Fire Restoration Structure Cleaning for Your Dane County, Madison, WI Property

4/25/2022 (Permalink)

Have Questions About Fire, Smoke, or Soot Damage? Call SERVPRO of Dane County West Today – (608) 497-3331 www.SERVPROdanecountywest.com

When SERVPRO of Dane County West works with insurance carriers on Fire Damage claims, Insurance policies distinguish between structure and contents

Like SERVPRO of Dane County West, restorers commonly separate structure and contents when scoping and estimating a fire loss. For this reason, the structure and contents are cleaned separately. In some situations, contents are moved out of the structure and cleaned at a separate location. When cleaned on-site, contents are moved to a clean area of the structure for cleaning.

What Is Structure?

Items are called structures if they are permanently attached to a building, such as the framework of a building, including walls, ceilings, floors, attached floor coverings, doors, and windows structures. Other items might be called structural components, such as cabinets, light fixtures, the heating and cooling system (HVAC), and bath fixtures. An easy way to distinguish structure from contents is to imagine turning the building upside down and shaking it; what falls out is contents and what remains is structure.

What Is Fire Restoration Cleaning?

The industry describes fire restoration as the task of restoring the building to preloss condition. Cleaning to preloss conditions means removing the effects of the fire damage. The fire residues will often give off smoke odors, so the restorer must also deodorize to rid the building of the malodors. If fire damaged some parts of the structure beyond repair, the restorer disposes of structural items that are blistered by heat or charred by flame.

The SERVPRO Fire Restoration Professional determines what items can be restored and what items must be replaced.  The SERVPRO Fire Restoration Professional will identify for the customer and insurance company any conditions that likely existed before the fire occurred since fire restoration cleaning does not mean cleaning structure to a better condition than it was before the fire. Preexisting damages or conditions do not need to be addressed as part of fire restoration, are recognized and documented.

SERVPRO Fire Restoration Professionals perform various tests to determine the appropriate cleaning method for fire-damaged structures.

One goal of testing is to categorize materials as washable or non-washable:

• Washable: Materials that can be wet cleaned with the many SERVPRO branded cleaning products developed for fire-damaged items.
• Non-washable: Materials that cannot be wet cleaned. The Dry Cleaning Sponge/Chem Sponge is used to clean smoke residues from surfaces. Chem Sponges are rubber sponges that contain no chemical products but clean through friction and absorption. Dry Cleaning Sponges can usually remove light-to-medium soils and residues that are non-greasy.

The type of residues on a material may also determine the cleaning method. Oil or grease-based residues will require a dry solvent cleaning agent.

Pre-cleaning and preconditioning refer to the cleaning steps use before the selected cleaning process. Pre-cleaning removes excessive residues and soils so that the wet or dry cleaning process will be more effective at restoring the surface or material.

Following are some dry cleaning processes used for pre-cleaning.

• HEPA-Vacuuming is a cleaning process using a vacuum device to remove light debris and particulate soiling.
• Compressed air is a mildly aggressive means of agitation, depending on the psi (pounds per square inch) of air pressure. The force of pressurized air removes loose particulate residues.
• Brushing provides agitation ranging from mild to very aggressive.

SERVPRO of Dane County West understands how distressing it is to see fire and smoke damage to your property.

We know our customers are eager to clean up and get back to everyday life. However, it is better to wait for SERVPRO of Dane County West to assess the damage before attempting fire and smoke cleanup to your Dane County, Madison, WI property. Depending on the strength and nature of the fire, your property will most likely require IICRC certified cleaning approaches listed above.

As an IICRC certified firm, our teams are trained and certified to carry out a thorough assessment of the fire damage and decide on the best course of action for professional restoration. You can rest assured that your property is in good hands – we aim to restore it “Like it never even happened.” Also, we are a General Contractor that oversees the rebuilding and redecorating of fire and water-damaged jobs if necessary.

Video - The SERVPRO Fire Damage Process

SERVPRO® of Dane County West Professionals are Here to Help®! 

• 24-Hour Emergency Service
• IICRC Certified Firm
• A+ rating from the BBB (Better Business Bureau).
• Angie's List recommended with an A-rated reputation
• 5-Star Google and Facebook rankings.
• We work with your insurance to help manage the insurance process and paperwork for a stress-free claims process.
• General Contractor License #: 1317784

Have Questions About Fire, Smoke, or Soot Damage? Call SERVPRO of Dane County West Today – (608) 497-3331