SERVPRO Cleaning Methods for Fire Damage in your Tallahassee Home

3/2/2017 (Permalink)

Call SERVPRO after fire damage in Tallahassee.

Methods for Cleaning Fire Damage

The threat of a home fire is perhaps the most terrifying of possible disasters. What the flames do not outright destroy, smoke and soot stain and ruin nearly everything else if there is not quick action. Replacing personal contents after even a small fire runs into the thousands and even ten thousands of dollars.

Restoring the contents of your Tallahassee home after fire damage often costs less than total replacement. Not every item is salvageable of course, but SERVPRO has years of experience in the restoration industry and maintains an expansive inventory of cleaning supplies and equipment, as well as a 24-hour response team to make certain your property has the best options available.

The methods we use are the standards of the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). Each one has been developed and refined over decades, providing us the best ways to serve you:

Dry Cleaning - Despite the name, this has nothing to do with getting an ink stain out of a shirt pocket. Our restoration technicians use dusting cloths and feather dusters to remove soot and dust and dry sponges to remove particulates and larger pieces of debris from dry surfaces. This method is sometimes enough or is used to remove excess amounts of residues before wet cleaning.

Wet Cleaning - The process uses water, sometimes mixed with a cleaning chemical to remove moderate to heavy soot and smoke residues. In nearly every instance, restorers saturate the item to ensure success.

Spray and Wipe - If an item might be damaged when saturated, technicians use a spray bottle to apply a mist of water and chemical to an affected surface. It is more time-consuming than wet cleaning, but this method provides the restorer more control over the amount of product used. Product control is critical if the surface has a veneer or paint the owner wants undamaged, regardless of how long it takes.

Foam Cleaning - This method works well on many types of furniture and bedding. Restorers use the foam to apply a cleaner directly without using too much product and a lesser amount of water. Foam is especially useful on upholstery dyes that bleed when soaked or fabrics that are more likely to shrink. This method is also excellent for mattresses and box springs.

Abrasive Cleaning - This method uses a mechanical device to agitate the surface of an item. Restorers use this with a cleaning chemical when the residue is very thick, or the surface is very uneven such as some types of stone and marble. Technicians may use a hand brush on small items.

Restoration is a long process, but it is often cheaper and saves property that is more valuable regarding memory rather than dollar amount. SERVPRO of North Leon County is here to help put those memories back to their original state before the fire. Call us at (850) 536-6599 today to begin.