Why Choose a Fire Damage Restoration Crew that Focuses on Restoring Items?

8/4/2022 (Permalink)

If you need a company you can trust, call SERVPRO of Concord for any of your water or fire restoration needs.

Concord Residents Keen to Cut the Cost of Fire Damage Restoration

People living in Concord hope they never have to deal with the aftermath of a blaze in their home, but unfortunately, not even the best precautions can guarantee it will not happen. One of the biggest concerns following a loss event is the cost of restoring your home and replacing burned personal belongings.

If you need fire damage restoration in Concord, it is natural to be concerned about the cost. It is also normal to worry about the emotional and financial impact of losing your personal items. There are so many things you may need to replace after a fire, such as: 

• Damaged cookware and kitchen utensils
• Handheld devices and other electronics
• Clothes and linens
• Furniture and textiles
• Hobby and craft items

SERVPRO understands how stressful it is to think about replacing all you have lost, which is why we put our focus on restoration rather than replacement.

Restoration vs. Replacement – What Is The Difference?

Replacement means ditching the fire-damaged items in your home and buying new ones. In some cases, it is unavoidable. However, in many cases, a professional restoration team can work wonders with your soot-damaged belongings and restore them “Like it never even happened.”

There are several benefits to SERVPRO’s restoration-first approach: 

• You do not have to throw out smoke-damaged personal items
• Keeping familiar furniture and belongings can help with the stress of a fire loss situation
• There is a better chance of being able to save family heirlooms and keepsakes
• It costs less to clean and restore most items than it does to replace them 
• The lower cost makes it easier to make an insurance claim

How Do SERVPRO Technicians Know What To Save?

We train our technicians in every aspect of fire remediation, which includes assessing smoke-damaged materials. 

The first thing we do upon arrival at your home is to secure the area. If there are structural damage issues, electrical hazards, or slip and fall hazards from water and chemicals, we take care of those first. The safety of your family and our crew is our priority.

Once the area is secure, we assess the damage to both structure and contents. We start at the epicenter of the blaze and work our way outwards. Some items are beyond salvage. For example, clothes where some material has been burned away or electronic items that are warped and unusable. However, there might be many salvageable items, too. Soot-blackened furniture and textiles are often salvageable, along with personal belongings, drapes, and carpets.

We sort your belongings into those we can save, those we cannot, and those we need to decide on later. SERVPRO of Concord staff will take inventory of everything before removing or disposing it. This ensures we keep track of your items and is also useful for liaising with your insurance company.

Can you restore smoke-damaged furniture? Yes – the careful application of brushing, HEPA vacuuming, and cleaning solutions can work wonders on wood or metal furniture. We can also apply spot cleaning agents to stained upholstery or cushions. If the furniture still smells bad, we can use spot treatments and thermal fogging to get into hard-to-reach places and resolve odors.

Is There Anything That SERVPRO Cannot Restore?

There are some items that we do not recommend attempting to restore after a fire:

• Fresh food – dispose of any fresh food within the vicinity of the blaze.
• Any canned or packet food that was within reach of the smoke and heat – the seals can become unstable, allowing dangerous firefighting chemicals into the packages and also increasing the risk of mold growth.
• Cosmetics within the range of smoke or heat – soot and heat can alter the chemical composition and render them unsafe for use.
• Medicines – ask your doctor for a new prescription.

Is It True That It Is Not Possible To Salvage Textiles And Linens?

Some people claim that it is impossible to save smoke-damaged textiles and linens. This is not true. We can send soft materials out to our particular cleaning facility for restoration. We have a range of spot cleaners, ultrasonic cleaners, and gentle but powerful ESPORTA hydraulic machines on hand to wash your clothes, shoes, sheets, and towels and restore them to their pre-damaged condition.

As well as dealing with individual items, we clean the walls, ceilings, and floors to remove soot stains. We clean inside the HVAC system and take care of any structural repairs, such as replacing drywall or wooden floors.

For fire damage restoration designed to save your precious belongings, call SERVPRO of Concord at (603) 225-2825.