After the firefighters work is completed, the danger seems to have passed. Your home is safe from further damage…right? Not so quick my friend! Without a fire damage repair professional to help clean the smoke damage, the building will never return to normal, actually sustain additional damage and remain a health risk to your family.. Fire restoration requires a lot of experience and manpower to perform adequately, and should not be attempted by the homeowner.

While fire is the immediate emergency, once that crisis is mitigated, what is left behind will have long-term consequences on the home. Ash and smoke, if not handled properly, will cause extensive corrosion, etching and discoloration, not to mention lingering powerful odors. Fire damage repair professionals can stop this before it becomes a major problem. Speed is of the utmost importance, a quick response with qualified professional always gives the best result. There are many companies out there that advertise their ability to restore areas affected by fire, but only those with proper training and certification should be considered. The Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) is the certification and standard-setting for the industry. The IICRC requires its members to take extensive coursework before earning their certification. The IICRC is a symbol of excellence, demand it!

These professionals can clean smoke damage and restore items affected by a fire, but they must be brought to the site as soon as possible to halt the ongoing issues that ash residue can cause. The first thing that ash from a home fire does is discolor surfaces. Items close to the fire or anything made of plastic will start discoloring within minutes, and within several hours, fiberglass and finishes on appliances will begin to yellow. Metals may also tarnish. After a few days, the ash will cause walls to discolor permanently, along with clothing and upholstery. Soon, wood and vinyl will need to be refinished or replaced, and corrosion will occur on metal.

If a professional isn’t quickly hired to clean smoke and fire damage, the costs for will escalate through the roof. Hopefully, you have a roof (a little fire damage restoration joke)! If you don’t react quickly, metals will need to be replaced, carpet will permanently discolor and glass may be severely etched. Often, odors will emit and be a constant reminder of the incident. Ash is very acidic, the longer it takes to hire experts, the more damage it will cause.

Upon arriving on-site the fire damage restoration professional will identify all affected materials and the source of any odors. Attention to detail and being thorough is super important in cleaning smoke and fire damage. Ash residue is easily disturbed and will spread through the building, causing most items to need restoration. The fire damage experts will identify what can and cannot be salvaged, and will remove any ash residue that has accumulated on surfaces. If there is a delay before the restoration process begins, ash will build up in layers, and may eventually form into a lacquer-like consistency. After the ash removal has occurred, the restorers will locate the source of the odor, and treat it with specialized detergents that are formulated for neutralizing this kind of odor. Once materials are treated, they may be sealed off to prevent any further odor from permeating the air in the future.

A well intentioned Do-It-Yourselfer often actual costs themselves dollars and much heartache. Let a fire damage professional assist you in getting your home and huge investment back to normal.