For most a fire and the aftermath of a house fire is like no other event in ones life. A fire will leave behind an incredible amount of damage in its wake. It may seem daunting to the home owner, it may seem like nothing can be done to salvage whats left behind. Many look at the burned out home and see something that needs to be demolished. Yet often the structure of the home can be saved. Many times the furniture that was not consumed in flames can also be saved. All hope is not lost after a fire if much of the structure and contents remain. Sure they will be covered in soot, residue and possibly water damage from the water used to put out the fire, but in many cases this can be reversed. A fire restoration professional can treat the structure and fabrics left behind. Fire restoration companies can inform you what is salvageable and what is not. It is not advisable to clean up fire damage yourself as there are many dangers involved, as well as the fact different processes and chemicals often need to be used to reverse the damage left behind in a fires wake.
Your home or business owners insurance will cover a fire restoration company to come and restore your home to its former glory. It is far better to let professionals handle any restoration after a fire then trying any DIY or do it yourself techniques. True professionals will know exactly what can be saved and what needs to be replaced to thrown away. These professionals know exactly what processes and chemicals may be needed for what part of your home or business, based on the materials and the type of fire which caused the damage. These professionals will also factor in other factors such as any water damage that happened to the home or business and any chemicals that may have been used to put the fire out. These professionals take all the worry and more importantly any heavy work out of the equation for you. These professionals can even help restore any important documents you have such as titles, deeds and policies.
The first things these professionals will do is identify the sources of any odor within the home from smoke damage. Then they will ensure that the proper cleaning method is used. They will treat the structure of home with different processes and chemicals to remove soot, residue, water damage and smoke odors. They can determine which parts of the structure are still structurally sound and which parts if any need to be replaced. They have a wide variety of tools, equipment, process and chemicals which they can employ that the average person does not have. The work is hard and can take quite awhile to finish, so time is of the essence in contacting professionals to begin the process of restoration. The sooner you call for an evaluation, the sooner you can begin the process of putting your life back together again. When in doubt call a professional.
A few do it yourself home owner tips can apply however. Do open any windows after a fire to open up airflow to the structure. This will also help evaporate any water that was used to put out the fire, as well as help remove toxic fumes left behind form the fire. Never try to clean soot damage with household cleaners. These cleaners were not meant for this type of cleaning and can result in further damage to your possessions, as well as creating more toxins as these cleaners can react badly with the leftover soot. Do call your insurance company to go over your options. Lastly I would advice not entering the structure, and instead calling a professional as the floor could have suffered damage in the fire. The fire already caused enough damage, calling professionals will ensure no further loss of property or harm to yourself or loved ones happens as a result of the fire which caused so much grief.