Fire Do’s and Don’ts: Emergency Tips

10/1/2020 (Permalink)

Let us help you with your fire damage cleanup.

The unthinkable has happened. Your business or home had a fire. Now what?

You want to get started right away cleaning and sorting, but where to start? Fire damage is tricky to clean, and you can actually make things worse, without professional help.

Here are some helpful tips to get you through, until help arrives:

Do’s:

• Do keep your hands clean. Soot on your hands can spread and embed into everything, causing more damage.
• Do limit your movement in the house to prevent soot particles from stirring up and spreading.
• Do place dry, old towels and old linens on the carpet traffic areas and upholstered furniture to prevent further damage.
• Do empty the refrigerator and freezer completely, if electricity is off. Prop the doors open, to air out any odors.
• Do clean and protect chrome on kitchen and bathroom faucets, trim, and appliances with a light coating of oil.
• Do wash house plants with water on both sides of the leaves.
• Do change the furnace filter, and tape double layers of cheesecloth over air vents to stop particles of soot from getting in or out of the HVAC system.

Don’ts

• Don’t attempt to wash any walls.
• Don’t attempt to clean carpet or upholstered furniture without first consulting SERVPRO of Charlottesville.
• Don’t operate or clean any electrical appliances or equipment until they have been cleaned and checked by an authorized repair service. Smoke residues can be corrosive and conductive.
• Don’t send clothing with smoke residues to dry cleaners, who are inexperienced in cleaning fire-damaged garments. If it is not treated by an experienced professional, the residues and smoke odors may set in the clothing.
• Don’t use any canned or packaged food or beverages that may have been stored near the fire, heat or water. This also applies to any cosmetics and medications that could be contaminated.
• Don’t turn on ceiling fixtures if ceiling is wet. Wiring may be wet or damaged and cause electrical shock, and air movement may create secondary damage.

For information on our fire damage restoration process, click here.

For Before and After photos of fire-damage, click here.

For a local video testimonial on our soot clean-up, click here.

Need professional help with your fire damage clean-up?

SERVPRO of Charlottesville is locally owned and operated, and is “a trusted leader in the restoration industry.” Call us for 24/7 Emergency Service at 434-977-5850