Fire Damage Restoration Advice

One of the most devastating things can happen to a home owner is to have a house fire. And once the embers are finally smoldered out, the first thing one usually wants to do is to go into the charred remains to see just what are you home can be salvaged and cleaned. However, you should hold off on doing this until you have sought council from your insurance claims adjuster. This way, you can make sure that you do not waste your time, and money, and cause more damage as opposed to repairs. Your insurance adjuster can give guidance on how best to restore and/or replace your destroyed or damaged belongings.

One helpful thing that an insurance claims adjuster can do is refer you to a fire restoration company. Companies such as these can give very helpful tips to prevent further damage from being done to your home and property. Fire restoration companies can even tell you how to restore damaged properties. They will also give you an estimate of the likely price of thoroughly cleaning and deodorizing your home. Even though these services are, more often than not, expensive, it will most likely be a lot less than having to replace your damaged floors and furniture.

Now, if you find that you are incapable of affording the services a fire restoration company can offer, there are certain measures that you can take on your own. However, be sure that your fire marshal approves your plan and deems it safe enough for you to do before you go back into your home.

It is important that the very first thing you do to repair your home is to get as much air circulating through it as possible. The easiest way of doing this is to simply open some doors and open some windows and bring in a fan. If there has been any water damage, perhaps as a result of the fire trucks, you will probably want to invest in a de-humidifier. Any wet items should be dried as soon as possible. You might also want to consider buying a heavy duty vacuum cleaner. If you cannot afford cleaning services, do not use an upright vacuum or attachments because this would only set soot damage further in the carpet. After the vacuuming is done, you should cover the carpet with a tarp, so you do not cause further soiling while cleaning.

Areas At Risk For Mold

If you own a home, then you have probably gone through your home looking for mold on at least one occasion and if you have not, then you really should think about doing this sometime soon. We have all heard about toxic mold on the news in one form or another and how harmful it can be to our health, but this is not the only issue with mold. Even if you manage to kill it, it can still cause allergic reactions in some people because the spores are still airborne and our bodies still recognize them as something they need to defend themselves against. Taking some antihistamine medication can help, but no one wants to take allergy medicine all the time if you really do not have to.

There are a number of signs that will show you that you should look for mold in different areas of your house, but you may not exactly know what you are supposed to be looking for. Go around your house and any room that is inherently moist should be scrutinized closely. Unless you have done a remodeling job recently and you have completely waterproofed the bathroom, then you should consider it as a possible breeding ground for mold. Other rooms that are inherently moist are the kitchen, laundry room, and the basement.

You should look for signs of moisture in the laundry room since it is likely to stay humid due to the amount of wet clothing and evaporating of water that stays in there all the time. Your dryer needs to be properly vented to the outside if it is not already, unless it is a ventless model. Always wash wet clothes as soon as possible and do not put dry clothes on top of them. You will most likely forget about them and they will mold after about 48 hours.

Your kitchen is another area that you should be concerned with. Areas around the sink and floor that are not waterproofed and even the ceiling should be suspect. The steam that comes off the stove when you cook damages the ceiling and can discolor it over time, so you should have an exhaust fan installed over the stove to help prevent this. These fans should also be put in other moist rooms of the house, especially the bathroom. This will keep you from having to repaint the ceiling as often as you would normally have to and even keep you from having to replace drywall.


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