Mildew can grow inside of your home if water damage is not removed.
Preventing fires in your home is critical for avoiding financial and stressful burdens as well as for your family's safety. While some instances of fire damage are unavoidable, reduce the likelihood of fire by purchasing a fire extinguisher, keeping baking soda on hand for grease fires, replacing any frayed electrical cords and ensuring all smoke detectors are operational and contain fresh batteries. However, if you do have a home fire, after the fire department leaves and everyone is safe, you must deal with the left-behind water used to extinguish the fire. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Create a list of all items damaged beyond repair from the fire. Keep receipts of all items you purchase to replace or repair items lost in the fire. Your insurer may reimburse you for the damaged items and replacement purchases.
2. Turn off all electricity and utilities in your home prior to entering the affected rooms. Enter with a fire inspector and ask him to check all utilities in your home. Once he clears them for safety and use, ask him to reconnect the utilities, as you will need them for cleanup jobs.
3. Open all windows in the home to air out the lingering smoke odor and help stop the growth of mildew. Moist areas can be breeding grounds for mold. Use a wet/dry vacuum to remove visible water, and use portable fans to decrease the amount of water in the air. If you have wet carpet, cut it out with a carpenter's knife and remove it; often, the amount of water damage too great for the carpeting to be salvageable.
4. Hire an upholstery professional before mold starts to set in to restore any upholstered furniture you would like to salvage. Completely removing water from an item such as a couch is difficult, and upholstery cleaners have experience in the procedure.
5. Wash water-damaged clothing that you want to salvage. Add your usual household laundry detergent plus 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract to neutralize strong odors.
6. Remove soot and smoke from walls and floors by mixing 4 to 6 tbsp. mild soap and 1 cup household cleaner or bleach to every gallon of warm water. Wear rubber gloves while scrubbing. Rinse with warm water. Use a dry cloth to dry the walls and floors thoroughly.
7. Place additional portable fans near areas where you saw excessive dampness and water saturation. Keep the fans running until the air, walls and floors are dry.
8. Remove remaining mold and mildew with a commercial remover that also contains a disinfectant, following the product's directions.
Tags: your home, walls floors, amount water, portable fans, utilities your
