Fire Damage Is More Than What Gets Burnt

3/15/2022 (Permalink)

If you ever have a fire, I bet you don’t think about everything that could possibly be affected. Soot from a fire or smoke damage unfortunately travels and settles on just about everything. From inside of cabinets in the kitchen to the back of the toilet, it even gets in between outlet covers and the wall. When SERVPRO goes out to inspect and clean after a fire or a smoke damage, we check every nook and cranny for soot and clean that area until it looks brand new again. If we are unable to clean it, we normally suggest replacing it as that smoke smell can linger for a very long time. It may never go away if it is not properly cleaned or disposed of. I remember cleaning a house for a customer and they had just had a fire in their back bedroom. It all started from an old wall heater. Just from first glance, we thought it only really affected that bedroom. After inspecting the whole house, we found out the soot had traveled all the way across the house into the kitchen, living room, and part of the basement. When I opened the kitchen cabinets and moved one of the drinking glasses, there was an obvious ring of soot left on the shelf. I continued moving the glass cups and yep, there was soot everywhere. I could not believe the soot had traveled that far and got into the customer’s cabinets with the cabinet doors closed. Talk about an eye opener.