One thing that most people are always aware of but are rarely prepared for is a fire. The effects of smoke and fire damage can be devastating and that is why it is important to carry some sort of insurance to cover you in the event of a fire. Even if your personal belongings are not burned in the fire, you can lose everything from the damage done by smoke and water. If you have the right insurance coverage, you can at least make an attempt to replace what you lost in the unfortunate event of a fire.
No matter whether you are a homeowner or you rent your home, you can suffer greatly with fire and smoke damage in the event of a fire. Many people think that the majority of insurance claims for fires are due to the damage done by the fire but in all reality, the claims are mainly for the damage that was done by the smoke. The home may appear to be just fine on the outside as there was little to no fire damage but the smoke could have destroyed everything inside.
There are a great deal of claims that are made each year that are mainly based on smoke damage verses the fire damage. Great deals of items found in houses are porous and they can really soak up the smoke so you need to check all of your belongings if you have had to deal with a fire in your home. You will want to look at your clothes, your furniture, the curtains, even toys, and the wallpaper. While most people think that it should be simple to get the smell of smoke out of things by simply washing them with soap and water, it may take some special smoke treatment to get rid of the smell. Keep in mind that the treatments may not even work all the way.
Numerous homes that look undamaged will have very large insurance claims due to the cost and effort involved with eliminating smoke damage and odours. Most people do not realize that smoke will cling to everything and it is just about impossible to get out of everything. Such things as curtains, carpets, furniture, and clothing are among the top of common items that can soak up the damages of smoke.
If you find that the smell will not come out then you will have to replace some or all of the items that were damaged. If you do not have insurance then this can become very costly. You will also want to check such items as your countertops as well as tile in the home and even concrete items as all of these are porous items. You may want someone to check your ductwork or up in the loft to see if there is any smoke damage there that will need to be dealt with. No matter what, be sure to do a complete walk through with a professional to see exactly what is damaged and to what extent. Try to keep a list of your items so that you can see what is missing. This will make it much easier to replace the items after all is done.
