Fire Damage Tips in Northern Ohio

The damage that fire causes to your home is much more than structural damage from flames and heat. There are several, less noticeable, ways that fire can damage your personal belongings that can play a role in the health and safety of your family if not handled quickly & properly. Restore Pro would like to provide with some tips on how to determine if your belongings are safe to keep.

Can my dishes be cleaned after a fire?

Most dishes, including pots, pans, baking dishes, silverware and any utensils—essentially anything that will come into contact with your food, can and should be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized after a fire. However, dishes that are plastic or wood will likely need to be thrown away, because the smoke will have been absorbed into the material of the item. You’ll want to wash all dishes in hot water with soap, and then rinse the dishes in a bleach solution.

The fire never touched my food, is it safe?

 Hazardous toxins can be released in the air as certain items burn. These toxins can enter the food stored in your home. Ingesting food that has been exposed to these toxins may cause illness. In addition, the heat from fire can damage canned goods, making them potentially harmful to eat. A good rule of thumb in regards to food that has been through a fire is simply to throw away any food you think may have been impacted.

My clothing and furniture like smoke, now what?

Smoke damage can affect areas of your home that are in an area unaffected by the actual fire. Bedding, clothing, draperies, rugs and carpeting will all absorb the smell of smoke and will need to be treated to be safely used.

Like dishes, clothing can also retain toxins that may be harmful, and clothing should not be worn until properly cleaned and disinfected. Many clothing items that have suffered smoke damage can be restored, depending on the material the items are made of. You may want to consider taking larger items to a commercial cleaner who has experience restoring items from smoke damage.

For carpeting, furniture or rugs, a professional fire restoration expert from Restore Pro should be consulted to remove smoke damage. If your carpeting and furniture also sustained water damage, the restoration expert will also be able to remove water and dry your carpets and furniture. Depending on the extent of the damage, and how long carpeting has been damp, it may be best to replace it rather than try to restore it.

Cleanup After A Fire and Smoke Damage

While you may want to do the cleanup of your home yourself, there may be many things you are not considering that could impact your health and safety in your home. Restore Pro can help you with your concerns and questions.
Fire restoration is an extensive process that affects many areas of your home. You may want to work alongside a fire restoration specialist who can focus on larger projects while you are able to focus on cleaning clothing, dishes and other items. This will not only speed up the cleanup process, but will also release some of the burden from you. Call Restore Pro 877-594-9125 for all of your Fire Damage needs.