When you are dealing with fire damage, you want to be able to get repairs done quickly. The repairs are going to have to wait until you finish cleaning up the damage. There are problems that you can encounter during the cleaning process that you need to know how to deal with. The following information will help you clean up so you can have the fire damage repaired.
Electricity and Utility Hazards—The first things that need to be addressed are the hazards of utility services. First, make sure that the electricity has been turned off in your home. The other utilities, like the water service and gas, also need to be checked for damage and turned off. Make sure to check all the utilities before continuing with the rest of the cleaning.
Contamination Hazards with Fire Damage—The fire that caused the damage to your home could have also caused contamination. This is often due to building materials, chemicals, and toxic materials that were burnt or exposed to heat during the fire. Therefore, you want to make sure to protect yourself from the toxic materials with the appropriate safety gear. Make sure to use a mask, safety gloves, and boots while cleaning up the materials before beginning fire damage repairs.
Standing Water That Needs to Be Cleaned—The fire was put out with fire retardants and water, which means that there is probably standing water in your home that needs to be removed. The standing water could also be due to damage to the pipes during the fire. No matter what the cause of the standing water in your home is, you are going to need to get it out before the fire damage restoration work can be completed.
Removing Heavy Ash and Soot to Finish Cleaning—Lastly, there may be a lot of ash and soot that needs to be removed. The last step in the cleaning process should be removing all debris with the waste that is removed during demolition. When you get ready to start repairing your home, there should be no ash and only faint signs of smoke damage that may still need to be cleaned.
These are the problems that you are going to have to deal with during the cleanup process to get ready to repair fire damage. If you are ready to start repairing your home, contact a fire damage repair service for help with the restoration.