What Should I Look for When Hiring a Restoration Services Company After a Fire in Bridgewater?

8/13/2020 (Permalink)

SERVPRO proudly serves the community as the smart choice among fire damage companies that handle the cleanup after any size fire in a home.

SERVPRO technicians bring extensive training and the latest equipment to cleanup Bridgewater homes after a fire

The cleanup after a fire in a home ideally should begin as soon as the first responders give the all-clear to enter the Bridgewater property. There are some important considerations when choosing a company to restore your home, such as:   
    •    Are the employees trained and certified?  
    •    Do employees participate in ongoing education for the latest trends in restoration?
    •    Will the company work with my insurance carrier?
    •    How quickly does the crew show up at my home?

What Can Fire Damage Restoration Companies Do That I Cannot?

After a fire in your Bridgewater property, bringing in one of your local fire damage restoration companies is a smart move. There are numerous mistakes that property owners can make when cleaning up after a fire, and it can compound the damage to the house and contents such as the use of the incorrect cleaning methods for smoke damage removal. When SERVPRO technicians handle the cleanup and restoration of your home after a fire, you can expect a fast arrival and that the situation gets dealt with with the highest degree of professionalism.

What Happens During the Restoration Services?

SERVPRO technicians arrive within four hours of your initial call and begin the cleanup process. Some of the most common actions seen during mitigation include:   
    •    Containment to protect undamaged areas of the home
    •    Communicating as needed with your insurance adjuster
    •    Removal of charred items with approval from the homeowner or adjuster
    •    Inspection of ductwork to determine the extent of soot spread in the home
    •    The technicians remove charred items and begin the process of cleaning away soot and smoke on surfaces are preliminary tactics to lessen the soot and odor in the home.

Water damage from the extinguishing efforts can also contribute to making the problems in the home worse. The longer it remains within the structure, the more potential it has to destroy flooring, wick into sheetrock, and ruin furniture. Through the use of detection equipment, SERVPRO techs can locate all the areas with elevated moisture levels that require drying. The techs use their extraction equipment and air movers to drop the moisture levels rapidly.

Soot can be caustic if it remains on fixtures with chrome finishes or other metal knobs and accessories throughout the home. The techs clean the surfaces and wrap them, so any remaining airborne particulate does not re-settle on the articles.

Hardwood furniture covered in soot after a fire does not automatically require disposal. If exposure to heat or water has not damaged the joints through cracking or swelling, there may be potential for a full restoration through cleaning. The techs have access to wood soaps, waxes, and oil-based cleaners to assist in the removal of smoke damage and restoration of the wood. In some cases, the damage to the furniture may require refinishing for a complete return to its preloss condition.

SERVPRO techs bring their professional-grade exclusive cleaners to every job site. Before cleaning, surfaces get tested to determine the type of smoke damage present as well as the kind of surface getting cleaned. This practice ensures the best outcome in every case, with the detailed attention given during this step. For example, dry smoke can cause more significant harm to surfaces if wet cleaning agents get applied. Instead, other methods such as the use of dry cleaning sponges to capture and lift away the particulate, and then, the surfaces receive a progressively deeper cleaning to remove any remaining soot. When the situation calls for it, the techs can mix custom solvent-based solutions for the removal of thick, smeary wet smoke.

A controlled demolition is a common event during the restoration of a home post-fire. Before any repairs or reconstruction can occur, the home needs to be free of any remaining fire odors. SERVPRO uses air scrubbers to improve the air quality throughout the mitigation process to capture airborne soot; however, complete scent removal requires more robust methods. The techs use various types of equipment, such as thermal foggers or hydroxyl generators, to neutralize both embedded and airborne odorous particles. It is not uncommon for the removal of the odors to become a multi-layered process to ensure that the structure is scent-free and ready for the final repairs to bring the restoration to a close.

SERVPRO of Bridgewater at (908) 222-2020 proudly serves the community as the smart choice among fire damage companies that handle the cleanup after any size fire in a home. With the use of their comprehensive training and state-of-the-art equipment, they can make the fire and smoke damage a thing of the past.