As you are going about your day to day activities, the last thing you think about is some danger befalling your home. Home is where your family and loved ones reside, which is why it is the one place closest to your heart. You are careful enough to get insurance for the property. Also, you are particular enough to check every switch, faucet, and oven to make sure everything is turned off if you are going to be away for some time.
Despite taking every precaution and doing everything right, accidents do occur! It might not be your careless mistake that leads to an accident, and it can very well be an external factor that could cause considerable damage to your property. After all, you must have heard or read about how wildfires had left homes uninhabitable in their wake, and how people had to be moved elsewhere as a result of a fire caused by a short circuit. The causes can be many, but what matters is how you have prepared to tackle such accidents and how you can get your home back to the condition it was in before the unfortunate incident.
Dealing with fire accidents
It is true that in most cases when fire-related accidents take place, property owners are caught off guard. They are unsure about how to tackle the challenges that arise and how to ensure the future safety of their assets after restoration. That is mainly because of the lack of adequate knowledge of fire damages and various ways of dealing with them.
It is of utmost importance that home and property owners familiarize themselves with knowledge of emergency measures before a catastrophic fire occurs. This way, they will not only ensure limited damage to their property, but they will also be able to recover from it sooner rather than later. FEMA has great programs that can help you know more about prevention of fire.
Take a look at some of the tips that will help you with restoration after fire damage:
- See if any precious items have been damaged. The ones which are intact must be removed to a cleaner and safer place first.
- The leftover smoke and soot can cause considerable damage to both your health and your property. So, it would be wise to focus on extracting all the smoke firs There are various ways to do so. Know in detail about the processes first to implement them safely.
- Get all your bedding, linen and clothes to the laundry.
- Wash all moveable items, like picture frames, knick-knacks, plastic items, washable furniture and so on. Use a soft microfiber cloth to wipe off remaining grime later on.
- Upholstery, window treatments must be deodorized and disinfected before they are ready for use again.
- Use vacuum cleaners for dry aerial fire-related damages. In the aftermath, you are sure to find a lot of residue firefighting foam in your property. You can pressure wash that foam out. However, it is better to use a steam cleaner to get out the residue foam that is stuck on the inside of curvy or delicate surfaces.
- Note that all electronic units including heating, air conditioning, and ventilating units should be professionally cleaned and certified for reuse. Be sure to change the filters before starting to use them again. It is advisable to keep changing the filters every month at least for the first year after the fire incident.
You are probably anxious about everything that happened and are in a hurry to clean your home after all that has happened. However, trying to do everything by yourself may be a bit unwise. You should try to consult a professional and refer to expert advice. You should know all about Servpro of West Hartford and Water Damage Restoration. Without adequate knowledge or enough experience in handling such sensitive cases, you cannot be entirely sure whether you are actually clearing the place or creating more damage unbeknownst to even you.
The first thing that you must do once the fire is out, and you have the permission to enter the property from your fire-marshal is contact your insurance company. Your insurance agent can assess the entire situation and help you make your claim. Sometimes, it is the insurance agent who provides the contact of a reputed service provider such as Premier Restoration. Otherwise, you can contact one by yourself.
Your restoration service provider will help you get a clearer understanding of the damage, tell you which items can be salvaged and which ones cannot be. They will also provide you with a full report of how long it will take to clean and restore the house, the cost of the project and how they will go about it. They can even suggest alternative dwelling arrangements for you until the restoration work is over. Thus, to ensure that your house is in the best condition it can be in after a fire accident, always avail the services of professionals.