04/06/2014
If you have a fire at your house, the main problem areas will be smoke damage, odor, damaged contents (some of which can be restored, some of which cannot), contamination, and charred structural members. These types of problems exist after ANY size fire, from a little kitchen fire on up to half the house burning down, and the sooner the emergency cleanup starts, the better off you are. It all starts with the cleanup of soot residue, which must begin as quickly as possible. We prefer to start emergency mitigation work as soon the fire-trucks drive off.
Soot residue and vapors that are environmentally unstable get carried throughout the structure by rising and expanding air. This process occurs over and over until the fire is completely put out, with soot residue building up in layers on everything. After you call us, when our restoration technicians arrive (usually within 1 hour), there may be a lacquer-like soot residue built up, which is quite difficult to dissolve and remove. But we can handle it.
After we remove the smoke residue, we have to start clearing out from your house all the things that have a smoky odor, because this is very harmful to breathe and further damages the structure if it’s left unattended. Your insurance policy requires you to “mitigate” the damage – which means to “lessen” the ongoing damage, to prevent it from getting worse than it already is. We are mindful of this fact, as we work with insurance companies all the time, and as such we must comply with their guidelines.
We at Chateau Restoration, LLC and Disaster Response Team, LLC use a four-step process to treat smoke damage:
We first take out the source of the odor, as much as possible, including unsalvageable debris that is causing the stench, along with other things that could cause a recontamination.
Then we clean things that are reasonably salvageable. This, of course, requires us to physically remove items that have odor-causing residue on them. The area MUST be cleared out before any mitigation work can begin. This action also serves to protect the structural members of the property from further damage. Don’t worry about damaged contents, we take care of it.
We then start cleaning the air inside the home, using various chemicals and equipment. We use special techniques to treat the air by using deodorizing fogs and other counteractants.
At times, we will seal surfaces that are salvageable, not just for aesthetic reasons, but primarily to encapsulate the odor and prevent progressive recontamination.
Understanding the effects of a fire can help all homeowners evaluate what needs to be done. The Fire and Smoke Restoration Experts at Disaster Response Team, LLC and Chateau Restoration, LLC can help you return your home and furnishings to a “pre-loss” condition. Call us today, let's talk. 1-888-YOUR911 is our 24 hour help line.
