How to Clean A Fire Damaged Home

11/18/2019 (Permalink)

HERE TO HELP!

A fire can have a detrimental effect on one’s life. Costs for repairing or fixing can be astronomically high depending on your insurance plan and provider. However, if the damage is small enough, here at SERVPRO of Napa County, we would like to share with you some restoration tips for a more cost-effective approach. The information provided can also be viewed in more detail by accessing the American Red Cross website.

First thing you’ll need is safety gear. I cannot emphasize the importance of this enough. The chemicals used in this process are caustic and will harm you if used incorrectly. Safety gear includes: rubber gloves, aprons, heavy soled shoes, and nose masks or face protection masks. Place a canvas drop cloth to protect the floor from getting stained further. Meanwhile, ventilate the area with a fan.

While wearing rubber gloves, measure 4-6tsps of tri-sodium phosphate with 1 cup of household bleach for every gallon of warm water used for cleaning or you can use a mild soap or detergent to remove soot and smoke from walls, furniture, and floors.

*Make sure you test surfaces to ensure that bleach solution will not cause discoloring. To conduct this test, wipe a small area of the surface with bleach and allow it to dry for 24 hours.

Wipe the walls using a chemical dry-cleaning sponge. Wipe the walls slowly and carefully. Whenever the sponge becomes saturated with soot or smoke, wash and let it dry before you continue. Repeat this process until most of the soot is removed. To get the best results, make sure you wipe the walls from top to bottom and side to side. There might still be stubborn stains on the wall. In this case, you can use either a paint thinner or rubbing alcohol to gently rub over the walls until the stubborn stains are gone.

Wipe leather goods with a damp cloth and dry cloth. Use newspapers as stuffing for your purses and shoes. Leave suitcases open. When the leather dries, wipe it clean with a saddle soap. Rinse leather and suede jackets in cold water and then leave to dry.

*Leather goods should be dried away from any heat or sun.

Follow public health guidance on safe cleanup of fire ash and safe use of masks. Also make sure to wet debris down to minimize breathing harmful dust particles. If you have an older home, please consult with a professional to avoid any asbestos inhalation as well.

SERVPRO® franchise professionals are leaders in fire and water cleanup and restoration.