Immediate action is crucial after a house fire to try to minimize the fire and smoke damage to your home and its contents. When it comes to items that are sensitive like textiles, speed is especially of the essence. Replacing all of your textiles like drapes and clothing can be costly, so it’s better to try to save them if they haven’t been burned or damaged by water.
Hiring a professional fire and smoke damage restoration company is the best way to save as much of the clothing and other textiles in a home, as they’ll have the professional cleaning solutions, equipment, and techniques to do the job right. These tips can help you save as many of the items as possible. It’s easy to cause further damage if you don’t do this right.
Help Prevent Further Damage
It’s vital to make sure the textiles in your home are dried immediately to prevent the growth of mold. Any clothes and fabrics should be hung outside to dry if possible. If this isn’t possible, use fans and dehumidifiers to move air around and open the windows for ventilation. Cover any clean fabrics in the room with plastic so they don’t get dirty.
Sort the Types of Fabric
Sort through the fabric to make sure anything not salvageable is thrown out. If items aren’t burnt, they can likely be saved. Go through the items that can be saved and sort them based on the type of fabric and how they can be washed. You’ll want to separate the items that are dry clean only from the ones that can be washed at home.
Get Rid of Soot
Any soot on the fabrics should be removed before they’re cleaned. It’s possible to shake it off gently outside, but be careful to not stain the fabrics doing this. Using a vacuum is possible, but keep the tip at least one to two inches away from the fabric, and don’t use a brush tip attachment as it can push the soot further into the fabric. It’s a good idea to get professional help with this step, as it’s easy to permanently stain the fabric.
Removing the Smoke Smell
Deodorizing the fabrics should be done before cleaning them, otherwise, the smoke smell could get stuck in the fabric. DIY techniques are not recommended here, as they only mask the odor, rather than actually removing it. Ozone treatment is needed, which should always be professionally done. This breaks up the smoke molecules, permanently removing the odor from the fabric.
Wash the Clothes
After the soot and odor are removed, it’s time to wash the clothes. Any dry clean only clothes should be sent to a dry cleaner who is certified to handle clothing that has been damaged by smoke. Polyester or cotton fabrics can be washed in warm water without bleach. Bleach-safe fabrics can be washed with a heavy detergent. It is a good idea to hand wash the clothes a few times to make sure soot oils won’t get into the washing machine and contaminate future loads of laundry.
It’s always better to let a professional fire and smoke damage restoration company handle the soot-damaged fabrics in your home, as they can make sure everything is cleaned and avoid further damage. If you ever need help with Fire Damage Restoration, call the professionals at PuroClean Certified Restoration to do the job right.