Fire Damage Cleanup Instructions

Dealing with the damage after a fire is something that no one who owns a home wants to have to deal with, not only since the home has been damaged, but also because the belongings inside it have been damaged, as well. Repairing the damage can be done either by a professional or by you, depending on the funds that you have to devote to the project, although you can probably do a lot of the cleanup and repair on your own.

The very first thing that you need to do before you re-enter your home after a fire is to make sure that your local fire marshal says that it is safe to. Once it is safe, turning off the electricity to your home is the next thing to do, since odds are good that the fire truck that responded to your call for help likely sprayed many, many gallons of water into your home. This can cause an electrocution risk of you step into electrified standing water. Remove this water after the electricity has been turned off as soon as possible.

Pets should be taken to a clean environment until the cleanup of the home is completed. This is especially true for birds, since they are much more sensitive to environmental changes than other animals.

Plants need to be washed on both sides of their leaves to remove soot, since this soot can likely kill them.

Any food that has been opened should be thrown away, especially if it was anywhere near the fire.

The windows and doors of the home should be opened to allow ventilation. This should help to remove the smell of smoke from the rest of the home.

Anything that needs to be vacuumed should be vacuumed carefully and without an upright vacuum that has brushes underneath it. Brushes will only rub the soot further into the carpet and all you want to do is lift it gently off the surface. After the soot is cleaned off the carpet and other upholstered items, put down plastic over them so you do not track soot in from other areas of the house.

Avoid sitting on upholstered furniture if you can help it.

Electronic appliances need to be cleaned and checked thoroughly.

Clean chrome, stainless steel, marble, and other materials in your home as soon as possible, since soot and ash can etch these items irreparably.

The clothing in your home should not be sent to a normal dry cleaner. Cleaning these items improperly may set the odor and smoke further into the fabric.


Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York water damage restoration and other states and cities such as
New York Basement Water Removal companies across the united states. (1)