Things Not to do After a Fire

2/10/2020 (Permalink)

There are several things that you should not do after a house fire.  Once the fire is out and you are back in your house, be careful not to do the following things.

• Don’t walk through the soot or spread it around. It can get embedded into carpets and upholstery making it more difficult to clean.
• Try not to touch anything. You don’t want to spread the soot around.
• Don’t start washing your walls or painted surfaces. There is a right way to accomplish this without creating more problems.
• Don’t shampoo your carpet or upholstery. Great care must be given when cleaning soot. Sometimes you have to clean carpets or furniture two or three times.
• Don’t attempt to clean any electrical appliances that may have been near the fire, heat or water without consulting an authorized repair service.
• Don’t use canned or packaged food or beverages that were stored near the fire, heat or water. And never eat anything from an open package.
• Don’t turn the ceiling fans or lights on if the ceiling is wet. The wiring may have been damaged.   
• Don’t send your clothes to an ordinary dry cleaner. Improper cleaning may set the smoke odor into the clothes.

If you need help cleaning up after a fire, call SERVPRO of Ozaukee County at 262-242-8888.  We are available 24/7 and we will make it "Like it never even happened."