You’ve Had a House Fire, Now What Do You Do?

Have you gone through the traumatic experience of dealing with a house fire? It’s frightening, unfortunate, and downright difficult to go through such a severe disaster. Now that the fire is out, you’re probably wondering what steps you’ll need to take to improve the condition of your home. 

 

The type of work you’ll need to have done will depend on a few factors, including the extent of the fire damage, along with the number of rooms impacted by it. Check out this list of some of the steps you’ll need to take with help from a fire/smoke damage restoration company.

 

1. Water Extraction

 

When a fire occurs, the firefighters use water to put it out, leading to some water inside the home. Although it’s essential to use water to get rid of the fire, the water becomes a problem because it can damage the floors, walls, and furniture inside each room. 

 

So, before getting started with the water extraction process, staff members from the restoration company will move any furniture from the floors. 

 

They’ll then use extraction tools to quickly and carefully remove water from different places, such as the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room. It’s one of several things they’ll need to do to get the home back to normal again. Not everyone realizes that water extraction must happen when there is a house fire. 

 

2. Soot and Smoke Damage Removal

 

Besides water from putting out the fire, you’re likely dealing with soot and smoke damage inside the property. Getting rid of soot is a must. It’s not safe to live in a home where you’re breathing in toxic fumes. It could trigger asthma, lead to irritation, and cause inflammation of the lungs over time. 

 

The restoration professionals will wear protective gear, including face masks that protect their nose and mouth from breathing in the smoke and soot while they’re cleaning it. There are a few different tools commonly used to get rid of soot and smoke damage, including:

 

• Soot Cleaning Chem Sponges
• Heavy-Duty Soot and Dirt Remover
• Air Purifiers
• Un-smoke Wall Wash Cleaning Agent

 

These are a few of the many products you might see the professionals using when working on getting rid of both smoke and soot from your home.

 

3. Odor Removal

 

You’ll notice after a fire that the smell of smoke lingers around the home. It might smell similar to a campfire, but it’s not good to breathe in or deal with for too long. 

 

Not only is it essential to get rid of visible soot and smoke damage, but it’s equally as important to handle the odor left behind from the fire. It all begins with removing smoke-damaged items from the property. They’ll need to get cleaned outside of the home if they’re salvageable. 

 

After removing those damaged items from the building, it’s time to open the windows and start the heavy-duty fans to get air circulating. It’s common for professionals to use air purifiers to clean the air and eliminate those unwanted odors for good. This is an important part of dealing with a house fire. 

 

4. Carpet Cleaning

 

If you have carpeted floors, you’ll need to get them cleaned. It’s common for soot to fall on the floors during the cleaning process, especially when wiping down the walls to get them clean. The best way to clean the carpets is to thoroughly shampoo them and use circulating fans to get the floors to dry with ease. 

 

It’s important to have this done in any room with carpets on the floor. If the damage is too bad, you might need to get the old carpet ripped out and replaced with a new carpet. Again, it’s going to depend on how quickly the fire spread. It’ll also depend on whether the fire started on the floor or somewhere else inside the home.

 

5. Repairs

 

Besides getting rid of the soot, smoke, water, and odors, you’ll likely need to have some repairs done to get your home into better condition. For example, if you’re dealing with damaged drywall, it’s often best to get those pieces of drywall removed and replaced. The restoration professionals can perform a complete inspection of the home to check for signs of damage that you need to be aware of before moving back into the place. 

 

Dealing with Damaged Floors 

 

There’s always a chance that you’re dealing with extensive damage to your floors, which means you’d need to select new flooring materials and get them installed after removing the old materials and disposing of them. The specific repairs required vary from one property to the next and depend on the severity of the fire damage.

 

If you’ve had a house fire, you’re going to need professional help to get your home back into liveable condition. It’s vital to take care of fire/smoke damage restoration as quickly as possible instead of waiting. The easiest way to get the job done is to hire professional help. First Response is an established company known for providing extensive restoration services. They’ll work hard to take care of the damage. Have you ever dealt with a house fire?