What to expect if you have a fire in your home

6/29/2022 (Permalink)

Fire damage, including smoke and soot, affects not only the structure of your house but also your belongings. SERVPRO of Manistee, Ludington and Cadillac understands your family’s furniture, clothing, keepsakes, and other belongings make your house more than a structure; they make it a home. Contents cleaning is one area where “Do it yourself” attempts are probably a bad idea. Unlike structural areas where you can cover incomplete cleaning with a coat of paint, content cleaning needs to be done correctly or your home could smell when high humidity amplifies odors in the summer.

If You Have Questions or Need Help, Call Us Today – (231) 723-4872

Contents Restoration

SERVPRO of Manistee, Ludington and Cadillac specializes in restoring contents damaged by water, fire, or mold. Our expertise and “restore” versus “replace” mentality can help you save money while preserving precious keepsakes that can’t be replaced. We pretest your belongings to determine what items we can restore to pre-fire condition. We use several methods of cleaning your contents, including:

• Dry Cleaning - Used for cleaning light residues or to pre-clean prior to wet cleaning. This can involve using a natural rubber “dry sponge” or HEPA vacuuming the surfaces.
• Wet Cleaning - An effective cleaning method for removing moderate to heavy residues.
• Spray and Wipe -Effective for items that can’t withstand wet cleaning.
• Foam Cleaning - Used for upholstery fabrics that might shrink or bleed if wet cleaned.
• Abrasive Cleaning - Involves agitation of the surface being cleaned.
• Immersion or Ultrasonic Cleaning - Contents are dipped into a bath of the cleaning product.
   

Move-Outs/Pack-Outs

If your home requires extensive restoration or cleaning due to fire damage, SERVPRO of Manistee, Ludington and Cadillac can conduct an organized, efficient move-out of the affected area. Move-out will provide several benefits, including:

• A quicker remodeling process
• Protecting items from potential damage
• Protecting contents from further on-site damage

It is not unusual for restoration to take several months. SERVPRO of Manistee, Ludington, and Cadillac uses a state of the art bar code tracking system which allows us to find your Christmas decorations, or Easter basket when the seasons change. After restoration is completed, we will work with you to coordinate the move-in according to your needs. Make sure to check with your insurance company to see if you have coverage limits on contents.

Electronic Cleanup

Fire-damaged electronics can present a serious hazard. Do not attempt to turn on or operate any electrical device that you suspect has been damaged by fire. Smoke residues can contain acids that corrode metal surfaces. If the residues are not removed, corrosion causes electronic failure in the device. We will coordinate the restoration of your electronics, including:

• Television sets
• DVD players
• Computers
• And more

The process of fighting the fire involves spraying water on the fire to cool and wet the structure. This also creates large amounts of steam which aids in firefighting but can damage electronics far from the source. The key to restoring electronics is taking prompt action to prevent further damage. Electronics will be cleaned and inspected by a qualified electronics technician.

Document / Photograph Drying

When your valuable documents, including photographs, are damaged by water, fire, or steam, extreme caution should be taken to help ensure the fire damage does not destroy the document. Although some documents may not be restored to pre-fire damage condition, SERVPRO of Manistee, Ludington and Cadillac can save a great deal and help minimize additional damage. 

Depending on the type of documents and the level of fire, smoke, or soot damage, they have five options for the restoration of documents:

• Air Drying
• Dehumidification
• Freezer Drying
• Vacuum Freeze Drying
• Vacuum Thermal Drying

A final option involves actually copying the documents and returning them in digital format.

Contents Claim Inventory Service

When a fire emergency strikes, the damage can often feel overwhelming. We can help ease the worry and confusion during the recovery process by offering our Contents Claim Inventory Service (CCIS), which provides a detailed and accurate list of your belongings. We take a room-by-room inventory of your contents, including digital photos, and in some instances, bar coding. Be sure to ask the professionals at SERVPRO of Manistee, Ludington, and Cadillac if this service is covered by your insurance company.

Our Contents Claim Inventory Service:

• Pre-loss list and value of contents
• Detailed and accurate report
• Better information to settle claims quicker
• Assistance with burden of proof for claims

Peace of mind when you need it most! Because you have enough to worry about after suffering a loss, let the experts at SERVPRO use our experience to help make it “Like it never even happened.”