What Are the Cleaning Processes after a House Fire?
A house fire is an emotional experience. Fortunately, there are many fire damage restoration companies that prevent fire from causing severe damages to the home and important belongings. But fire spreads quickly and even small kitchen fire can create a lot of mess throughout the entire house.
Where to Begin after You Have Experienced a House Fire?
The most crucial thing you need to do is to inspect the entire house after experiencing a house fire. No matter how small or big the fire damage is, you should always inspect your house thoroughly. Fire might’ve damaged the wall supporters, electrical wiring, and other foundations of the house. If you don’t inspect, you’ll never know the damages as most of them are hidden. Are you dealing with recent fire damage to your home in Fort Lauderdale FL? Call the fire damage restoration company and they will help you to inspect all the areas of your house.
Once you’re done clearing the site, you still need to take few precautions before entering your house to determine the damages. Don’t forget to wear safety glasses, close-toed shoes, long pants and full-sleeve shirt, and work gloves. Apart from that, contact your insurance company about the house fire. Try to keep a video recording of the damages.
How to Clean the Exterior?
The fire damage restoration inspector should check the exterior of your house before starting the cleaning process. You can also check it yourself. This is how you’ll be able to know if the fire has damaged the external as well as the internal support structure of your property.
If you notice that the roof is damaged, check the gutters. Remove any ash or debris so that they cannot cause additional damage.
You should also focus on the exterior walls. Using a power washer is the best way to remove soot, ash, and other chemical fire retardants. However, make sure to remove them as soon as possible. If the damage is minor, use a stiff brush and a mixture of borax and water to remove the damages on the surface. Additionally, make sure the windows are cleaned with glass cleaner.
Cleaning Interior
Once you’re done inspecting your house, it’s time to start the cleaning process. If the fire damage is massive, you should call a fire damage restoration company. They can remove heavily damaged building materials and woods as well as excess water from your building.
If the damage caused by the fire is small, just open all the windows and start the fans. This will increase the air circulation rate. Additionally, pull out wet carpets, vinyl flooring, and all the carpet padding.
If the weather in your area is harsh, consider using an air conditioner or heater to get rid of smoke inside your house. According to Healthline, you can also use a dehumidifier to remove air moisture from your home.
Apart from that, clean every surface of your house with clean water and then left them to dry. If you want to decrease the growth of mildew and mold, bleaching is an effective solution.
Items You Need to Dispose of After a Fire
There are some specific things that you need to remove after a fire. No matter how expensive or valuable they are, keeling them will only cause you additional damage.
- Perishable Food
- Electrical Equipment
- Medicines
- Cosmetics
- Non-Perishable Food
Conclusion
These are the cleaning processes after a house fire. Undoubtedly house fire is a devastating scenario. But you need to keep your mind calm and do these necessary steps to avoid any further damage. Do you have any questions? Comment down below.