In Metairie, Understanding the Nature of Smoke and Heat Simplify Fire Damage Cleanup

1/2/2019 (Permalink)

Why Should a Metairie Home Suffer Fire & Smoke Damage? Call SERVPRO for Cleanup and Restoration

Why You Need SERVPRO To Restore Fire Damaged Homes in Metairie

Metairie residents are very familiar with the effects water has on their homes and other property. Fire is, fortunately, a much lesser known problem for most of us. The effects fire has on the same property can be far more damaging and often more difficult to clean and remove.
 
Restoring Metairie homes with fire damage requires special knowledge. So why SERVPRO? Our teams train extensively with a large inventory of equipment and cleaning agents to return as much structural and personal property to its pre-fire condition as possible.
 
Since items physically touched by the flames are often damaged past repair, our efforts center on the property covered by residues left by the smoke. Dry or wet, residues are often the majority of the restorable damage for our work teams.
 
When a fire burns fast and hot, the smoke contains fewer aerosols such as varnishes; it naturally leaves a drier, powdery residue. It also stains surfaces less deeply than wet ones, and the odor is far less noticeable as well. All of this makes each piece of furniture or a ceiling panel covered in them easier to clean.
 
SERVPRO technicians can use dry sponges to remove most of these residues. If the layer is thick, they apply either water or a mild cleaning agent to break them away from the item. For hard surfaces and carpets, they also have the option of using commercial grade vacuums to draw off of the surfaces.
 
A fire that burns slow and at a lower temperature generates smoke with more aerosols, leaving wet residues on surfaces. That means the fire consumed a much larger amount of varnishes, solvents, and other liquids. A slower fire moves air less quickly, which gives the smoke more opportunity to find its way into cracks and crevices in the property. The odor is much stronger as well.
 
Removing these residues requires stronger cleaning agents, and brushes rather than sponges to remove them from most surfaces. For some stone surfaces, the crevices are deep enough that technicians must use a stiff, metal brush to dig out the residues or even grind the surface down to remove them.
 
At SERVPRO of Metairie, our goal is to return every possible item to a clean and usable condition, "Like it never even happened." Call us today at (504) 496-0193 to begin the restoration process. We are here for you.

More about this LA city by clicking here.