SERVPRO Professionals Offer Quality Fire and Smoke Damage Cleanup, Restoration and Reconstruction Services

5/9/2019 (Permalink)

Soot composition can vary greatly, depending on the source and intensity of the fire, our Brooklyn and Queens restoration professionals are here.

SERVPRO is the Right Choice for Fire Damage Cleanup and Remediation Following a Brooklyn Home or Business Fire

Brooklyn property owners and renters are using more electrical appliances and equipment each day, many local apartment buildings and retail properties were not designed for our ongoing and ever-increasing electrical needs. It’s easy to take for granted the power coming from our walls but if you’ve ever tried to switch on the microwave while the oven, dishwasher and coffeemaker were on before a dinner party and the lights shut off, you’ve created an electrical circuit overload.

Our SERVPRO disaster restoration specialists started this fire damage cleanup and restoration project after an electrical fire started in the family room. Our crews arrived fast, began cleaning up and mitigating any additional damage to the residence. There was extensive smoke and soot damage to many areas of the home, the renters were surprised how quickly the smoke and soot damage spread.

If an electrical overload has caused fire, smoke and soot damage to your home or business, you need the professional assistance of a disaster restoration company. Choosing SERVPRO for your property restoration needs, means you’re working with professional disaster restoration specialists with the proper training and experience to clean up damages from fire, including smoke and soot. Our fire damage restoration team works quickly to restore your home or business, “Like it never even happened.”

Circuit breakers are an important safety component to preventing fires in your home or business.

How electrical circuit breakers work: when the current of electricity going through a circuit is too much for it to handle, an electrical overload can happen. This typically happens when there are too many electrical devices pulling from a single circuit or when older properties try and upgrade an appliance that uses excessive energy. Circuit breakers are an important safeguard, protecting your home or business from an electrical circuit overload that can cause the circuit to overheat, which could potentially result in a fire. While circuit breakers are reliable and do a good job preventing residential and commercial fires due to overloads, if the power surges are excessive they can, over time, result in electrical fires.

The three most common causes of a “tripped” circuit breaker are:

• Overloaded Circuit
• Short Circuit
• Ground Fault

Signs of Overloaded Circuits

The most obvious sign of an electrical circuit overload is a breaker tripping and shutting off all the power. Other signs can be less noticeable; buzzing sounds, burning smells, and unusually warm devices also can indicate other wiring problems, such as loose connections or short circuits. If any of these problems persist after you’ve taken steps to prevent circuit overloads, contact an electrician.

• Dimming lights, especially if lights dim when you turn on appliances or more lights.
• Buzzing outlets or switches.
• Outlet or switch covers that are warm to the touch.
• Burning odors from outlets or switches.
• Scorched plugs or outlets.
• Power tools, appliances, or electronics that seem to lack enough power.

It’s important to contact your local SERVPRO, following a residential or commercial property fire disaster, our professional staff is ready to help you in the aftermath of a property disaster. After your initial call a trained and IICRC certified technician will help you through the property cleanup and restoration process and begin to work with you to assess your damages.

Fire leaves different kinds of soot on surfaces depending on what burned in your Brooklyn residential or commercial property. Even a small blaze produces acidic smoke and soot that needs to be cleaned up. During your initial fire damage inspection, SERVPRO of Southwest Brooklyn will test the soot on your structure and contents to determine which type of smoke damage occurred. The cleaning procedures will then be based on the information identified during pretesting. Depending on how much smoke damage there is, there are various methods we can use to clean up the surrounding walls and ceiling.

Typically soot damage will cause at least some darkening and in severe cases, soot can be completely black. The exact composition of the soot that is damaging your property is a direct result of the underlying causes of the fire, the duration and types of materials involved in the blaze. There are several types of soot and depending on the pretesting, the methods to restore your property, structure and contents will vary.

Dry Soot 
Dry soot is caused by very hot fires burning natural ingredients swiftly. It has a dry, dusty texture and almost no smell. Dry soot is often easier to manage than mold or storm damage. In many cases, removing it is as simple as using a vacuum with a HEPA filter on all surfaces. 

Wet Soot 
If a fire smolders for a while on low heat and burns high moisture items, wet soot may be created. This is essentially dry soot that has mingled with steam to create a sort of soggy, sooty mess. Cleaning up wet soot requires a combination of fire damage and water damage strategies. 

Oily Soot 
When plastics, rubbers, and other products containing oil are burned, soot can turn into a sticky, greasy substance. If you try to wipe it up, it will just smear instead of going away. Unlike dry soot, oily soot will cling to any surface, even vertical areas, this type of soot is also resistant to water-based cleaning products. 

Protein Soot 
Protein-based soot is a greasy soot that tends to occur as the buildup in kitchens or the product of a kitchen fire. It involves overcooked proteins that turn to soot, and it has a very pungent odor. This type of soot is quite hard to get rid of, and the odor may linger if it is not cleaned up properly. 

Each type of soot gets a different cleaning method. Our technicians check out all damage and match the best cleaning method to soiling. Once damage does happen, our technicians are fully trained and certified under the guidelines of The Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) to restore your home to its original state. Local teams learn the latest procedures to clean carpets, furniture and surfaces of soot and to remove the smoke odor that can linger for weeks in an untreated home. One fire site can need a variety of cleaning methods. We can handle it all.

Our Fire Damage Restoration Specialists use commercial grade vacuums to remove soot, the blowers and exhaust fans can be adapted to work from a large family room to a small laundry closet. We use a wide-variety of cleaning products specialized for every surface in a home or commercial property from marble countertop cleaners to soaps and dry sponges that gently remove soot and not the paint underneath. We can use HEPA grade filtration systems, air scrubbers, and ozone machines to help improve the Indoor Air Quality.

Obviously, safety is the highest concern, it is important that precautions are taken during or following a property fire to turn off the HVAC and close the air duct vents if possible to prevent additional damages from traveling through the entire property.

For Fire Disaster Property Restoration Needs Call SERVPRO of Southwest Brooklyn at (718) -------

When dealing with soot damage, our SERVPRO teams have a few different options available

Dry Clean the Soot 
If you primarily have dry soot in your home, you can use dry cleaning methods to pick up most of the soot. These methods are essentially the same methods you would use for removing dust. A dry cloth can remove soot from tables and furniture, while a vacuum can pick it up off carpets, upholstery, and flooring. Dry-cleaning will ensure that powdery soot does not smear into a blackened grime. 

This method is a little tedious, so it is normally only recommended for smaller areas of soot. It can be helpful for doing a basic clean up and ensuring the soot does not spread before you can get more help. Keep in mind that if you try a dry-cleaning method and the soot begins to smear, you may need to try a wet cleaning method. 

Wet Clean the Soot 
A wet cleaning method can be effective if you have wet or oily soot. To use this method, combine soap with water to lightly scrub an area with soot. Try testing it in a small area to ensure that it can pick up soot without making the mess worse or damage the underlying surface. 

Wet cleaning soot does have some benefits because it can pick up soot that is mixed in with oil or moisture. However, it is quite time-consuming and requires a lot of effort. Another downside of the wet cleaning soot method is that it’s only feasible on tile or other waterproof surfaces. Using water to clean drywall, wood, or electronics is not advisable. 

Our Fire Damage Restoration Services

When you experience fire or smoke damage to your local Brooklyn home or business you might not be sure what steps to take next. Once the fire department has left and you have called SERVPRO of Southwest Brooklyn, wait for our professionals to arrive, our fire damage restoration specialists will guide you through the fire damage cleanup and restoration process.

1. Initial Inspection- One of our trained managers will come inspect your property for damages and see how intensely the fire/smoke affected your home and determine with you and/or your adjuster what steps need to be taken next.
2. Structure/Content Clean- Depending on what has been determined in step one, SERVPRO will start the process of cleaning and restoring your home and/or contents, including cleaning walls and ceilings, personal belongings, ducts, etc.

Restoration & Reconstruction

Residential or Commercial Fires often causes significant structural damage and often require repairing and rebuilding your property. SERVPRO of Southwest Brooklyn offers comprehensive reconstruction services for both residential and commercial properties our professionals are uniquely qualified and prepared to meet your reconstruction needs. Our construction team manages your property restoration project, working with you to survey the extent of the damage, develop a plan for reconstruction, and assess whether your property is safe to occupy. Our SERVPRO of Southwest Brooklyn crews are ready to undertake reconstruction projects of any size, structural repairs and rebuilding may only involve a portion of your property, or in some cases a complete rebuild may be necessary.

Contact us today for a FREE ESTIMATE, if your property has been damaged by fire, smoke or soot and needs repairs or reconstruction services, our crews are available 24/7 to help with your recovery.

Our project managers know that each property disaster is different and requires a unique solution tailored to the specific conditions and damages.  We have the equipment, expertise, and experience to restore your fire and smoke damage, quickly and effectively.  We will also treat your family with care and empathy and respect your property.

We're Here to Help You

If you do experience a fire, professional fire restoration services like SERVPRO of Southwest Brooklyn can handle the entire fire cleanup process from assessing the smoke and fire damage, pretesting your soot and smoke damage, through rebuilding your home or business, "Like it never even happened.” Wherever you are our SERVPRO Residential or Commercial Property Disaster Fire and Water Restoration Teams can help.

Check out our facebook page for additional safety tips and other resources for protecting your property from disasters including fire, water, mold and sewage. We are ALWAYS ready to serve our local Brooklyn community.