It isn’t easy recovering after a fire has damaged your home. When dealing between fire departments and your insurance company it might be difficult to know where to turn. Restoring a home that has sustained fire damage might require the use of local professionals near you to complete the job. However, all is not lost. There are still ways to help your situation by finding little ways to clean up your home.
Before you can enter your property make sure you follow these guidelines and have the proper equipment to work safely. If not then you could endanger yourself from debris or smoke.
Safety First
- Before you enter your home make sure it is deemed safe by the Fire Department or a Fire Marshal
- Wear a Mask (Especially if a plastic fire)
- Wear Boots
- Bring a Phone/Camera to take pictures of the damage and keep it for your records
Normally, at this stage in the process you might want to collect items from your home while you are being put up at a hotel or found some other temporary residence. Focus on items that you use frequently while you are away from your home. You might be put up in accommodations for 1-6 months (depending on your insurance provider) and the damages themselves might take 3-12 months to repair.
What To Remove From Your Home:
- Throw out any open of possibly exposed foods that make have been contaminated from the fire, smoke or soot
- Get all your everyday used valuables out of your home (phone, charger, laptop, tablet etc.)
- Get out clothes if they are not severely damaged
While your home restoration and insurance company restore the major damage, you can be of assistance too. Use some of these tips to suppress further damage from soot, odors and fire damage. Take some preventative measures to suppress all further damages.
Dealing with fire damage can seem like a never-ending nightmare.
DIY Fire Damage Restoration Tips:
- Determine what items can be left in the property.
- Secure fine-mesh bags, cheesecloths, cotton towels or handkerchiefs over your vents to prevent soot and ash from entering the ventilation system.
- Set coffee grounds out throughout the house to help with absorbing odors
- Turn off any HVAC systems to avoid contamination
- Replace your HVAC filter
- Open all windows and doors to ventilate and help get the smoke out as much as possible
- Don’t plug in any electronics. Call an electrician first to inspect for any electrical damage from the fire
- Let the professionals fix areas extensively damaged for fear of decay and debris
It is important to remember that while you may want to start cleaning fire damage on the walls, carpet and upholstery, doing so may invalidate your home insurance provider’s agreement. If you have home insurance, it’s best to check with your provider about what is covered.
The process can be a long one to get back into your home post fire. Make sure you take proper measures to rebuild your home after an emergency. A property restoration company like DriForce, Belfor, Jarvis, Gold Star or Signal will be able to prevent future damages and make a fair assessment of the damages to your home or in Metro Detroit. A good restoration company will work alongside inspectors and find the impact that fire, smoke, and soot had on your home. Once the evaluation is done an accurate quote for costs and an accurate schedule can be made.
Fire Repair, Renovation and Consultation
The restoration company’s next priority is to board up and secure any parts of the home that could be facing further damages if not addressed. Choosing a company that has contractors and specialists that can handle any kind of emergency restoration task is important in getting your home cleanup and renovated the right way. There are many great restoration companies to choose from in Michigan. Make sure to choose the right restoration company that can handle, remediate, remove and restore damage from water, mold, asbestos, storm or fire.