What is fire & smoke damage restoration?

This restorative service is one that is targeted at the removal of non-salvageable materials, as well as the application of corrective actions dealing with soot damage and odors. 

How do you treat fire & smoke damage?

Depending on the magnitude of damage, it is very common for some materials to be removed and discarded from a property. It is often more cost-effective to discard heavily damaged building materials, rather than attempt to restore. 

Building materials and personal belongings can often be cleaned with specialty products, designed to remove soot damage, while neutralizing odors by counteracting them at a molecular level. 

6 Steps to a Successful Fire & Smoke Restoration Service

1. Proper diagnosis of the areas impacted by the smoke.
   – The first step to any restoration project is identifying all impacted areas. While some areas may be visibly damaged and discolored, other areas may require an action of heating up the surface to see if there are odors present. 

2. Removal of all non-salvageable, heavily damaged materials.
   – The HVAC system almost always needs to be replaced, following a widespread house fire. Additionally, many other porous items that have sustained heavy damage, or simply been exposed to the odorous elements for extending periods of time, may also need to be discarded. 

3. Drying remaining wet structural materials, known as mitigation, is key to prevent future mold growth.
   – In some instances, mitigation is performed prior to the fire and smoke restoration. In other instances, it is performed in conjunction with the service, utilizing humidistat controlled low grain refrigerant (LGR) dehumidifiers and airflow to promote evaporation from remaining wet materials. This is almost always required, as first responders typically do no limit the usage of water to put out a property fire. 

4. Cleaning of hard, non-porous surfaces and personal belongings.
   – Once the bulk removal of non-salvageable materials is complete, the intensive cleaning process begins. Using the combination of dry cleaning soot sponges and smoke/ odor cleaning agents, we clean all surfaces to remove soot and odor compound build-ups. 

5. Smoke odor encapsulation is often a good future prevention from odors creeping up.
   – While encapsulation is never a one-step solution to an indoor environmental hazard, it can be a very beneficial add-on to prevent any remaining odorous compounds from impacting the future indoor air quality. After all, it’s not always possible to get into the finest of crevices within attic trusses, etc.

6. Removal of odors from the air.
   – By utilizing hydroxyl or ozone generators following the demolition, cleaning and encapsulation process, we’re able to remove any remaining odors from the air – promoting the very best indoor air quality.