A house fire is always possible. Kitchens flare up, closed fireplace flues, electrical fires or even an over cooked dinner can cause a horrible fire. The after math associated a house fire can bring about smoke damage which wreaks havoc in damages. When smoke damage occurs homeowners may deal with respiratory problems that can especially affect their children and elderly adults. The longer the soot sits, the more it will soak into the walls, carpets and furniture.
What to Do Once the House Fire is Out
So as soon as a fire is out, and the place is determined as safe, the homeowner should get to work, but never without gloves, eye protection, face mask and a respirator to keep smoke particles off their skin and out of their lungs. Some of the things he should take care of include:
- The first step is to open up and ventilate the house as fast as possible, open windows and doors, this will help mitigate the smoke damage.
- Turning off any HVAC systems will avoid further spreading of the smoke.
- Renting a few industrial fans and angling them towards the windows and doors will help suck out the smoky air.
- Hiring deep carpet cleaning professionals will be the better option when dealing with soot, they will assess if your carpet is a health hazard that needs to be replaced or if you can deal with the issue with a thorough cleanse and deodorizing job.
- Heavily damaged items should be thrown away immediately.
- Wiping down and washing thoroughly is a must.
- Washing and dry cleaning all clothing and drapes
- Throwing away any food that was not sealed in air tight containers.
- Replace all HVAC filters.
Now, if the smoke or fire damage has been extensive in a home, calling professionals is pivotal in avoiding long term damage, they will assess the home and take care of clean up and help the homeowner get rid of the odor. A smoke or fire remediation professional will get to those hard to reach areas where not even the most enthusiastic homeowner can’t reach.
For more information on house fires, go to www.usfa.fema.gov.
