the floor, walls and even in your ventilation systems. Mix that with the water used to extinguish the blaze and you have a thick muddy mess.
The fire damage restoration process is extensive and can be emotionally draining for those doing it without the help of a professional restoration company. Some of your personal and cherished items may be beyond repair and you must be willing to look at this objectively. Next, any wet items such as clothes, draperies and rugs must be dried immediately to prevent mold – not only is this messy but hazardous if not done properly. As your personal items are dried, cleaned and deodorized you will need to arrange for their storage until your home is ready for you to move back in.
Next, any areas such as wood floorings, drywall and textiles with soot must be cleaned. This can be tricky because soot transfers from one surface to another very easily. So when practical, these items must be carefully removed and cleaned outside of the house. When removal is not possible, such as the case with hardwood flooring, special cleaning solutions are available to remove the soot without causing further damage to the surface.
Even though you may feel up to the task, a professional fire damage restoration company will make your life easier and ensure that you and your family are able to return home within the shortest time possible.