Many times more than the fire itself, the cleaning process after a fire has occurred in your home can be a nightmare. Damage caused by smoke, soot, and the water used to extinguish the fire will all need to be cleaned during the restoration of your home. Sometimes, the question is, should you DIY fire and water cleanup or hire a professional company? Read along as we explore this question further.
Experience Needed
In today’s world, everyone who has watched a how-to video online believes they can tackle just about any project. The problem is, these short media clips usually don’t show you everything you must know when dealing with a serious topic. Fire and water damage fit into the category of serious topics as there are many aspects to know and steps to take to make sure the job is properly done.
Here are a few things you need to know before deciding on attempting a DIY fire and water cleanup:
- Most people do not realize how far smoke and soot spread within a home, even with a small fire. Once the cleanup work begins, many realize the job is overwhelming as they find more and more areas to clean. Since cleaning away smoke and soot requires scrubbing every contaminated surface, this can be a challenging job.
- While most smoke and soot damage can be seen, water is much harder to find to remove from a home. Water tends to run to the lowest points within a home. This means that the insides of walls and flooring will be hiding any leftover moisture. If you plan on a DIY cleanup, you could miss a large percentage of the residual water leftover.
Health Risks of Cleanup
Cleaning up after fire and water damage does have its health risks. Household items that are burned within a fire are made out of natural and chemical products. While safe in its solid-state, much of this material becomes toxic when burned. If you are trying to clean this toxic substance in the form of smoke damage, you could be creating health issues for your lungs when breathing it in.
Water damage, on the other hand, will have its own risks. Mold and mildew start to grow almost immediately in pools of water within dark spaces, like walls. Bacteria can also become trapped and grow within leftover water, which can also make one sick when cleaning.
Trust The Experts
Keeping the amount of work and the risks involved in mind, everyone is better served by hiring a professional restoration company after fire and water damage occurs. These experts have the equipment to find what needs to be cleaned and verify all areas are free of contaminants when the job is complete.
Professionals also have the experience and knowledge of where to clean and the right products to use to get the job completed and in a safe manner. If you have the misfortune of having fire or water damage occur, contact expert fire and water damage technicians to help.