Fire Restoration

Initial Approaches

The first thing to do when restoring anything that has been fire damaged is to air out the item and dry it completely. Any item soaked or damaged by water must be dried before cleaning materials are applied. Air out rooms by opening up windows and doors. Allow air to pass through the home to carry out water vapor and dry the interior.

The walls of a building are usually charred during a fire and water logged from efforts to extinguish the blaze. The first step is to dry walls using large fans. Open all the windows in the room and set up the fans to oscillate around the room as well as on the wall itself. This will blow the air out of the rooms, moving moisture from the inside to the outside. Any drywall that is soggy or crumbling must be taken down with a crow bar and replaced after the wall framing boards are completely dry.

Clothing requires special care. Fabrics are delicate and absorb the grease in soot. Applying typical chemical cleaners will not remove all the soot and odor. Take clothes to a professional dry cleaner specializing in fire restoration. Use a vacuum to remove dry soot from the surface of fabrics, holding the nozzle inches from the fabric. Do not use cloth or sponges to clean soot damaged fabrics, as this only works the soot into the fibers, making it harder to clean.

On upholstered fabrics, use the same care when cleaning. Do not use sponges or rags to wipe soot away. Vacuuming the soot is the only way to lift it off the material. Place tin foil under the legs of the furniture to protect carpets. Again, dry these items thoroughly before attempting restoration. Professional cleaners will restore furniture as well as clothing.

After a fire, soot collects in the carpet nap. Simply vacuuming the carpet with a regular vacuum will not remove all of the soot or odor. A professional quality, heavy duty vacuum must be used. Allow the carpets to dry thoroughly before cleaning. Any carpets that have become water logged must be replaced. When water permeates the carpet into the padding beneath, the carpet is considered ruined. Replace all badly damaged carpets with new carpet.