When a fire breaks out in your home or building, it can result in extensive damage. Not only will the flames themselves burn through any personal belongings and building materials that are in their way, but smoke, soot, and other corrosive byproducts will cause secondary damage. The secondary damage can be even worse than the initial harm and will become permanent if not treated in a timely manner.
Knowing this, do not hesitate to get fire damage restoration work started right away. You may feel like you can handle the cleaning and restoration yourself, but this may not be the best idea for various reasons.
From soot cleaning to smoke odor removal, fire damage cleanup work can encompass a great number of things, so it can be tough to handle without the proper knowledge, resources, equipment, and products. While there are various do-it-yourself techniques that can be used for fire damage restoration, they are not always effective.
Continue reading to learn more about why it may not be the best thing to handle fire damage restoration on your own.
Safety Risks
Once a fire has been extinguished, you may feel safer knowing the flames are gone. However, there are still safety risks concerning your fire-damaged property. Smoke and soot will continue to linger even after the fire is out. Exposure to such substances can be harmful for your health, so you need to have the necessary protective gear to keep yourself safe from these hazards.
For example, soot particles contain substances like ammonia and formaldehyde, which have been known to cause cancer. There is also the matter of breathing in smoke and soot, which can result in respiratory concerns.
Lack of Proper Equipment, Products, and Knowledge
With damaged building materials and personal contents harmed by smoke and soot, it can be easy to see what has been harmed in the fire and what needs to be treated. However, conducting fire damage restoration work is not a simple process, and you cannot simply use the products and equipment you have to clean up the resulting mess.
For example, you should not use a regular household vacuum to clean your carpeting and furnishings because it is not sufficient and can release more soot particles into the air. Instead, these items need to be treated by a professional to ensure thorough cleaning.
Likewise, using your household laundry machine to clean clothes and other fabric materials that were damaged by soot is not recommended. The soot can ruin the appliance and eventually spread to future loads of laundry.
Furthermore, you may come across items in your property that sustained damage in the fire and assume they need to be discarded and replaced. This is not always the case, though. Without the proper knowledge, it can be tough for people to know what stuff you can salvage. In the aftermath of a fire, you want to minimize your losses, so saving whatever you possibly can is helpful.
Simply put, incorrectly cleaning smoke and soot damage can actually make matters worse, so it is often not worth it to try and handle fire damage restoration work on your own.
Longer Restoration Process
When you do not have the knowledge, training, and/or equipment needed to conduct fire damage restoration work, there is an inevitable learning curve. You will need to spend time figuring out what to do to clean and restore the damage whereas a professional could easily assess the situation and then create a proper restoration plan.
That said, chances are you cannot work as efficiently as a professional fire restoration company could. Additionally, if you end up discarding things, mistakably thinking they cannot be salvaged, then that could also lengthen the restoration process.
Before handling the actual fire damage restoration work, you may first need to deal with insurance and the claims process.
Professional Fire Damage Cleanup Services
Knowing of the trouble that may arise if you try to handle fire damage restoration work on your own, do not hesitate to instead hire a fire restoration company.
If a fire breaks out in your property, evacuate the property, and get in touch with your local fire department to have the flames extinguished. Once the fire is out, contact a professional fire restoration company for help.
At ServiceMaster Disaster Associates, Inc., we offer professional fire damage restoration services to assist homes and businesses in Stoneham, MA, and the neighboring areas that have experienced fire damage. Our professional fire technicians are experts who have specialized equipment, advanced techniques, and essential knowledge needed to thoroughly clean, rebuild, and restore fire-damaged properties.
To begin, our experts will promptly arrive at your property following your call for help to stabilize the structure. From there, we will make repairs, clean the smoke and soot damage, and effectively remove lingering smoke odors. With help from our emergency fire damage restoration services, your property will be safe to return to and restored to its pre-fire condition.
Can I Handle Fire Damage Cleanup Myself? was last modified: November 10th, 2021 by ServiceMaster Disaster Associates, Inc.
