After a fire, one of the things that is the worst to deal with is the smoke damage. Smoke damage can extend far beyond the room that was damaged in the fire. Smoke damage can impact your entire home, depending on how extensively the smoke spread. You need to take the right approach with smoke damage if you don't want to be left with a mess on your hands.
Tip #1: Only Try to Enter the Building When It Is Safe
First, you should only enter the building when it is safe to do so. You shouldn't enter the building before it is declared safe. The firefighters will let you know if the building is safe to enter. You don't want to put your health and safety at risk by starting to clean up before it is safe to do so.
Tip #2: Protect Yourself
When you are entering a building that was damaged by fire, you need to protect yourself. Smoke leaves behind soot, and that soot can be released into the air and can irritate your eyes, lungs, and skin.
You are going to want to wear clothing that covers up as much skin as possible. You are going to want to wear gloves to protect your hands from soot and chemicals. You need to wear a respirator, not just a facemask. You are also going to want to wear goggles to keep your eyes clean.
Tip #3: Get Started as Soon as You Can
As soon as you are allowed to enter the building, you will want to get to work. The longer the soot is allowed to sit, the harder it will be to remove it. Additionally, the longer the soot is in the air, the longer it can be harmful to anyone breathing it in. Therefore, quick action is essential following a fire.
Tip #4: Turn Off the HVAC
If the power is still on, you are going to want to turn off the HVAC system. You don't want soot particles to get picked up and spread throughout the building. Instead, you will want to stick to more localized ventilation by opening up the windows and doors to get the air flowing.
Tip #5: Get Help
Cleaning up soot is hard work, and you have to use the right cleaning products. That is why you are going to want to get some help with the cleanup process. In addition, you will want to call in a smoke damage restoration team to help you clean up the place.
Sometimes in life, you need a quick fix. But employing a quick fix is not typically the best option for your home. When it comes to home repairs, you don't want it done quickly. You want it done right. Of course, this also applies to most car repairs and to various other restoration services. But what does "done right" really mean? This is something you can expect to learn as you read the blog posts on this website. We'll dive deep into all sorts of restoration and repair services so that as you read, you can learn the details of each service.