Contents Cleaning after fire damage in Kendall County

8/2/2022 (Permalink)

Often, your important documents, treasured keepsakes, favorite furniture, electronics, and other items can be restored if you act fast.

To increase the likelihood of restoring your property, here’s a look at what happens to your home and office contents after a fire, how to address fire and smoke damage, and what is involved in restoring your possessions.

How Smoke and Fire Damage Affect Your Personal Property

Fire and smoke damage can result in a number of unsightly and frustrating effects around your home or office, including:

• Smoke stains
• Soot and ash residue
• Unpleasant odors
• Waterlogged items
• Structural damage

A variety of factors can influence what types of fire and smoke damage you incur, how serious it is, and what it will take to restore your contents and home after a fire. The type of fire (smoldering or blazing), how hot it burns, the materials that were burned, how long it burned before being put out — all these details affect what it takes to clean things up and get your property back in order.

During the restoration process, SERVPRO of Kendall County will take several steps, such as:

• Assessing and documenting the damage for insurance purposes
• Moving items out of harm’s way
• Cleaning even the smallest cracks and crevices, where smoke and soot can penetrate
• Ventilate the space to clear away lingering odor

What Items Can Actually Be Restored?

This is often the first question people ask after their home or business property suffers a fire. Though it’s understandable to think that a fire means everything you owned is now ruined, that’s not necessarily true. At SERVPRO of Kendall County, our specialized, state-of-the-art restoration processes and equipment help clean, dry out, deodorize, and preserve your contents.

Among the personal property items that can often be rescued and restored with proper, rapid care are:

• Furniture
• Electronics
• Documents
• Photos
• Artwork
• Heirlooms

It’s Important to Act Quickly

Though there are many factors that can affect the condition of your personal property, the number one factor that determines our ability to restore your contents and home boils down to one thing — time. Acting quickly to neutralize the damage and start the remediation process is crucial to getting as much of your property back to normal as possible.

How fast do you need to act? Here’s a quick guide:

In minutes

Fabrics and porous materials such as plastics, curtains, upholstery and wallpaper need immediate care to help avoid stains and discoloration.

In hours to a few days

Fire and smoke damage will permanently affect clothing, wood, furniture, flooring, fiberglass, appliances, and paint unless you act within hours to days to address it. Within this time frame, you also want to remove metal items, to prevent rust and corrosion.

In weeks

Because soot can penetrate deeply into all your surfaces, everything exposed to the fire and smoke should be cleaned as soon as possible, or you’ll risk permanent odors, stains, and other irreversible fire and smoke damage.

Using the Right Equipment Is Crucial

Here’s one added item you need to be aware of:

The equipment that is used to clean after fire and smoke damage can either preserve your contents or lead to further damage. For example, vacuuming your drapes and upholstered furniture with a typical home or office vacuum can end up simply spreading soot around or pushing it deeper into the fabric. SERVPRO of Kendall County uses top-notch equipment designed specifically for smoke and fire cleanup is therefore a must.