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WHAT TO DO IN THE EVENT OF A FIRE

Fire damage: Germantown, TN, is no stranger to the sight of a column of smoke on the horizon as someone’s home or business is struck by fire. But what should you do if you happen to be the victim of this tragedy?

Accept The Losses
It’s best to accept and understand that some items within your property will be complete destroyed or damaged beyond repair. Don’t waste energy on trying to restore an item that is already a complete loss.

Air Flow
The first step in the restoration process is to increase airflow. Doing so will help cycle out dust and debris in the air, remove smoke, and help dry any wet or moist structures or materials. Once granted permission to enter the premises, open all the windows, doors, and use fans if possible to get the air circulating.

Vacuum Fabric Items (No Beater Bar)
Soot will often settle on fabric or furnished materials after a fire. To remove the soot, gently blow off or if possible, gently vacuum the soot. Do not press the soot into the fabrics, otherwise you may compound the soot into the fibers and make it extremely difficult to remove.

Cleaning Soot
To clean soot from porous surfaces, a grease cutting cleaner and a chemical sponge generally works. For soot on nonporous surfaces like glass or metal, you can remove soot by using a simple all-purpose cleaner and paper towels.

Repaint Surfaces
Walls can absorb and emit smoke odors very easily. To remove or reduce the smoke odor, strip off the old paint and repaint the walls. The same rules can also apply to hardwood flooring if they emit smoke odors as well. Simply strip the surface of your hardwood flooring and re-varnish them to remove or reduce smoke odors.

For professional fire damage remediation services in Germantown, TN, contact ServiceMaster of Germantown. We’re you’re reliable experts that will have your property cleaned up and restored back to a proper state.