If your home has been hit by a fire, after you find a safe place to stay, you need to begin the process of cleaning up your home so that you can live in it again. Cleaning up after a fire is different than regular cleaning, so you need to make sure that you are taking the right steps.
Wait for the All-Clear
Do not just try to go back into your home. You are going to need to wait to get the all-clear before going back into your home. In many areas, the fire department will send someone out to inspect the home and let you know if there are any structural integrity issues with the home. If there are structural integrity issues, you should not enter the home for any reason. Contact a fire damage restoration service to handle cleaning out and up your home. If your home is safe to enter, you can start the clean-up process yourself.
Get Rid of All Your Food
Start in your kitchen, where things may tend to get really stinky if left on their own for a long period of time. Do not try to save the food in your kitchen. You want to throw it all away, including canned and boxed foods.
This may seem like a big waste, but the smoke and the heat from the fire can compromise even sealed foods like canned goods and make the contents unsafe to eat. You may be able to itemize the cost of buying new food for your kitchen with your insurance claim.
Do Not Try to Save Upholstery
Do not try to save any fabric-based material in your home. That means getting rid of all of your furniture, carpet, curtains, and even clothing if it was exposed to heavy smoke. Anything that was exposed to heavy smoke should go. Don't try to save it.
Keep Electronics Off
As you go through your home, do not turn on any electric item that was in a room or space that filled up with smoke. Smoke can actually get inside of your electrical items, leaving behind ash that can damage or ruin your electrical item if you turn it on. Electrical items that can be ruined by smoke and ash include your dishwasher, fridge, washing machine, dryer, radio, and computer. If you need to plug it in or use a battery to run the item, make sure that it is professionally cleaned before you try to use it.
After a fire, all the food in your kitchen needs to go. Do not try to save cloth-based items that were in smoke filled rooms, and get all of your electronic and electricity based items cleaned before you turn them on or try to use them before they are professionally cleaned. Visit websites like https://www.cleancareva.com for more information.
