What Items Commonly Get Disposed of After Fire Damage in Oceanside Homes?

2/16/2020 (Permalink)

SERVPRO will help you through every decision after your Oceanside fire damage.

Your Oceanside home will need more than a clean up after fire damage.

When a house fire occurs, even on a small scale, the potential for fire damage and long term effects on the structure and contents remains. One of the most painful decisions is deciding what items must go.

SERVPRO technicians clean up fire damage in Oceanside homes and know how to assess restoration potential. Although the goal is to save property owners from the cost of replacement, charred and soot-covered items often require disposal. When going through debris post-fire, SERVPRO technicians only dispose of things too damaged for restoration by cleaning with the approval of the adjuster or homeowner.

Items that Frequently are a Loss

Smoke damage and soot are an irritant to many people and can cause redness or itching on contact. It is almost impossible to clean and disinfect clothing, bedding, and other textiles for safe reuse in the home. Cosmetics and medications have the potential to change chemically after a fire and could be affected by contaminants and chemicals used to extinguish the fire. Drugs, in particular, can lose their potency and should be tossed. 

Food items exposed to soot in particular need disposal after a fire loss. Because soot particles can exist smaller than the human eye can see, they travel easily along screwtops of sealed foodstuffs contaminating them. The high heat can also cause the development of bacteria inside sealed food containers. 

Items that May Be Restorable

When SERVPRO techs mitigate fire loss, they look for things with restorability potential. Immersion cleaning works best on non-porous objects that can tolerate saturation in a liquid cleaning agent. This method thoroughly removes soot and smoke residues. Hardwood furniture without charring is not necessarily a loss. The techs have various cleaners to lift away the smoke damage from the wood. If necessary, the application of a sealant and restaining may get recommended to restore the furnishing fully. The techs wipe down surfaces using specifically chosen cleaning agents to ensure all traces of the fire get cleaned up. 

SERVPRO of Long Beach / Oceanside at (516) 536-1801 has certified technicians and equipment to handle any size fire damage and make the loss "Like it never even happened."

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