Homeowners and Fire Damaged Items in Frederick

3/31/2023 (Permalink)

Homeowners with fire damage can rely on SERVPRO for cleanup and restoration. We're Faster To Any Size Disaster.

Professional Help is a Better Choice for Fire Restoration in Frederick

A house fire can burn and damage almost any item in your home. A blaze can burn some things entirely, while other items may be warped or smoke-damaged. We understand the need to get your stuff clean as quickly as possible. However, it is much better to call for professional help.

DIY attempts to clean up after fire damage in Frederick can worsen the problem. You might end up with streaky walls or soot smeared across surfaces. It is safer and more effective to let SERVPRO take care of the fire cleanup for you.

SERVPRO is available around the clock, every day. The sooner you call us, the sooner we can reach you and begin the fire restoration process.

Which Items are Salvageable After a House Fire?

When you see smoke-blackened furniture or soft furnishings, you might think that all your belongings are lost. However, with professional cleaning and restoration from SERVPRO, it is possible to restore many household items to their preloss condition.

Our technicians assess the severity and extent of smoke and fire damage in your home. We let you know which items we can salvage and cannot. We have the equipment to clean a wide range of household items, including:

• Wooden and metal furniture
• Floors, rugs, and drapes
• Ornaments and children’s toys
• Documents, artwork, and photographs

Please note it is advisable to dispose of all food items within the vicinity of the fire. We always give you a realistic estimate of what we can do and the results you can expect to see.

What Cleaning Method is Best for Fire Damaged Items?

Efficient cleaning is more cost-effective than refinishing or replacing items. Cleaning also means you get to keep the article, which is good news. We train our technicians in a range of cleaning methods, including:

• Dry cleaning
• Wet cleaning
• Spray and wipe
• Foam cleaning
• Abrasive cleaning

We match the method to the type of fire damage. For example, dry cleaning is suitable for light to medium soiling when the soot is not greasy. Dry cleaning includes using feather dusters and sponges to wipe away dry residue. We can also use powerful HEPA vacuum cleaners to remove debris.

Wet cleaning means saturating the items using either water or approved cleaning agents and is often used for heavier soiling. Sometimes we need to dry clean first to lessen the amount of soot before wet cleaning.

How Does SERVPRO Take Care of More Delicate Items?

What happens when neither wet nor dry cleaning is an option? We can use gentler methods. Spray and wipe cleaning means using a spray bottle to apply a cleaning agent, which gives our technicians more control over how wet the material gets. Spray and wipe means we can target smaller areas, too. Foam cleaning is ideal for fire-damaged upholstery that might be at risk of shrinking or dye running if saturated. Our technicians agitate shampoo to whip up a good head of foam, then apply carefully to the affected upholstery using an upholstery brush.

The key to effective fire restoration cleaning is a thorough understanding of each cleaning technique. We train all our technicians to Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC) standards. 

IICRC certification covers the whole fire damage process, not just the cleaning part. You can rest assured that our technicians practice industry standards in every aspect, from assessing your home, cleaning items, and deodorizing to documenting the process.

If you need help with fire damage cleaning, call SERVPRO of Frederick County at (301) 662-1747. We are proud to say we always aim to leave your home “Like it never even happened.”