3 Essential Things NOT to Do in Fire Damage Clean Up in Newport Beach

5/14/2018 (Permalink)

Suffering a fire is devastating, no matter the size of the fire or the reason for the damage. Even if nobody was hurt or killed, the loss of belongings can affect everyone. All those treasured memories are lost and then you have to think about replacing items. However, before you worry about any of that, you need to get started in fire damage clean up in Newport Beach.

There are a lot of tips on what to do to clean up the damage. However, there are also a lot of mistakes that people make. Here are three essential things NOT to do.

#1. Keep Food Items

When the home has suffered a fire, all the food in the house will be dangerous to consume. This includes canned goods and even in rooms where the fire didn’t spread. It’s the heat of fire that makes the food dangerous. You end up with bacteria growth within the food after it’s cooled down.

You’ll want to throw out everything. Depending on your home insurance, you may be able to itemize the food and claim the loss through your insurance. This is especially the case if you run a business on the property (and that’s listed within your home insurance).

#2. Self Newport Beach Fire Damage Clean Up

While you may want to keep the costs of repair down, managing the whole cleanup process isn’t a good idea. You’re far too close to the damage to look at things objectively, but you also don’t know the best way to handle the cleanup. There’s a risk of dislodging the smoke and fire ash residue on the walls or in the flooring, which can lead to you breathing it in and causing lung damage.

The best thing you can do is leave it to professionals. They have the right materials and products to make your house as good as new.

#3. Keep Upholstered Furniture After a Major Fire

If you had a small fire in another room, some upholstered furniture may have been left untouched. However, there are times that you’ll need to completely replace the furniture. Upholstered furniture will collect fire ash and residue. Leaving these behind can cause breathing problems later on.

It’s not just the fire damage either. There will also be water damage from putting out the fire. If items didn’t dry out fully in 48 hours, they run the risk of mold damage in the future. Upholstered furniture is one of the hardest to dry out quickly enough.

Hiring a good team of professionals will help you figure out what you can keep and what needs to be thrown out and replaced. The same applies to the carpets, rugs, clothing, and other similar items.

While you want to get back to normal as soon as possible, you also need to play things safe. Avoid the top three mistakes in fire damage clean up in Newport Beach and put your safety and your family’s safety first.