What Can Be Saved After A Fire?
After a house fire small or large your home has been filled with smoke and soot from the flames. Many times if the fire was caught quickly, there may be little smoke stain on the walls and furniture. Be mindful that the if the central air was running smoke has been through the whole house and may still cause an odor.
Many items like kitchenware, furniture, and clothing can be washed and cleaned. For clothing effected by smoke use a cap of plain Listerine mouth wash in the washer. For other items like kitchenwares, you might need to wash each item either in the dishwasher, as long as that wasn’t effected, or by hand with basic household cleaners and dish soap. Other tips for removing smoke smell from plastic items is white vinegar and hot water and for upholstery furniture and rugs, sprinkle baking soda and let sit for a few hours before vacuuming it up.
It is important, especially if you have young children or at a high risk for asthma, that you make sure the smoke is completely gone from each item.
It is important, especially if you have young children or at a high risk for asthma, that you make sure the smoke is completely gone from each item. Many times smoke smell can return when temperatures get warmer and the air becomes humid. So it is important tp be safe and get items cleaned that may have been affected by smoky air and use a humidifier to clean the air in the home.
Even after a large fire where furniture and walls have been stained and everything has been turned black, many things can still be saved. In this instance the previous method of Listerine for clothing and household cleaners and dish soap for kitchenwares can still work, but unfortunately your kitchen and laundry room may have been affected and in no condition to clean your dishes and laundry. This means that you may have to pack everything out to a friend’s or family member’s home or laundry mat and clean there. Also if a partial rebuild is nessorsary you may have to get most of the items out anyway.
Why mess with taking loads of bedding and clothing to the local laundry mat and paying for hundreds of loads when someone else can do it faster and more effective at no cost to you.
In this case, what you can do is look for a restoration company who have the resources and the expertise to clean not only you walls, cabinets, and floors, but also your furniture, clothing, and kitchenwares. Most standard homeowners insurance plans cover restoration work and will pay for a team to come in and pack each item to clean and store it until you are ready for it. Why mess with taking loads of bedding and clothing to the local laundry mat and paying for hundreds of loads when someone else can do it faster and more effective at no cost to you.