Even the smallest house fires can be devastating. But what do you do after first responders extinguish the flames and leave the damaged remains? While it's sometimes possible to restore your home to its previous condition, this can be an expensive and time-consuming process. And even though house fires are an extremely traumatizing experience, it's crucial to mitigate fire damage as soon as the initial threat has subsided.
Let’s look at what can be salvaged after a home fire and how professional fire damage restoration services can help you bring back a sense of normalcy into your home.
What to Do After a House Fire
- Contact your insurance company
The first thing you should do is contact your insurance company and inform them of the incident. They'll also guide you through the process of salvaging your home and minimizing additional damage. What's more, you likely can't stay in your home after a house fire, no matter the amount of damage incurred, and some insurance covers may cater for alternative accommodation.
- Assess the damage
Fire damage can be grouped into three different categories, each necessitating different methods of restoration:
- Structural damage: The most severe damage is generally caused by flames or the heat of the fire itself, causing structural damage that renders your home unsafe and unstable. Firefighters may have also caused a bit of damage in the process. It’s not unusual for them to break down doors and cut holes through the roof.
- Water damage: Depending on the cause of the fire, firefighters are likely to use water to put out the fire. It’s imperative to dry out your home as soon as possible to prevent the growth of mold and mildew.
- Smoke damage: While often less severe than structural or water damage, smoke damage can cause discoloration of your walls, ceilings, and belongings. Smoke particles may also be composed of ammonia, formaldehyde, and sulfur dioxide. These chemicals may embed themselves into your home, potentially causing a wide range of health problems for you and your family.
- Hire professionals
Fire damage necessitates quick repair and restoration. It's important to hire professionals in such cases instead of trying to salvage items on your own. For one, structural damage could pose significant health and safety risks for anyone who isn't properly trained. It also takes a great deal of experience not to cause additional damage during the salvaging and restoration process.
What Can Be Salvaged?
Fires cause a lot of costly damage, making it important to salvage as much as you can after a fire. Fortunately, there are a few things that can almost always be saved:
- Smoke damaged non-porous items
Metals and glass are particularly resilient in fires as they can withstand high temperatures. They may retain some smoke damage in the form of stains, but this can be easily resolved with soap and water. Ceramics, though, may require a deeper professional cleaning as they are susceptible to staining from smoke and hard water. However, if the metal, glass, or ceramic possessions are melted or cracked by the heat, you'll most likely have to throw them away.
Although hardwood floors are technically not "non-porous," they generally have a coating that prevents smoke and water from reaching the porous wood underneath. As such, they can be cleaned and refinished to their previous condition.
- Textiles
The great thing about textiles is that they’re washable. For this reason, items like your textiles and even upholstered furniture can be salvaged. Some porous materials may require specialized cleaning and smoke remediation. Examples include:
- Furniture and upholstery
- Paper products and documents
- Linens including towels, blankets, and pillows
- Clothing
- Rugs and carpets
One important thing to note is that leftover soot will continue to settle into various surfaces of your home. If left untreated for too long, soot will permanently etch into surfaces, making it harder to salvage these items.
- Electronics and household appliances
As long as the fire wasn’t in direct contact with or hot enough to warp the electronics, you may be able to restore your TV, microwave, refrigerators, and computers to full functionality. But this isn’t really possible with water damage, and it might just be easier and less expensive to replace them.
More importantly, your electrical wiring will need to be checked by a professional to determine whether it incurred any damage during the fire.
Items That Cannot Be Saved After a Fire
It’s just as important to note what you shouldn’t attempt to salvage after a fire for health and safety reasons. Here are some items you should definitely throw away:
- Non-perishable and perishable food as they may be dangerous for consumption
- Medicines and cosmetics
- Bulging or rusting cans
- Anything that may have come into contact with contaminants
Remember, fire damage restoration professionals are the key to salvaging as much as possible after a fire. They have the fire clean-up expertise to restore your home while removing smoke and soot damage.
