Residential property smoke damage

6/21/2019 (Permalink)

Smoke damage restoration

The fire damage restorer, the carpet cleaner, and the building maintenance janitor all perform cleaning. The restorer’s cleaning task, however, is slightly different from the task of the other two cleaning professionals. The restorer faces a unique situation—a building damaged by fire and smoke. The task is to remove the damage and return the building to the way it was before the fire. The industry describes this task as restoring the building to preloss condition. Cleaning to preloss condition means removing the effects of the fire damage. The restorer will remove smoke residues from interior and exterior surfaces of the building. The residues will often give off smoke odors, so the restorer must also deodorize to rid the building of the malodors. The fire possibly damaged some parts of the structure so badly they cannot be returned to preloss condition, so the restorer will dispose of structural items that are blistered by heat or charred by flame. Fire restoration cleaning is a unique form of cleaning in which the goal is returning items to a preloss condition. The restorer determines what items can be restored and what items must be replaced. The restorer identifies what items do not need any restoration and estimates the odds of restoring items that are questionable. The restorer 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, but should be recognized and documented.