Restoring Your Home After a Fire

7/12/2021 (Permalink)

Fire damage in a Louisa, VA home.

Residential Fire Restoration

Thanks to your efforts and those of responding firefighters, your home survived a blaze that otherwise could have destroyed it. However, that doesn’t exactly mean the job is done. Even a small fire can lead to significant home damage in Louisa, VA, such as:

• Soot damage to walls, floors and furniture
  
• Embedded smoke smell
  
• Damage to important structural pieces
  
  

Your home still has a long way to go toward getting back to normal, but by working with a professional fire and smoke cleaning crew, you can expedite the process and get things done right. Of course, there are a few things you can do on your own as well.

Air Out the Area

Once you’ve received the okay to go back into your house, consider airing out the affected space. This means opening up windows and doors, and maybe even installing some high-powered fans or box fans in the windows. This can help carry some of the soot and smoke outdoors, mitigating some smoke damage and making the cleanup job a little easier.

Work With Professionals

Soot damage might seem simple to clean up, but in reality, it requires special tools to get the job done right. Porous surfaces like those on some countertops and fabrics such as carpets, rugs and couches can thoroughly absorb soot, making them nearly impossible to clean with regular means. Fortunately, the pros have the tools and know-how to rescue a majority of your belongings.

The Smell

Finally, note that a simple cleaning or airing-out isn’t likely to completely get rid of the smoke smell right away. Smoke, like soot, is absorbed into fabrics and other porous materials, giving it a means to linger longer. Likely your clean-up crew will use a special machine over a series of weeks to get rid of the smell.

By working with your clean-up crew and lending a hand where you can, you can get rid of smoke damage. Work to get your home back to its old self as quickly as possible in the aftermath of a fire.