What To Expect After Fire Damage

Fires can quickly burn through your Minneapolis, MN 55446 home, destroying or damaging your belongings. When the fire department finally pulls away, you're left with the task of recovering from smoke and water damage in addition to fire damage. The good news is that restoration professionals have the experience and resources (such as access to dry-cleaning products) to help you clean up, repair, and restore your property and belongings.

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The Fire Damage Restoration Process

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There are several steps involved in the fire damage restoration process. These actions include important tasks like content cleaning:

Emergency Contact: It's crucial that you contact property restoration professionals as soon as possible during or after a fire. Even if emergency services, such as board-up and tarp services, aren't necessary, the restoration team may still need some time to prepare for the work ahead.

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Inspection and Damage Assessment: This step is crucial in determining how to accomplish the next steps. At this point, decisions about content storage, the use of dry-cleaning or ultrasonic methods, and potential property security are made.

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Water Removal: You may not immediately recognize that water damage comes hand-in-hand with fire damage. When fire engines arrive, powerful hoses spray water all over your home. Long after the flames have been put out, water damage continues to affect all impacted surfaces.

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Removal of Smoke and Soot: There may be several surfaces in your home that weren't affected by flames. Unfortunately, as smoke billows throughout your home, sticky soot residue and flakes of ash settle on most surfaces and make their way into hard-to-reach corners. Dry-cleaning is particularly important when it comes to cleaning upholstery and other absorbent materials.

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Cleaning and Repair: After the water, charred materials, and soot residue have been removed, technicians turn their attention to cleaning surviving surfaces and belongings. Your clothing, linens, and similar belongings may need to be dry-cleaned. Depending on the extent of the damage, some of your possessions may go into content storage as well.

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Restoration: This final step involves replacing walls, ceilings, flooring, cabinets, and other parts of the home to make everything look as good as new.

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It's natural to feel overwhelmed at the amount of work necessary to recover from a fire. The good news is that this process is much easier when professionals are involved. You may not even have to deliver your belongings to the dry-cleaning shop because much of the work is completed by restoration technicians.