If a fire breaks out in your basement, you might have a lot of damage repair to do even if sprinklers or a fire extinguisher put the flames out fairly fast. If your basement isn't finished, there may not be a lot of fire damage to furniture and other furnishings, but there will still be soot and smoke damage to the basement as well as the rest of the house since the smoke will waft up to your living space. Here are some steps for basement fire damage repair.
Improve Air Quality
There may only be a few windows in your basement, and that can make it difficult to air the space out. A fire damage repair company may bring in air scrubbers and let them operate for several days to clean the smoke and soot from the basement air. They may also need to clean the air in the upper levels of your home to improve the air quality.
You might need to stay away from your house until the air has been cleaned well enough to be safe. However, the crew can continue working since they can wear respirators and other protecting gear while they are in your home.
Remove Everything Destroyed By Fire And Smoke
Getting items out of your house that have been burned, coated in soot, or ruined by smoke makes it easier to clean the air and restore your basement and home. You may need to sort through boxes of stored goods and throw out what you don't want or need. Everything that's left needs to be cleaned and sanitized. You may even need to deal with water damage and mildew if everything got wet due to sprinklers or water from the fire hose.
Restore The HVAC And Other Equipment
If you keep your furnace, water heater, or other home equipment in the basement, you may need professionals to service and clean them after the fire. Your HVAC system might even need the ducts cleaned to get rid of the smell of smoke. Otherwise, you might smell smoke every time the AC or furnace kicks on. In addition to cleaning the equipment in your basement, the fire damage repair crew needs to clean the walls and floors of your basement to eliminate soot.
Besides cleaning your basement and the upper level of your home, a fire damage repair company might need to replace parts of your home destroyed by fire. This could include parts of the ceiling in your basement or other areas where wood was exposed to flames, such as stairs and doors. The goal is to return your home to its pre-fire condition including removing all odors associated with the fire and smoke that filled your home.
For more information on fire damage repair, contact a company like Personal Touch Services.
