How To Handle Smoke And Fire Damage in Michigan

Obviously no one wants to deal with smoke or fire damage in their home. But if it does happen it is important to fight the instinct to immediately start cleaning up and make sure you take all the proper steps to ensure your safety and guarantee everything is able to be restored. While attempting to preserve things that are damaged, it’s important to keep yourself safe while doing so. That is why it is so important to know what you should and should not do when you have smoke and fire damage in Michigan. We’ll go over some steps of what you should do if you find yourself in this troublesome situation. 

How To Handle Smoke And Fire Damage in Michigan

Accidents happen and sometimes we don’t realize just how much damage it can cause. Leaving a pot on the stove and having a small kitchen fire may not seem like a big problem but when it comes to the smoke damage that can happen you’ll quickly learn that it affects the entire home. Smoke and  soot can carry almost anywhere in the home because of modern HVAC systems. So even for a small kitchen fire, you may have to have smoke damage restoration for the entire home. At Michigan Restoration Pros we offer both of these services to help you get your home back in order fast!

The 10 key steps to take when you first see smoke or fire damage are:

1. Take pictures of everything and make sure you notify the insurance company and the owner of the building if you rent. You will need proof of damage in order to make a claim.
2. Remove any children or pets from the home and into a safe, clean environment until everything is taken care of.
3. Protect and clean your chrome faucets and appliances with detergent and then apply a generous coating of Vaseline or oil to keep them bright and shiny.
4. Remove loose smoke particles from your carpets, fabric upholstery and draperies by blowing off or brush vacuuming them.
5. If the weather is appropriate for it, you should open windows to provide better ventilation to the home and get the air flowing.
6. If your electricity is off you will need to remove all food and drinks from your fridge and freezer. Once they are empty you should prop open the doors to allow air to circulate through them.
7. During the winter, if your heating is off you will need to put anti-freeze into toilet bowls, tanks, sinks and bathtubs to prevent pipes from freezing.
8. If you are dealing with no heat in winter, you will have to get a qualified plumber to come out to drain and blow out every water line in the home.
9. Have a drycleaner pick up ant salvageable items.
10. Find and hire a licensed contractor to board up any open spaces in windows, roofs, or any parts of the house.

To prevent any further complications it is important to avoid:

1. Trying to wipe or wash fire residue from your walls, ceiling or other porous surfaces.
2. Keep using any carpeting or upholstered furniture that has been impacted heavily by smoke residue or debris.
3. Consume any food or canned goods exposed to the heat of the fire.
4. Use and products or household cleaners that have been exposed to extreme heat.
5. Plug in or turn on any electronics like computers, televisions or appliances until they have been checked out and the outlets have the all clear.
6. Spend any more time than necessary in the building until everything has been inspected and air flow has removed some of the smoke. You should always have a mask on when dealing with the aftermath of fire or smoke damage.
7. Risk your safety on structurally unsound areas. Until the professionals have completely cleared the home it is not advisable to on any stair or walk on anything that could potentially fall through.

If you have any questions or concerns about how to go about handling smoke and fire damage in Michigan, be sure to contact Michigan Restoration Pros. We offer a complete restoration service for homes in Michigan. Call us today to learn more and to get fire and smoke damage restoration for your home.