The National Fire Protection Association has estimated that there are over 350,000 home fires each year in the United States. Fire damage can cause a lot of distress and even health issues. It is essential to go through the cleanup process as soon as possible.
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Read on to learn ten fire damage repair and restoration tips.
Contact Your Insurance
Before dealing with the damage, you should make a call to your insurance company. An agent can explain the details of your coverage so you will know how much you may need to spend on fire damage repair.
Before taking any action on fire damage remediation, you must wait for the insurance company’s approval. Be sure to talk about the claims process to see how you can get things sped up.
Get the Fire Report
When you have fire damage, you need to get a copy of the fire report. This document will provide essential details about the accident. If known, the source of the fire and an account of the damage will also be included.
The fire report contains data you will need for the insurance claim. These are public documents that won’t be hard to obtain.
Start Mitigation
The first step in fire damage cleanup is to start the mitigation process. Once insurance has been handled, this process should begin right away.
Even if the fire damage your property encountered was only minor, you can experience after-effects. A fire can cause your structure to cave in and your pipes to burst. When smoke residue is present in the area, it is possible to inhale toxic chemicals and other complex gases.
The mitigation process is not something you should take care of on your own. Resources such as this website help explain how fire damage restoration services can help.
Keep Records
An essential part of fire damage cleanup is keeping records of the damaged items caused by the fire. Your insurance may include a policy that covers contents such as destroyed items from a fire. However, if you do not have an inventory of every item you need to get replaced, insurers won’t be able to help.
Document your losses by creating a register. A good time to make a list is when you begin mitigating the property. You can also use photographs as proof of your claim.
The more extra details you have about the items, the better. For example, if you know the date of purchase, price, and can provide a description of the item, you will be in better shape.
Find Important Documents
If documents were lost in the fire, you must replace them immediately. Birth certificates, driver’s license, passports, home deeds, and titles, may all be necessary to have to start a claim. Your agent can tell you which documents you need for your specific incident.
When you have the right documentation beforehand, the claims process may go faster.
Clean the Property
Cleaning a fire-damaged house can be vigorous. This is why many opt to use fire damage restoration services after a fire.
A disaster may leave your home or business looking like a horror movie. You are bound to experience a scorched dark property filled with stains.
The first part of the restoration process is to clean the property. This is done by scrubbing smoke, soot, and dust that may be stuck on surfaces. You can do this yourself, but if you are dealing with major damage, it is best to hire a professional.
If you have water damage due to the fire, the next step is to get the water out. Any standing pools of water should get removed with pumps. Once water is removed, the area is dried out and sanitized.
Get Rid of the Odor
Fire damage restoration professionals can handle the odor that often lingers after a fire. After smoke gets into a room, it leaves a stench that can stick to walls, upholstery, carpet, and more. Areas in the home or business that are directly affected by the fire must be cleaned and deodorized to get rid of the smell.
Moving Undamaged Items
Before the rebuilding process can begin after a fire, damaged and undamaged items should get separated. If you have storage space for items that you are planning to keep, place them there until the restoration process is over.
Items that are badly burnt should be thrown away and removed from the property. Often, a restoration company will dispose of your unwanted items for you.
Restoration
Once all of the above steps are completed, you can begin fire damage repair with the restoration process. Unless you are a handyman yourself, hiring a professional to rebuild your home or business is essential.
The restoration process may cost a lot which is why it is important to keep documents of your expenses. This is a necessary step for the claims process.
The restoration involves bringing your home or business back to what it was before the fire damage occurred. The sooner this process is over, the sooner you can go back to normal.
Preventing Future Fires
Recovering from a fire is exhausting and, often, pricey. The last thing you will want to do is go through the process again. This is why you must actively take precautions to prevent fires in the future.
The easiest way to do this is by installing smoke detectors and having a fire extinguisher handy.
Fire Damage Repair and Restoration Explained
Fire damage repair and restoration are best done by a professional company. A fire accident can cause mental and physical stress that prevents you from being able to restore your home or business on your own. If you have been through a fire damage incident, it is important to follow these tips and prevent future fires.
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