Fire Damage Dos and Don’ts

12/16/2021 (Permalink)

A fire in your Prince George’s home or business can be overwhelming, frustrating, and devastating. Many property owners make the mistake of trying to clean after a fire, often resulting in permanent damage to their belongings that could have been prevented. After the fire is controlled, you may be wondering what you should and should not do until help arrives. The most important thing to know is that the cleanup and restoration should be handled by a certified professional. Here is a list of things to do and not to do after a fire:

What You Should Do After A Fire

• To prevent soot particles from being embedded into upholstery limit the amount of movement in the home 
• To avoid further soil on upholstery, walls, and woodwork make sure to keep your hands clean
• Place clean towels or old linens on high traffic areas like rugs, upholstery, and carpets.
• If electricity is off, empty the freezer and refrigerator of food and prop the doors open.
• With a light coating of petroleum jelly and oils, you can clean and protect chrome.
• Wash your houseplants on both sides of the leaves.
• Over air registers tape double layers of cheesecloth.

What To Not Do After A Fire 

• Don’t attempt to wash any walls or painted surfaces or shampoo carpet or upholstery without the help of a certified SERVPRO expert.
• Don’t attempt to clean electrical appliances damaged by fire, heat, or water.
• Don’t use any canned food, packaged food, and beverages that may have been closed to the fire, heat, or water.
• Do not turn on ceiling fixtures if the ceiling is wet. 
• Do not send garments to an ordinary dry cleaner. Improper cleaning may set smoke odor. Have our SERVPRO technicians take care of your garments.

At SERVPRO of College Park/Hyattsville and SERVPRO of District Heights/Landover, we focus on helping you restore your home to the pre-fire condition you know and love. If you have any questions about what we do after fire damage or need help recovering from a fire damage incident in Prince George’s County, call us at (301)779-3662 or (301)577-1166.