Choosing The Right Fire Damage Restoration Company: What To Look For In A Trusted Partner

3/31/2023 (Permalink)

Whether you live in Acworth, Lost Mountain or anywhere in between, our SERVPRO of Northwest Cobb County restoration team is ready to serve you.

When it comes to restoring your home or business after a fire, you don't want to leave anything to chance. Choosing the right fire damage restoration company is essential for ensuring that all of the necessary steps are taken in order to get your property back into pre-fire condition. But how do you know which one is best? In this article, we'll explore what you should be looking for when selecting a trusted partner for restoring your building from fire damage.

From the very first phone call through completion of the project, there are several key factors to keep an eye out for when deciding on a fire damage restoration company. First and foremost, they must have extensive experience with working with insurers and other stakeholders involved in the process--this will save time and money by streamlining communication throughout the duration of the job. Additionally, their staff needs to be certified and trained in industry standard practices; this ensures that no corners are cut during any phase of the work.

Also, check references! Reading reviews from past clients can give insight into not only quality assurance but also customer service proficiency. Experienced professionals understand just how traumatic such an event can be; making sure that everyone affected by it receives adequate attention should always be at the top of their list. By following these simple guidelines, you can rest assured knowing that you've chosen a reliable team to restore your property back to its original state as quickly as possible.

Comprehensive Services: Meeting All Your Fire Damage Restoration Needs

When it comes to fire damage restoration, you want a reliable partner who can handle all aspects of the job. Look for one that offers comprehensive services – from smoke and soot removal to odor elimination and water damage repairs. This type of company should have experience in dealing with all types of fires, from small kitchen or bedroom blazes to large-scale disasters. They should also be well equipped to deal with any structural damages caused by the flames or smoke. Finally, they must possess the expertise needed to restore your home or business back to its pre-fire condition.

The most important part when selecting a fire damage restoration service provider is ensuring their technicians are certified and qualified. Ask if they have certifications such as IICRC (Institute Of Inspection Cleaning And Restoration Certification) or RIA (Restoration Industry Association). These qualifications guarantee that the team will know how best to tackle issues associated with fire and smoke damage, like soot removal, deodorizing, mold remediation, and more. Asking about their track record on successful restorations can help you determine whether they’re worth your time and money.

When it comes to choosing the right fire damage restoration company, you want to be sure they have all of the necessary services in order to meet your needs. Look for a partner who can provide comprehensive services like smoke and soot removal, water extraction, mold remediation, structural repairs, and more. This will ensure that every aspect of your home is taken care of properly.

You also want to make sure that any potential partner has experience with complex jobs such as yours. Ask them questions about their past projects and read reviews from previous clients. Communication is key when discussing these details; look for a team that is willing to listen carefully and answer all of your questions thoroughly.

Trust SERVPRO of Northwest Cobb County for Expert Fire Damage Restoration

Dealing with the aftermath of a fire can be an overwhelming and stressful experience. That's why it's essential to choose a trusted partner who can guide you through the process and restore your property to its pre-fire condition. Our SERVPRO of Northwest Cobb County team checks all the boxes that a client could be looking for in a fire damage restoration company. With our experienced and certified team, comprehensive restoration services, and commitment to customer satisfaction, you can rest assured that your property is in good hands.

Don't let fire damage restoration become an additional burden during this challenging time. Give us a call at (770) 966-1442 to discuss your needs and let our skilled professionals take care of the rest. We're here to help you every step of the way, providing the support and expertise you need to restore your home or business to its former glory. Call us today and let us show you why we're the right choice for all your fire damage restoration needs.

Tips to Stay Safe during Fire Damage: SERVPRO of Northwest Cobb County

3/29/2022 (Permalink)

No matter how serious your property damage may be, SERVPRO of Northwest Cobb County is your local expert for restoring your home or business.

It's that time of year again - fire season in Acworth, GA, and surrounding areas. Between February and May, the weather gets hotter and drier, while the risk of house fires rises. A fire may start from a variety of sources, ranging from a faulty wire to an overloaded outlet to a kitchen mishap to a bonfire left unattended. It's critical to know how to react quickly and effectively if your home catches fire.

Here's What You Need To Know If A Fire Starts: 

The first line of defense against a house fire is to know how to use the proper fire extinguisher for the situation. This simple procedure can help save lives and hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage. If the fire spreads uncontrollably, evacuate immediately and stay away, then call 9-1-1. Leave all of your belongings where they are and save yourself and your loved ones.

If your clothing ignites, remember the old adage: Stop, Drop, and Roll.

It's critical to utilize the stairs if you live in a building with elevators in case of a fire. The elevator electrical system may be damaged by a fire, causing the shaft to operate like a chimney and rapidly fill up with deadly fumes.

Doors may be used to your advantage in a fire, potentially saving your life. If the doorknob or handle is hot, don't open it. If you can't exit through the primary route, look for another option. Do not open any doors that are warm to the touch.

Close any doors that might obstruct your exits, lay a wet towel beneath the doors, and call the fire department or 9-1-1 if flames, heat, or fire block your avenues of escape. Tell them exactly where you are so they can find you.

If you're near a window that you can't use as an escape, open it and wave a brightly colored cloth or use your phone flashlight to signal for help.

What To Do After a Fire

After a fire, it is important to contact a professional fire damage restoration company like SERVPRO of Northwest Cobb County. We have the training, experience, and equipment to properly restore your home - "Like it never even happened."

If you try to clean up the fire damage yourself, you could end up making the situation worse both in your home and with your insurance company's process.

Trust the experts, and call today!

How To Protect Your Property From Cigarette Fires

2/26/2022 (Permalink)

Cigarettes continue to cause a high number of house fires each year.

How To Keep Your Home Safe From Cigarette Fire

Cigarettes continue to cause a high number of house fires each year, even though the number of smokers has dropped dramatically. Here are five easy ways to keep your property and loved ones safe from a cigarette fire.

1. Keep Lighters Away From Children

Kids, especially very young ones, may be completely unaware of the dangers of playing with fire. Make sure that cigarettes, lighters and matches are stored out of reach of children. Educate youth about fire safety.

2. Don’t Allow Smoking Indoors

Many objects and items in your home are highly flammable, including books, upholstery, curtains and carpets. To avoid the risk of starting a blaze from a spark due to a lit cigarette or hot ashes, make it a rule that smoking must be done outside of the house.

3. Never Smoke When Tired

If you smoke when you’re drowsy, you put yourself at risk of falling asleep and starting a cigarette fire. Even if you don’t feel sleepy, do not smoke while reclining or lounging to reduce the chances of dozing off with a lit cigarette in your hand. Always avoid smoking in bed.

4. Use Proper Ashtrays

Remember to use sturdy ashtrays when smoking, and fill them with sand if possible. Douse ashes and cigarette butts with water before emptying them into the trashcan to reduce the chances of an ashtray fire. Never extinguish cigarettes in vegetation, such as grass or leaves that could be dry and may present a fire hazard.

5. Avoid Smoking Near Medical Oxygen

Oxygen tanks are extremely flammable, and smoking around them could cause them to combust. Likewise, avoid lighting up around any chemical that may start a blaze.

Taking these precautions can keep your home in Kennesaw, GA, safe from a dangerous cigarette fire. If you need assistance or have questions about fire cleanup, reach out to a fire restoration company for help.

How To Recover After a Commercial Fire

1/21/2022 (Permalink)

Commercial fire damage in Red Rock, GA.

How to Get Back on Your Feet After a Commercial Fire

A fire can have a devastating effect on any business in Red Rock, GA. The loss of equipment and the cost to repair the damage can seem overwhelming in the aftermath, but with a little foresight and these easy steps, executing an effective fire restoration plan can be simple.

Plan Ahead

While you can't predict a disaster, you can plan for it. Take these four steps today to ensure your company’s future:

• Make a business continuity plan.
  
• Research and acquire sufficient fire insurance.
  
• Keep up-to-date records of all business conducted.
  
• Make sure the building occupied is up to code and safe.
  
  

Call Your Insurance Provider

After a fire, your first step towards recovery is enacting your fire insurance policy. Your provider will send an inspector to assess the damage before restoration begins. If you have accurate documentation of your assets and a sound insurance policy, you will then be able to file a claim to get the funds you need.

Determine the Extent of the Damage

If it is safe to go inside the building, make sure to wear protective gear, such as masks and gloves. Help your insurance agent and fire restoration service by taking a lot of pictures. You should include documents, computers, phones and building materials. Anything important to the survival of your business is worth documenting.

Contact a Fire Damage Restoration Service

After you've filed your claim, you can begin the rebuilding process. Restoration professionals will conduct an assessment of their own and establish an action plan. This can consist of several steps, including water removal if the fire burst any pipes, boarding windows that have shattered and soot and smoke cleaning.

The best thing to remember in a fire emergency is that you can recover. Having a plan and a clear head will dramatically decrease your stress. With the help of fire restoration services, a full recovery is just a few easy steps away.

Fire Restoration Is the Science of Turning Chaos Into Order

12/20/2021 (Permalink)

Kitchen damaged by fire in Lost Mountain, GA.

Fire Restoration Process

You will never forget how your home looked after the last firefighter left. It was a disaster. Everything was burned, charred, or soaked. Your beautiful hardwood floors were starting to buckle, the water was leaking into the rooms below, and everything smelled like smoke. You wondered how you could recover from this. The following three steps will help you understand the cleanup process.

1. Your New Enemies Are Water and Time
The fire is out, but your disaster continues to grow in slow motion. Now, the culprit is water. It is slowly working its way through your home. It is also setting the stage for mold to move in and make the cleanup more difficult. The objective here is to get the moisture out of your home quickly. This stage of fire restoration involves removing:

• Standing water
  
• Carpets, if not salvageable in place
  
• Fabrics
  
• Furniture
  
• Wallboard, flooring and anything else that is not salvageable
  

Once the room is empty, it’s time to bring in fans and dehumidifiers. Now might also be an excellent time to apply mold-suppression products to wet areas, if appropriate.

2. Remove Everything That Is Burned and Not Restorable
Think of this as the demolition phase. Remove everything that the fire touched. If you decide to leave some charred wood in place, seal it. If you don’t, you will never get the smoky burnt smell entirely out of your home.

3. Eliminate the Smoky Smell That Permeates Your Home
Smoke damage is often the most difficult to mitigate. In extreme cases, it can require:

• Air filtration to remove the smell from the air
  
• Intense treatment by ozone generators
  
• Deodorization by special thermal foggers
  

Damage Cleaning Is Not for the Do-It-Yourselfer
The average person does not have the knowledge or equipment to do the fire restoration quickly and thoroughly. Consider bringing in fire damage mitigation experts located in the Lost Mountain, GA, area if you face this type of cleanup. When you see the results, you will be glad you did.

Top 4 Things You Need To Do To Prepare for a Fire

11/10/2021 (Permalink)

Install smoke alarms in your home.

Fire Preparation Tips

As a homeowner in Red Rock, GA, you need to prepare yourself for a variety of worst case scenarios. You may make plans for bad weather, faulty plumbing and house fires to ensure you can bounce back from any unexpected event. Fire preparation should include preventative measures as well as practicing what to do in case of an emergency.

1. Have a fire drill. Making sure your entire family knows what to do in the case of an emergency is a must. During a fire drill, you should show everyone what the alarm sounds like, how to safely exit a room and where to meet outside of the home. For the highest level of fire safety, you may want to encourage everyone to have at least two exit strategies in mind for each room in the house. For example, you could leave a bedroom through the door or a window.

2. Install smoke alarms. A home fire is often detected by smoke alarms. If you do not have this safety equipment properly installed throughout your house, a fire may blaze without you knowing.

3. Check smoke alarms. Once the alarm is in place, your fire preparation is not over. You also need to make sure it can work. You should do an alarm check at least once every month. If you don't, the batteries inside may die without you realizing it.

4. Figure out who to call. Everyone knows to call emergency responders after a home fire, but you may also want to decide what type of residential fire remediation team you would like to work with if flames engulf your house. Getting in touch with these experts prior to a fire can speed up the restoration process.

Being proactive in your fire preparation ensures your entire family will know what to do if there ever is a fire in your house. Once you have made the preparations, you can sit back and hope to never put them into action.

How To Create a Fire Escape Plan at Home

10/27/2021 (Permalink)

Having a fire escape plan can protect your family and keep you safe.

How to Make a Home Fire Escape Plan

Though the thought of having a fire at your home is scary, there are steps you and your family can take to ensure your safety in the event of a fire. Creating a fire escape plan will make sure you are prepared to leave your home quickly if a fire occurs. These three steps will show you how to create your plan.

1. Initiate and Practice Your Plan

One of the most important ways you can prepare for a fire in Davis Crossroads, GA, is to create a customized emergency escape plan. With your family, first locate the exits in your home, including all windows and doors. Once you know where every exit is, practice leaving your home in a timely, safe manner. Make sure your family has picked out a nearby location to meet up with one another after escaping the home. Every six months, you need to practice your plan with your family.

2. Install and Assess Alarms

Part of your fire escape plan should focus on making sure you will be alerted immediately if a fire breaks out in your home. If you haven’t already done so, install smoke alarms throughout your home; place alarms in all bedrooms, and make certain that alarms are on each floor of your home. If you already have alarms installed, check your smoke alarms frequently and change the batteries as necessary.

3. Know Whom To Contact

If a fire damages your home, it’s important to know whom to contact. The American Red Cross can help your family begin to recover. Knowing the contact information for your local Red Cross will allow you to quickly get in touch with the right people, and together, they will assist you in moving forward.

Hopefully, you will never need to use your fire escape plan in a true emergency. However, it is essential to be prepared. Having a solid plan in place can protect your family from harm and keep you safe.

Protect Your Home From Dire Fire

7/23/2021 (Permalink)

Although your burnt home may seem lost, SERVPRO of Northwest is your fire restoration company that can help restore your property.

Protect Your Home Against A Serious Fire

Your house in Mars Hill,GA is an investment worth protecting. To prevent a catastrophic loss, your residence needs your evaluation to ensure it has proper safeguards against a home fire. Fire preparation is key to prevent the chaos and costs of mishandling a fire.

Always Think Fire Safety

By being constantly mindful of fire safety, you can stop any hazards from ever happening. A fire savvy mindset involves mindfulness of several things while around your house:

• Putting out candles when you cannot actively monitor them
• Turning off space heaters or other flame sources when not awake
• Putting out cigarettes with water and keeping them away from flammable garbage
• Moving flammable objects a few feet away from heaters, ovens or fireplaces

Install and Test Smoke Alarms

Smoke alarms are the best first line of defense against a surprise fire. It’s recommended by the Red Cross that, at a minimum, every floor has a fire detector and an additional one outside each bedroom. If you do not have one outside every sleeping area, it is beneficial to install more.

Your next step in fire preparation is to clean and test your smoke detectors regularly. They should be occasionally dusted to allow them to work effectively. Once a month, the test button on one unit should be pressed to ensure all alarms are connected and functional so you can identify any that need unit or battery replacement.

Have a Plan

Everyone in your home should know the procedure for a home fire. You should identify the fire escape routes and inform everyone in the home of them. Every resident should be advised to dial emergency services once safe from a major fire to get the fire department on the scene as soon as possible.

Fire safety is your home’s safety. Although your burnt home may seem lost, there are professional residential fire restoration companies that can help restore your property. Adequate fire prevention helps you act on the fire immediately so you can protect your home from more extensive damage.

3 Products That Bring You the Charm of Candles Without the Danger

6/28/2021 (Permalink)

Wax warmers make spaces smell great without the risk of an open flame.

What Is A Safe Alternative To Candles?

Candles have long been a staple for those looking to add a little charm to their homes. However, it goes without saying that because of its open-flame nature, the average candle is also a huge fire hazard. Over the span of five years, the average candle fire was responsible for a whopping

• 24 reported house fires every day
  
• 2 percent of all reported house fires
  
• 3 percent of home fire deaths
  
• Millions of dollars in property damage and smoke cleanup efforts
  
  

This issue has been an ongoing one because people continue to enjoy the benefits that the modern candle has to offer. Fortunately for you and your Davis Crossroads, GA, home, there are now plenty of alternatives to choose from that offer all of the benefits and none of the risk.

1. Wax Warmers

In recent years, wax warmers have slowly begun to replace scented candles as a means of making spaces smell great without the risk of an open flame. These products use low-heat plates to melt scented wax cubes, giving off the same effect as a burning candle. These are, of course, not without their own risks, but they’re generally much safer than candles.

2. Oil Diffusers

Essential oils have also become popular methods of making houses smell great. These oils can either be used in an electric diffuser or with diffusing sticks, neither of which require open flames to get the job done. Diffusers that consist of bottles and diffusing sticks are likely the safest options out there.

3. Fake Candles

Small, battery-operated candles can convincingly emulate the appearance of an actual candle, allowing homeowners to enjoy that soft, flickering light without the threat it typically brings. They can be used alongside wax warmers and oil diffusers to create a candle-like experience without any candle fire risk while you go about your day.

You don't need to risk disaster to enjoy the ambiance candles bring. Any of these options can provide your home in Davis Crossroads, GA, with the benefits of modern candles without the threat of candle fire on the premises.

Is Fire Damage Covered By Renters Insurance?

6/3/2021 (Permalink)

Fire damage in Acworth, GA.

Tenants have the option to insure their possessions against fire damage by obtaining renters insurance. Find out more about this coverage to select the right policy.

What Renters Policies Cover

Renter's policies only cover damage to the contents of a rented domicile, namely the personal possessions of the named insured. This coverage can apply to a wide range of items:

• Clothes
• Furniture
• Electronic
• Personal possessions

Review the terms of a policy to make sure the amount of coverage is sufficient to compensate for replacement costs rather than actual cash value with depreciation. A small amount of additional coverage may also be available for liability. It is a good idea to make note of any requirements for obtaining coverage or filing a claim.

Limits and Other Coverage

Renters should make sure that the limit of a policy is high enough to account for the total value of the contents of a residence. Renters insurance policies are not intended to cover damage to building materials or any appliances or fixtures that belong to the landlord or property owner. If these materials or items sustain damage or are destroyed, these losses should be covered by the property insurance policy. It is the responsibility of the property owner or manager to arrange for fire restoration.

Making a Claim

After a fire damages the contents of a rental property, a tenant should document the damage and try to gather and provide receipts or other proof of purchase. Lists of damaged and destroyed content can make it easier to arrange for content cleaning or replace losses.

A tenant should take the time to carefully review the terms and limitations of any renters insurance policy. In the event of fire damage to the contents of an apartment or rental house in Acworth, GA, this coverage can help to offset the costs of professional content cleaning or replacement.

3 Steps To Create a Home Fire Escape Plan

3/30/2021 (Permalink)

A fires escape plan can help keep your family safe when a fire occurs.

The Following Three Steps Can Help You Create Your Plan

Because fire can spread quickly, your family may have only one to two minutes to escape from the time a smoke alarm sounds. A fire escape plan can help ensure that your family can safely evacuate your home during a fire.

1. Include Your Entire Household
Everyone in your household needs to know what to do when a home fire occurs. As a group, you should walk through your home and make note of all possible exits. It may be helpful to draw a floorplan of your home and mark the location of all smoke alarms and two exits for every room. If you have any household member with special needs, such as mobility issues, children, or pets in your home you should make a plan to address their needs.

2. Choose a Meeting Place
Your fire escape plan should include a designated meeting place, such as a neighbor's house, mailbox, traffic sign or light post. Mark the meeting place on your plan and instruct the entire household to go to that place once they have exited the home. Choosing a meeting place will help you ensure that everyone is accounted for so you can alert any emergency personnel to someone who may be trapped in your home.

3. Memorize Emergency Phone Numbers
At a minimum, everyone in your household should know how to call 9-1-1 to report a house fire. It may also be helpful fire preparation to provide family members with other useful contact information, such as the phone number of a fire remediation company in Acworth, GA, or a contact number for a neighbor or family member who doesn't live in the home.
A fire escape plan can help keep your family safe when a house fire occurs. These three steps will get you started. You should review and update your plan as needed at least once every year.

Letting the Pros Handle Your Fire Damage Cleanup

12/8/2020 (Permalink)

Commercial fire in Acworth, GA

Fire Damage Cleanup

A house fire does more than just cause fire damage. If you ever experience a fire to your home in Acworth, GA, you’ll likely have to deal with damage from water to extinguish flames as well as that of soot and smoke. Other considerations may include structural repairs, reconstruction and special cleanup approaches such as dry-cleaning. A full restoration to pre-fire conditions is an extensive effort that requires not only full knowledge of damage assessment and item repair, but also the tools and equipment to get the job done as quickly as possible. It is strongly recommended that you hire a professional provider of fire restoration services to minimize the time it takes to get things to a true pre-damage condition.

What Is the Fire Restoration Process?

The restoration process is more comprehensive than you might imagine. This is why it’s best that you hire professionals who can cover every aspect of the process:

• Inspect, measure and evaluate the extent of all damage from fire, water or smoke.
• Eliminate further damage by restricting access to damaged parts of the home.
• Remove water and dehumidify affected areas using special equipment.
• Remove smoke and soot damage from belongings using specialized content cleaning techniques.
• Sanitize and disinfect affected items through best approaches, including dry-cleaning.
• Fully complete all repairs and construction needed to restore your home to a pre-fire condition.

The Professional Difference
Fire restoration professionals are best equipped to cover all the details associated with the process. They address every issue, even providing content storage solutions for your belongings during the restoration. These pros will also look for ways to restore your belongings using best cleaning practices, including dry-cleaning. Prioritizing repair over replacement helps save money. Your insurer usually prefers to work with professional fire restoration providers, because they are vetted when it comes to safe, proper and thorough cleaning, repair and reconstruction.

3 Ways Business Income Coverage Can Help After a Fire

11/11/2020 (Permalink)

Business fire in Acworth, GA

3 Ways Business Income Coverage Can Help After a Fire

Commercial property insurance covers physical damage to your business if there’s a fire, but until repairs are complete, your doors are likely to remain closed — and that kind of downtime can shutter a business for good. Business interruption insurance is designed to help keep that from happening. There are several ways that this type of insurance, also called “business income coverage,” can help keep you afloat.

1. Lost Income Replacement
When your business is closed for fire restoration, it’s not turning a profit, or even bringing in any income at all. Business income coverage is designed to help you replace this lost income. Lost income coverage is based upon your business’s average sales or profits when the business is open and operational. In addition to serving as a temporary replacement for your regular business income, this type of insurance also covers potential income that may be lost due to fire-damaged inventory or merchandise.

2. Operating Expense Coverage
Interruption insurance also covers many of your business's operating expenses while you're closed for repairs. Examples of covered expenses include mortgage or rent payments, taxes, payroll, and loan payments. However, some operating expenses, such as utilities, are typically excluded from most business interruption policies, so check your policy carefully.

3. Extra Expense Coverage and Other Options
Most insurance companies offer various add-on options to ensure that your business income coverage is tailored to your needs. Some options are designed to cover extra expenses, for example, if you have to open a temporary location during extensive repairs. There are also options to add additional covered events, for example, if an evacuation order were issued for Acworth, GA.
Commercial property insurance can be a major source of assistance after a disaster like a fire. However, if fire damage closes your business for a period of time, business interruption insurance can make the difference between closing for repairs and closing for good.

Content Cleaning After a Home Fire

9/18/2020 (Permalink)

Burnt fabric

Content Cleaning After a Home Fire

After a home fire in Kennesaw, GA, items inside your home will likely have sustained damage from smoke and soot. That doesn’t mean all your valued belongings must be thrown out, however. An emergency restoration service can help. Content cleaning is the process of returning your items to their pre-fire condition through dry-cleaning and ultrasonic cleaning as well as other professional techniques.

Ultrasonic Cleaning
Surfaces that are nonporous, such as plastic, metal, and rubber, may need ultrasonic cleaning to remove soot and particles that have adhered to the surface. The process uses a special solution and high-pressure waves. This method of cleaning is especially useful for items with areas that are hard to reach.

Fabric Restoration
Smoke and ash can wreak havoc on all kinds of fabrics in a home:

• Clothing
  
• Bedding
  
• Drapery
  
• Furniture upholstery
  
  

While it may seem easy to throw bedspreads and curtains in the wash to remove smoke odor, not all fabrics can be laundered in a washing machine. A professional dry-cleaning service uses solvents instead of soap and water to clean fabrics. Some dry cleaners specialize in fire restoration and smoke removal.

Item Storage
If your home has sustained extensive fire damage, your belongings may need to be removed and stored while your house is cleaned and remodeled. An emergency restoration service can assist you by taking inventory of your items, cleaning and storing them in an offsite location, and coordinating the move-in process with you when remodeling is complete. Content storage offers you peace of mind knowing your possessions are safe and out of harm’s way as work takes place in your home.
After a house fire, knowing how to clean and store your valued possessions can be a daunting task. A fire restoration service in Kennesaw, GA, can help you with all aspects of damage cleanup such as dry-cleaning, ultrasonic cleaning, inventory, and storage.

Fire Damages and Your Computer

7/9/2020 (Permalink)

Fire damages can affect your electronics

Fire damages don't just affect the structure of your Lost Mountain, GA, commercial property; they also affect the furnishings, appliances, and business contents of the buildings. Protecting these belongings from damages is just as important as keeping the building safe. One area that requires special care is dealing with electrical fire damages and responding so that electronic appliances can be saved.

Cleaning Methods

Fire cleanup and repair professionals have a lot of methods available when cleaning and repairing your commercial property. These include

Wet and dry cleaning
Spray and wipe care
Foam cleaning for upholstery
Abrasive cleaning
Immersion baths

When it comes to electronics and computer cleanup, however, most of these methods aren't appropriate.

Computer Damages
Desktop computers (which are found in many commercial properties) are often equipped with little fans that keep the internal components cool enough for optimal operating temperatures. When a fire breaks out in your building (or an electrical fire breaks out inside the computer case,) those fans circulate and re-circulate the smoke and soot in the air. As a result, the interior components of the computer become coated in grime and acidic soot. In addition to the black film, damages may include a magnetic charge that could short out circuits. These components include the circuit board, connections, wiring, and other hardware.

Professional Cleanup
It's important that computer cleanup is handled by professionals with experience in smoke damage and computers. While waiting for the pros to arrive, shut down and unplug the computer. Resist the urge to wipe anything down. Disconnect peripherals, including the monitor, mouse, keyboard, printer, and any speakers. You should also remove any memory or storage, such as the hard drive. Sometimes business owners are tempted to attempt computer cleaning on their own. Remember that professionals have specialized equipment to prevent damage from static electricity and other lesser-known concerns.
Don't take electrical fire damages lightly. Recognize how to protect your computer from further damages and turn the rest of the cleanup and repair work to professionals.

Residential Fire Cleanup, Restoration, Mitigation, and Prevention

6/15/2020 (Permalink)

Fire damage in an Acworth kitchen

Whether your home has been affected by wildfire or a cooking fire, mitigation is often one of the steps taken by fire restoration specialists. With the right steps, you and damage cleaning professionals may reduce the risk of and level of fire damage in the future. There are four steps you and/or the professionals should take:

1. Cleanup
   
2. Restoration
   
3. Mitigation
   
4. Prevention
   
   

What Does Cleanup Involve?

When fire and smoke damage cleanup professionals clean your damaged home, they haul out debris and items that can't be repaired. They scrub down walls and other surfaces and provide disinfection as necessary.

What Is Restoration?
After the home has been cleaned, professionals handle the replacement and repairs necessary to return your home to its pre-fire condition. Contact your insurance company to determine which fire restoration steps are covered.

What Is Mitigation?
Mitigation includes those efforts that seek to minimize damages while preventative steps seek to stop something from happening. As a homeowner, you can't prevent all wildfires, but you can take steps to mitigate the damages to your Acworth, GA, home:

Clear dry brush and trees from around the perimeter of your home.
Create a fire-free area with rocks, stones, and other non-flammable materials in the five feet around your home. Consider xeriscaping for further fire resistance.
Don't park on dry vegetation and make sure off-road vehicles have working spark arresters.
Upgrade your home building materials (such as roofing tiles) with fire-resistant products.

What Preventative Steps Can I Take?

Don't use the stove, candles, cigarettes, or other potential fire sources when you're sleepy or have consumed alcohol.
Store flammable items away from heat sources, such as kitchen towels or wooden utensils in the kitchen and flammable chemicals in the garage and workshop.
Don't leave a flame unattended. If you're cooking, remain in the kitchen. If you have a lit candle, don't leave the room.
Keep up with home maintenance. Dryers, heating systems, and furnaces are all potential sources of home fires without appropriate inspections and upkeep.

As you and fire restoration professionals work through cleanup, restoration, mitigation, and prevention steps, your home should be safer from outside and inside fires in the future. Don't wait for a home fire, though; take mitigation and prevention steps today.