Fires and Floods: Dos and Don’ts of after Flood and Fire Cleaning in Montreal
Is your home affected by a flood or fire? Wondering what to do or not to do after such a disaster? Our aim here will be to analyze some of the dos and don’ts that you need to follow after such disasters: after fire and flood cleaning in Montreal.
Dos and Don’ts After Disasters
Dos
Arrange Shelter: When there is a fire, the first thing to do will be to make arrangements for shelter as well as other immediate needs such as medicine, by utilizing disaster relief services provided by organizations such as Red Cross.
Additionally, find a place for your pets as well, since odors and smoke residue are dangerous. You should also inform the police, in the case of your house remaining unoccupied for a long time.
Contact your Insurance Company: Immediately get in touch with your insurance company and prepare all the documents that you will have to provide.
If a fire engulfed or flooded section of your house is now safe to enter, take detailed pictures of the damage that has occurred to strengthen your insurance claim. In addition, you should take inventory of the damage after entering the house. Make sure you are not throwing off anything till the time it has been inventoried.
Expedite the Drying Process: If possible, lift things up from the floor so that the drying process can be expedited. You should also open all the windows during the winter to facilitate the removal of excess moisture from your house and in summer months, the best thing to do will be to switch on the fans and the air conditioner.
Contact Professionals: Contact a professional firm that performs after fire cleaning in Montreal. They will take the required steps to vacuum upholstered furniture and floors in the right manner. Moreover, experts will be covering all your furniture to prevent ash and soot from being deposited deep into your carpets and furniture.
Experts will also be taking the necessary steps to properly wipe off the hardwood floors and countertops, as well as coat fixtures such as faucets using petroleum jelly. This procedure helps in preventing the soot from resulting in permanent stains over these surfaces.
Take Quick Steps to Remove Water: In the case of water damage, then what you will have to do is take steps to remove water from your home as quickly as possible.
This step will be necessary to prevent mold growth in your home. It is likely that a company performing emergency water damage cleaning services in Montreal will also suggest the replacement of carpet pads when there is water damage at your home. However, it will be possible to salvage the carpet if prompt steps are taken right after water damage.
Follow the Right Cleaning Procedures: Take assistance in a firm providing emergency cleaning services in Montreal. They will ensure that the right steps are taken while the cleaning tasks are performed.
For instance, they will be drying and properly steam cleaning carpets. In addition, they will be scrubbing walls, furniture, and baseboards using water and soap. After that, they will be sanitizing them with the help of a bleach solution.
Don’ts
Do Not Enter the Home: If it becomes necessary to evacuate the house, do not re-enter until the fire officials give the go-ahead.
In case the house was seriously damaged, then wait for a company to provide emergency disaster cleaning services in Montreal to evaluate everything and segregate the damaged sections of the home before you actually return.
Do Not Use Electrical Appliances: Often there is a lot of hidden damage when there is a fire or flooding. Thus, you should wait for the fire department to make sure that all the utilities can be used or disconnected. You should not attempt to connect the utilities on your own. This is due to the fact that electricity and water are a bad combination and its extremely important to ensure that the power has been switched off before anyone gets into the flooded area of your home. If it becomes necessary to use any electrical appliances, such as a wet vacuum then make sure the cord does not have any impairments or knicks.
Additionally, plug it into any outlet that is not water damaged. Moreover, you should wear foot protection, such as wear boots with rubber soles to reduce the chances of an electric shock.
Do Not Forget to Use Safety Gear: Another problem that is faced during disasters such as a flood are the potential contaminants. Usually, firms performing flood cleaning in Montreal wear respirators and complete bio-hazard gear before entering the house.
Thus, if you cannot enter the house without wearing safety gear then it is better not to enter the house. If it becomes necessary to enter then make sure you are wearing gloves, boots, long sleeved shirts, respirator, and safety glasses.
Do Not Mix Colored Items and Fabric Surfaces: Do not keep colored items like clothing and upholstery over fabric surfaces and carpets. This can easily result in the staining and bleeding of colors. In addition, you should utilize white and lightly colored cloths or towels when blotting water from fabric surfaces.
Do Not Allow Longer Exposure to Water or Soot: Do not allow wet things to remain in fire or water damage affected location for a long period of time.
Thus, your aim should be to remove upholstered furniture, valuable items, clothing, electronics, leather goods, books, and similar other items as early as possible since these things will be complete loss if they remain exposed in water for a longer duration.
Do Not Use Any Appliances Before an Expert Gives a Go-ahead: Avoid using things such as appliances and other electronic devices (like computers) till the time a professional has checked them.
This way you will be able to prevent them from sustaining further damage. Additionally, you will have to drain the hot water heaters and pipes to ensure they do not burst.