If you’ve experienced a fire at your Cleveland-area home, we are so sorry to hear that. Seriously. While we are in the business of water and fire damage restoration, we also fully understand we are likely meeting you on one of the worst days of your life, and in the midst of handling a catastrophic personal loss. Our goal is to not only restore your home, but to also help you restore your life.
When you experience a fire, you do not need to wait to call a restoration company for help. From small kitchen fire to full house fire, a skilled restoration company like W.E.T. can get the ball rolling toward recovery very quickly. As soon as the fire department clears the scene and we are given the O.K. from the crew, restoration begins.
Step 1: Walkthrough
First, an experienced member of the W.E.T. crew will do a walkthrough of your property to assess the extent of the damage. This will help determine the equipment and supplies needed to restore your home, as well as the size crew we should send in. Restoration companies can work closely with your insurance company and adjuster to ensure work is being done according to what your policy will cover.
Step 2: Remove
Depending on the severity of the fire, items like your dishes, photos, and appliances may be salvageable. They will be carefully packed up and brought to the restoration company’s Contents Cleaning division. Here, skilled cleaning technicians will carefully go through all your items and save everything they can. When the cleaning process is done, the contents are repacked into the boxes and stored until your home is ready for the items again.
Any other items in the home that need to be completely replaced, such as carpeting, will be removed before the cleaning and restoration process begins.
Step 3: Clean & Restore
Professional restoration companies use professional-grade chemicals, disinfectants, and cleaning products during the fire damage restoration process. Every single surface touched by smoke or fire will either be replaced or thoroughly cleaned. This means cleaning all the walls, framing, countertops, inside and outside of cupboards.
During the cleaning process, it is important technicians clean areas you can’t see. While you may never see the soot trapped between your cabinets and the kitchen wall, that soot will leave a pungent smoke smell in the air for a very long time if not properly cleaned and all the sources of the smoke odor treated properly.
Step 4: Find Your New Normal
It’s perhaps not reasonable to believe that after the trauma of a fire, life will return to the old “normal.” However, we are sure you will find a new normal and know your home has been properly restored by the time W.E.T. technicians drive away. It is the goal of any reputable restoration company to restore a property to its pre-loss condition. That means when you look around, there should be no more visible evidence of the fire, nor any lingering smoke odors.
The first step to finding that new normal is just one phone call away.
