Dealing with the loss of your home and valuables in a fire can be a harrowing task and the process of restoring your home can be arduous, stressful and expensive. The fire and water damage and the ensuing procedures can be quite traumatic. If you have been through such an untowardly incident the first thing that you need to do is get in touch with your insurance company.
Ensure that a loss adjustor from the insurance company inspects the site and the damages before moving any items. You may also want to enlist the help of an insurance loss assessor. Now here is the difference in these two professionals; while the adjustor works for the insurance company and it is his duty to look for ways to pay you less, a loan assessor does the exact opposite because he works for you. So, he will try to get as much additional coverage as he can from the insurance company.
For instance, if you have had a fire in your home and the entire living area was charred, the adjustor will put in the paperwork that includes claims for structural damage, water damage, loss of furniture and appliances. On the other hand, the assessor will come in and show you the damages caused to the kitchen appliances from the sprinklers. He will also go through your policy with a fine tooth comb, looking for hidden coverage.
Once the finances have been settled, you should consider the various renovation prospects. One way is to take care of the cleaning yourself with the help of friends, relatives and some local labour before calling in a builder to refurbish or rebuild the home as per your specifications. Another option is to hire the services of professional fire and flood damage restoration establishment. Needless, to say the second option may be slightly more expensive because you are enlisting the help of specialists; however it may be more efficient and will save you the stress of having to carry out the salvage operation yourself.
However, if you do choose to handle the job yourself, the first step would be to get a clearance from the fire department ensuring the safety of the structure. Tread carefully on entering your home because a house ravaged by fire will be full of loose wires, glass and wood pieces. Wear goggles, gloves and heavy boots to protect yourself against dangerous fumes and material.
Switch off the electricity if it hasn’t been done already to avoid electrical surges and survey the damage without touching any electrical appliances wires or poles. Take photographs of the damaged items so that they can be furnished to the insurance company.
Next, remove soot as soon as possible; this is a dust left back as an aftermath of fire which is either dry, sticky or oily but either way it is always acidic and will leave stains. To clean the soot, hold the vacuum cleaner near the surface of the item covered in soot. Remember to only use the nozzle because attachments will force the soot away. You may also want to consider getting help from professionals who have equipment that is more suitable for soot removal.
Throw open the doors and windows so that the dangerous fumes can escape. You may not be able to tackle the burnt odor without seeking help from a professional agency. They may use an ozone treatment to break the smoke molecules eliminating the odor. But this part of the procedure can be undertaken after the cleaning has been completed. Ensure that all appliances and furnishing are covered during the ozone treatment.
