Most people don't want to think about the possibility of a fire destroying their homes and possessions. However, it's always worth planning ahead in order to keep your family safe and protect your possessions.
A fire alarm should always be the first port of call when preparing for a fire, so that you can be alerted. However, should the worst happen and a fire tears through your property, you're going to want to know how to clean up smoke and fire damage from your property.
The first obvious step is to clean all the wreckage and damaged items from your property. Anything that can't undergo fire damage repairs should go in the bin because it just isn't salvageable.
Fire damage cleaning is a multistage process that requires different cleaning implements and techniques for different areas and items.
It's important to remove any carpeting that has been damaged by fire or became saturated by smoke when the fire was put out. You should shampoo any carpets and rugs that were not soaked or damaged.
You should also wash all of your clothes that have been exposed to fire or smoke. If it is safe to bleach your clothes without damaging them, wash them in a solution made up of 1 cup of bleach, 1 gallon water and six tablespoons of trisodium phosphate. Make sure to rinse the clothing very thoroughly.
Once your clothes are washed, use the same bleach cleaning solution to wipe down walls, floors and furniture. The cleaning solution will help to remove soot from these surfaces. You should then rinse all areas thoroughly after cleaning.
If you have any eating utensils such as plates and bowls that have been affected by smoke or soot, you should also clean them before using them again with normal dishwashing liquid. You should repeat the process with canned goods and jarred food.
Any mattresses or pillows that have been affected by smoke or fire damage need to be thrown out and replaced as they will now be unusable.
If you have any books that got wet when the fire was put out it is possible to save them from further damage. Put them into your freezer and then go and get your hands on a vacuum freezer to place them in. A vacuum freezer will help to dry out the books and prevent their condition from deteriorating any further.
A fire alarm should always be the first port of call when preparing for a fire, so that you can be alerted. However, should the worst happen and a fire tears through your property, you're going to want to know how to clean up smoke and fire damage from your property.
The first obvious step is to clean all the wreckage and damaged items from your property. Anything that can't undergo fire damage repairs should go in the bin because it just isn't salvageable.
Fire damage cleaning is a multistage process that requires different cleaning implements and techniques for different areas and items.
It's important to remove any carpeting that has been damaged by fire or became saturated by smoke when the fire was put out. You should shampoo any carpets and rugs that were not soaked or damaged.
You should also wash all of your clothes that have been exposed to fire or smoke. If it is safe to bleach your clothes without damaging them, wash them in a solution made up of 1 cup of bleach, 1 gallon water and six tablespoons of trisodium phosphate. Make sure to rinse the clothing very thoroughly.
Once your clothes are washed, use the same bleach cleaning solution to wipe down walls, floors and furniture. The cleaning solution will help to remove soot from these surfaces. You should then rinse all areas thoroughly after cleaning.
If you have any eating utensils such as plates and bowls that have been affected by smoke or soot, you should also clean them before using them again with normal dishwashing liquid. You should repeat the process with canned goods and jarred food.
Any mattresses or pillows that have been affected by smoke or fire damage need to be thrown out and replaced as they will now be unusable.
If you have any books that got wet when the fire was put out it is possible to save them from further damage. Put them into your freezer and then go and get your hands on a vacuum freezer to place them in. A vacuum freezer will help to dry out the books and prevent their condition from deteriorating any further.