Restoring Personal Belongings: How a Restoration Team Can Help Salvage and Restore Items Damaged During a Disaster
A disaster that destroys your home and personal belongings is devastating and overwhelming. A restoration company can help with the damages. Understandably, some items are irreplaceable. At times, furniture, tapestries, appliances, electronics clothing, valuables, heirlooms and more can be salvaged after a fire, flood or other disaster. Here are some simple ways that you and your restoration team can save the contents of your home after a disaster.
Fire Damaged Items
Fire damage can leave soot, ash, smoke damage and leave homeowners feeling hopeless. It is important to resist the urge to start wiping and tossing things out before taking photographs. Insurance companies will want photos of anything needing replacing for claims.
Fabrics
Upholstered items and furniture that are not burnt may be salvageable. Immediately wiping at soot with common household cleaners can smear oily stains into fabric and may even set the stains that could have been removed. Instead, restorers will vacuum out soot and ash with a high powered vacuum with an excellent hepa filter. Avoid attachments with brushes or beaters that force soot and oil further into the fabric.
After the upholstery is sufficiently vacuumed, restoration teams will use a high powered shampooer and products designed to remove smoke, soot and odors from fire damaged upholstery. This process is similar for carpeting. Vacuum all the soot out with the brushes off and follow with the use of a powerful shampooer with specialty products for fire damage.
Smoke is a difficult odor to remove from fabrics. Clothing items and fabric items should be soaked and, again, there are certain detergents that can assist with smoke removal more than others. Repetitive washing may be necessary but restoration teams can help save most launderable items that are not burnt. It is wise to avoid heavily scented products which just mask odors and often mix to create a more unpleasant smell.
Hard Surfaces
Restoration teams may often use a solution of bleach and water on non-porous surfaces that won’t be ruined by bleach as that can help prevent mold growth which is often an issue after water or other means are used to extinguish the flames. Many non-porous items like kitchen cabinets
Dry chemical sponges can be very effective on wood items and other semi porous hard surfaces. Heavily soiled items can also be saved by restoration teams with steam cleaning.
Electronics
Do not attempt to plug in fire damaged electronics and test them. Consult a restoration specialist about removing soot and restoring electronics. The use of small vacuum or electronic air spray and wiping down the electronics may help in the restoration process.
Flood Damaged Belongings
Flood damage often means clothing, blankets, bedding, furniture, electronics and valuables are stained and at risk of mold growth. A restoration team can help sort items after flooding and determine what may be usable and what needs to be tossed. All items need to be dried out prior to cleaning to truly assess the damage and potential restoration.
Clothing/Fabrics
Floodwater can be contaminated with bacteria, sewage, and chemicals. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) advise people to get rid of porous items exposed to floodwater such as mattresses, furniture, stuffed toys, and pillows. This is largely due to the inability to properly clean the stuffing and insides of the items.
If an item is severely stained or has clear evidence of mildew growth such as speckled black stains then it may be best to dispose of it. White items can be washed with bleach in a washing machine. White vinegar is another effective stain and odor remover. Vinegar also kills and combats mold growth. There are other sanitizing detergents for colored fabrics that go beyond the work of regular detergents to actually disinfect items of bacteria, mold, mildew and viruses.
Porous Furniture
For reasons mentioned above, furniture can be tricky to restore after a flood. While it may be possible to salvage the upholstery of couches, chairs and loveseats; the interior stuffing and cushioning may be difficult or impossible to treat. The wood that makes up the furniture may also be a hazard for mold growth. It is best to consult a professional restoration team if you are unsure of the extent of damage to porous furniture rather than having mold which will be a smelly health hazard later on.
Dishes, Silverware and Jewelry
Plates, cups, silverware, pots and pans; the contents of a kitchen can be expensive to replace after a natural disaster. Many of these items can be saved with proper cleaning. Items that are going to be used for food and drinking need to be cleansed of all residue and soaked in a sanitizing solution then washed and rinsed well.
Baking soda paste can help to remove rusting and residue from most pots and pans safely. However, it is important to assess the level of rusting and get rid of any damaged teflon as once these items are heated they will emit toxins in your food and air. Plastic wear may or may not be salvageable. Plastic tends to be semi-porous and harsh chemical cleaners may degrade the plastic and leave an unpleasant odor and taste when food or drink is consumed from them later on.
Baking soda paste or traditional jewelry cleaner can also save tarnished silverware and silver jewelry. Cheaper metal silverware may not be salvageable if it is showing rusting and should be disposed of.
Ultimately, it is wise to enlist the help of a professional restoration team to assist you in deciding how to restore personal items after a natural disaster so that you can have the peace of mind knowing that you saved everything you could and none of the items will be a danger to your family’s health later on.
