Water Fire Damage Clean Up & Restoration Guide

Removal of excess water is necessary to hasten the drying off of the premises and the items in it after fire or flood.   If you let excess water stay within your home for quite some time, it can lead to a host of other problems such as mold and mildew growth, soaking of the structure which will cause it to weaken and further deteriorate.  Unchecked mildew growth can even affect the neighboring houses as well as poison the environment.

To be able to preclude this additional problem, you will have to start the water removal process immediately.  If you delay this long enough, your home will become a breeding ground of molds and mildews, insects and other pests that love to make this kind of environment their home.  Prior to removal of water, you must first determine if there is a source of flooding and have it repaired.  However, if the source of flooding is an ongoing storm, then there is now way for you to stop the flooding so you will just have to wait for the storm to abate.  Right after the storm, if it is possible, you should have a water extraction company deal with the removal of the excess water.  You will have to do this at once, regardless of the scheduled dealings with your insurance company or the restoration company because every minute your house and your possession stay soaked in water, the more damage it will incur.

As soon as you have contracted the services of a water removal company, you can do the folowing to facilitate their work:

• Shut of all sources of gas and electricity
• If you can safely do this, clear the area of floating debris
• Discar all the items that can no longer be repaired or restored
• Take safety precautions such as wearing protective gears like hand gloves, boots and eye protection
• Choose the areas where you can safely step on or touch as they might be damaged or weakended by the fire or flood
• Be wary of live electrical wirings
• Take out the insulations from the walls, if possible

Having done this, the water removal company can start doing their work with the use of wet vacs, moisture monitor, dehumidifiers to hasten the drying process.  They will also use industrial chemicals such as biocide to clean up and disinfect the premises to prevent the development of molds and other microorganisms.

One disastrous event such as flood can wipe away all the possessions and even people we hold so dearly.  Water, in its controlled form is an invaluable resource but in excess and in a rampaging form can be very damaging.  Just trying to secure your life against the flood’s wrath is traumatic already; can youstill deal with cleaning up the mess it leaves after?  When flood happens, it does not leave anything untouched that is why damage is very extensive.  Flood restoration companies will be able to asses the scope of water damage then they will start doing whatever is necessary to restore the livability of your house.  This will include cleaning of the premises and repair of the house.  You would have to contract their services as soon as possible, because unlike fire, the longer you let flood water stay in your house, the worse its condition becomes.

Prevent Mold and Mildew Growth Through Flood Restoration Services

Mold and mildew development, if left unchecked, can become one of the major problems in a flooded area. Dampness and humidity are the most ideal conditions for mild and mold growth.  Mold and mildew can cause health risks when inhaled.  Some of this can be lung problems, cancer and other bacteria-induced disease.  This can also cause asthma in children.  Allergies, diarhhea and nausea can also result when exposed to water damaged structure and items in the hosue.  Stagnant water can also become breeding ground for other insects and bacteria.

Minimize Water Damage to Electrical Systems through to Flood Restoration Services

Water can cause severe damage to the soaked electrical systems and can cause electrocution or burns to whoever touches them.  Busted electrical system can also cause another disaster, which is fire, and cause further damage to your home.

The best step to take after a disaster such as flood is to hire the services of a professional flood restoration company to make sure that you are going back to a home that is safe and structurally sound.  Get more information about companies offering professional flood restoration services in your locality from you insurance agent or from your local directory.

Being hit by a calamity such as flood, fire or cyclones is devastating as it is.  However, the bigger challenge lies in cleaning up the aftermath as early as possible and trying to restore whatever it is that has been salvaged.  Taking into consideration the economic aspect, you may want to cut on cost and do the cleaning job yourself.  However, there are cleanup jobs that you can not do yourself and have to employ the services of professional cleaners.

Going back home right after a calamity will not be wise as it might be dangerous to do so.  You have to have local authorities such as the police or firemen inspect your place prior to entering it for security reasons.

If your house is insured, it would be best to inform your insurer of the experienced calamity immediately so your insurer can start processing the claim.  They can even give you helpful tips or endorse you to reputable disaster cleaning companies.  The insurer will appreciate your efforts to undertake the cleaning up parts of your home that do not need special equipment or specialists.

For the following tasks, however, experienced and professional contractors should be employed for best and quick results:

Mold remediation: Having a prolonged damp environment is one of the best conditions for mold growth.   So after a fire or flood, the home should be rid of stagnant water as soon as possible because molds can develop in a couple of days or less.  Only a professional cleaning company with the right equipment can do this expediently.

Cleaning up water damage: After a calamity which exposes a property to excessive water (fire or flood), the property owner should endeavor to extract the excessive water the soonest possible time.  The cleaning contractor can remove the water and clear out the debris to identify which of the items can still be salvaged.  The affected areas as well as the furniture and fixtures should be cleaned and disinfected thoroughly.

Cleaning Up After Fire: The stench of smoke can seep into everything that it touches following a fire.  The resulting soot can discolor and damage any object it lands on.  This is a monstrous job that needs the expertise of cleaning companies to clean up all the rabbles and take out the smoke odor from the entire building not to mention the air conditioning and heating systems.

Restoration of Documents: When all the debris has been cleaned up, next in line in of things to do is seeing the extent of damage of your legal documents and personal records.  Depending on the degree of damage, you might have to employ the services of companies specializing in restoration of documents using some modern techniques.  Some of these are freeze drying, air drying and dehumidifying.

After a fire or flood disaster, every property owner should give priority to dealing with possible mold development and the restoration of the affected items.  Mold spores can develop rapidly, as fast as within 24 hours.  If it is left unchecked for more than a day or two, it could cause much damage to its hosts.   Molds belong to the fungi family or microorganisms and under the right conditions such as dampness and humidity, can thrive rapidly on any surface it settles on.  You will just be surprised to see colonies of mold developing on your furniture or flooring.  Even in instances when you think you have cleaned up a certain area, you will be confounded to see them growing again, given the right conditions.  The present of molds in large quantities and for over a long period of time will not only destroy materials, it can also pose as a health hazard, especially for children.  They can develop asthma as they become adults.  Thus, dealing with mold growth as early as possible is advisable.  Following are some tips on how you can deal with mold and mildew growth after a fire or flood disaster.

Getting the Services of a Professional Restoration Company for Mold Restoration

Mold restoration is best left to a professional restoration company because of the health risk it poses.  Additionally, the water-soaked materials might have considerably weakened the structure making it unsafe to touch or step on right after the disaster.  However, mold and mildew can proliferate within 24 hours so that professionals with the skills and know how will know how to immediately deal with the cleanup of the affected premises safely and efficiently.  Your inexperience and lack of knowledge of the characteristics of molds and mildew can further damage the items you are trying to restore and even endanger your health and well being.

Doing Mold Restoriation Yourself

However, considering that you have just been economically devastated because of the recent disaster, you might decide to cut on cost on restoration service and undertake the mold restoration process yourself.  Try to do it with caution, keeping to the following steps as much as possible:

§ Clean the area and the affected items as thoroughly as possible to rid them of soil and grease which is a likely breeding ground of molds

§ Use industrial strength cleaning agents such as trisodium phosphate (TSP) to clean up ash, soot and other fire residues.

§ After cleaning, dry all the items thoroughly

§ Install industrial strength electric fans and dehumidifiers to hasten removal of excess water

§ Items made of heavy fabric such as carpets or draperies should be hanged or aired for thorough drying and to deter mildew and mold development

§ If still possible, acquire an electrostatic air cleaner to get rid of mold spores from the surroundings

Mold restoration can be done by the homeowner with a minimum degree of effectivity.  However, the best result can only be rendered by a professional restoration company, not only because of their expertise but also because of the professional equipment they are using.  You can get more information on the restoration services from your local professional restoration company.

It would be very difficult for anybody to recover from fire damage not only because of the loss of possessions in thousands of dollars but also because of the feeling of chaos and disorientation.  Yet, life must go on and if just to start the process of restoration, the homeowner must deal with several things at the same time to try to bring back normalcy to their lives.  First you will have to deal with the insurance company, then arranging for a temporary place to stay and then starting the restoration process.  The restoration process is where you can make use of the help of professional restoration companies because they can take a big chunk of load from your things to do.  To be able to determine whether you should hire a proessional restoration company or doing it on your own, know how these companies will be able to help you restore your home in a much more acceptable pace.

Get the Services of A Professional to Clean Up Your Home After Fire Damage

Perhaps, one of the more important services a professional restoration company can render to you is the preliminary cleaning up of the premises right after the fire.  It will be almost next to impossible to do this on your own because of underlying hazards brought about by fire damage.  Special equipment and experience in this type of job will have to be employed to clean up the area safely and expeditiously.  The restoration contactor can evaluate the degree of damage and what equipment to use to do the job.  The professional will then start clearing out the debris, separation of the salvageable items, removal of the excess water and bringing in of industrial fans, shop vacs and dehumidifiers to hasten the drying up process.  This has to be done immediately to preclude the development of mold and mildew.  Mold and mildew can develop within 24 hours and must be dealth with immediately or it could pose additional hazard to health and further damage to the affected areas.

Get the Services of A Professional to Repair Your Home after Fire Damage

A professional restoration company can hasten a homeowner’s recovery from home fire damage.   They can do the job efficiently and fast because they employ various professionals trained for the job on hand.  They also have the right kind of equipment which will make this otherwise tedious job of fire damage restoration easy and come up with best results.

Ideally, it is best to deal with the cleanup of your fire-damaged property the soonest possible time which is essential to be able to start rebuilding not only your home but also your life.  Still, this should not be done without taking into consideration how you can safely do this.  Remember that it is possible that your home’s structure has been severely weakened and damaged by the fire and water.  Also, the smoke residue and other hazardous substances that were developed because of the fire can be inhaled and cause some lung, eye or skin problems.  Nothing beats the expertise of professional restoration companies when it comes to doing this job.  It will take out the hit and miss of clean-up which is the last thing you need right now.  There are some basic ways of smoke or fire restoration which professional companies also employ in fixing up your home.

Take Out the Damaged Parts of Fabrics

The first step a professional does in smoke restoration is taking out parts of fabrics that have been seared by the fire or soaked in water.  If you are lucky enough there could be some carpets or draperies that sustained repairable damage.  The restoration companies will then repair the damaged parts and restore it almost to its original state.

Taking out the Flooring, Refurbishing Walls and Ceilings in Smoke ro Fire Restoration

The next step taken by professional restoration companies to clean up the property is through the removal of parts of the floor that has been damaged by fire or water and those that have been irreversibly stained by soot and smoke.  It might even be necessary to take out the entire flooring to hasten the removal of excess water to preclude fungus development and weakening of the structure.  Depending on the extent of the damage, all that has been touched by fire and water might have to be totally replaced.

Just like any damage sustained from disasters, the cleaning up and restoration is best left to the professional restoration companies.  They have the necessary skills, experience and equipment to do the job efficiently and fast.  Your insurer might be able to help you find a reputable restoration company which could help you come through this very trying moment of restoring your fire or water damaged property.

Damage caused by molds may not be immediately evident until such time that it has become widely spread.  Then this can become a health hazard as well as a disintegration agent.  Molds that grow in an open environment look organic and appear greenish to brown.  However, it can also develop inside the home premises without the owner’s knowledge, especially if the condition is ideal – moist and warm.  Molds are a toxic genus of fungus that could become poisonus and therefore a health hazard.  On top of being a health hazard it is also grows and feeds on any organic material that it touches.   The end result, the material host decays to sustain the growth of the molds.  This usually happens on perpetually moist walls or posts, under the carpet, trees and leaves.  If left to breed for a long time, this will lead to the weakening and eventual destruction of wherever it proliferates.

Mold damage sets in for a lot of reasons.  A lot of times, they can be avoided, sometimes not.  Unknown to the homeowner, there could be a tiny pipe leak hidden and unseen at the back of the walls or floorboards.  Leaks on the roof can cause molds to develop on the ceiling as well as the walls.  Excess water caused by fire clean ups can also induce mold growth in places that are not often visited or cleaned.

Mold spores can travel to other places through air.  So when it lands on an organic material and allowed to stay there for a long time, it will start developing and damaging your home or furniture.  When inhaled by the unsuspecting home occupants and pets, could result to a host of illnesses such as respiratory, intestinal and neurological.

Unchecked mold growth can only lead to the decay of your propery.  In a less severe scenario, it can cause discoloration or staining.  This has been the case for thousands of antique items that were meant to be preserved but were found eaten away by mold growth because they have been left unchecked and unmaintained for a long time.

After a fire or flood disaster, taking out the smoke odor and cleaning off the soot on the walls, floors and other fixtures is not sufficient.  A professional restoration company can do a complete cleanup not only those that are seen by the naked eyes but as well as those that can be developing in the hidden recesses of your home.

Experiencing a home fire disaster can be very distressing.  You canot begin to imagine the sense of loss as you see eveything that you have worked for turn to ashes in a matter of minutes.  You can just hope that all is not lost.  It could be that fire damage is not that extensive and that some areas of the house can be still restored and the other possesions still salvageable.  To accurately find out the extent of fire damage, you will have to have the fire damaged property assessed.

Who Can Do the Fire Damage Assessment?

Considering the loss you have just experienced, it would seem logical to want to save some money by doing the cleanup process yourself right away.  However, before doing anything, the first thing you should do is to call your insurance provider to find out if fire damage is covered under your homeowner’s policy.  If your homeowner’s policy covers fire damage, then your insurance provider will have to inspect the premises to be able to come up with an estimate of how much can be paid to from your insurance policy to restore your home.  It would be wiser to hire the services of a professional restoration company to so the cleanup process and the fire damage assessment can be done quickly.  The restoration company will be able to give a good assessment of the damage, and give the assessment to the insurance company.  This process will also let you know if your house will be safe to enter, know the materials that have to be purchased for the repair and the equipment that need to be brought in for cleanup and remediation.  We have listed below some major aspects to consider in order to get a correct fire damage assessment.

Surface Damages

The primary things that should be checked are the surface damages starting from the outside such as the roof for missing shingles, the chimney if it still intact and other items that might have disintegrated because of the fire.  For insurance purposes, the damaged items and areas should be photographed or video recorded for more accurate documentation of the damages.  The yard and surrounding areas as well as the exterior surfaces should also be inspected for damages.

Interior Damages

Subsequently, the inspector should check the inside of the home to see if there are other evident damages such as the walls, roof, ceilings, bathroom fixtures, doors, and windows of all the rooms.  They will be able to assess if these can just be repaired or totally replaced.  Then the inspection should be continued on to the basement, if you have one.

Fire Damage Cleanup

Right after the professional restoration company has done the fire damage inspection and assessment of all the parts of the house – inside, outside as well as the surrounding premises, the next thing to be done is cleaning up the premises of debris and excess water, soot and smoke.  Despite the cost of getting the services of a professional restoration company, it could be the better path to take as they are professionals and experts and would exactly know what to look for, what to do and have the right equipment and solutions to take out the trial and error aspect in the restoration of your home.  It will not only save your home from further damage due to your lack of experience in disaster cleanups, it could also save you time and possibly money as things will be done accurately and expeditiously.

Contact your insurance provider for more information about a professional restoration company in your locality.

Perhaps one the most devasting experience one can have in his/her life time is having his/her home burned to the ground together with everything in it that has been collected over the years.  Stll you will have to relive the sense of loss as you go through the burned items to see if something can still be saved.  However, you have to be very careful in doing this because going inside a place after fire can be extremely dangerous.  Places that might look to be untouched by the fire might just need a little touch to totally disintegrate or collapse.  You will have to ask a professional to look over the place and declare it completely safe to enter before you do so.

If your house is insured and have a coverage that you can claim for almost the entire value of what you have lost, you have to make sure that you do all that is necessary so that there will be no failure of insurance and you can get what is due you.  There are things you should do and avoid doing in respect to damage caused by smoke and fire.

After a fire, it is just normal for the home owner to want to find out as soon as possible what is left of their properties.  But this is foolhardy and should keep in mind to follow some guidelines prior to entering the premises:

What to Do

• Constrain movement so as not to spread the ashes and soot which could further soil and damage carpets and upholstery
• Avoid touching the furniture, walls and other surface with dirty hands
• Cover  the rugs carpet and furniture with towels or old blankets
• Since for sure electricity will be off, all frozen food items should be removed from your refrigerators and freezers and keep the doors open to keep it ventilated.
• Furniture and fixtures with chrome can be cleaned with oil or Vaseline
• You will have to clean your airconditioning and heating system as well as replace the filters.

What Not To Do

Attempting to clean the painted walls and surfaces or shampoiing carpets, rugs and upholstery on your own is not advisable.  You should let a professional restoration company do the job.  If you insist on doing it on your own, chances are, you will not achieve the desired result.

• Electrical appliances that could have been exposed to extreme heat or water should be checked out by a professional electrician to avoid accidents, such as electrocution.
• Canned food or any kind of packaged food that has been exposed to the fire should no longer be eaten as they might already be contaminated with toxic substances.
• Electrical fixtures such as ceiling fan should not be turned on at once because the ceiling might still be wet and affect electrical wirings.
• Soiled clothes that are still salvageable should not be brought to and ordinary wash & dry but to a professional dry cleaner to properly deal with the smoke odor and stains.

Fire damage cleanup is more complicated than you think and following the above rules can make restoration and cleanup a lot easier and efficient.  Following these guidelines will increase the possibility

Fire damage insurance coverage should always be a part of a homeowner’s policy.  Billions of dollars are lost due to fire damage in homes all over the United States year after year.  It will be a bit of a consolation and also a relief if after a disaster such as fire, you are assured that you can recover some of your losses where partially or fully through your fire insurance claims.  By and large, a fire damage insurance coverage can pay back most of the damages caused by fire, however, the extent of coverage will depend upon  the type of coverage you acquired, the laws of the state in regard to insurance coverage.

Canvass the Rates of Fire Damage Insurance from Different Providers

No matter how urgently you need a fire damage insurance coverage, you should not sign up with the first insurance provider that comes to you with a proposal.  Endeavor to get as many quotations as possible and compare the rates and their coverage.  A professional restoration company will be able to give you a good approximation of how much will be required to be able to complete a good restoration job.  The beauty of having a fire damage insurance coverage is it will alleviate the homeowner from worrying too much about where to get the funds to restore the burned home and other possessions and be able to start rebuilding their lives.

Insurance Coverage for Fire Damage

Fire damage insurance policies can vary from state to state and from insurance provider to insurance provider.  There can be coverage for items that have been directly damaged by heat, fire or smoke.  Some may even cover damages that are incurred due to water damage from the water used to put out the fire.  This is also known as secondary water damage.  If the insurance policy is quite extensive, it may pay for the entire cost of restoring your home to its original state.  This is one area where a professional restoration company can help you.  They can give you a good estimate of how much the restoration cost will be which you can in turn give to your insurance provider for their assessment.  As soon as the insurance company has approved the payment of the amount, then you commence the repair works.  Waiting for the approval from the insurance company can become quite a problem because secondary water damage from excess water can already promote mold and mildew development and cause further damage.  Generally, another factor that could affect the amount of insurance payment is what caused the fire.

Fire damage insurance is affected by various factors such as location, extent of coverage, extent of damage, the insurance company as well as the cause of fire.  Logically, an insurance company that offers comprehensive coverage will also be more expensive.  You will have to discuss with your insurance provider to determine the kind of coverage that will suit your needs considering your home’s location, value or environmental factors.  You can get more information about insurance coverage for fire damage from your local insurance provider.