Why You Should Leave the Fire and Soot Cleanup to the Professionals

   A fire in your home or business can be stressful and traumatic. Your world is turned upside down in a matter of seconds and trying to figure out where to begin is the first in several difficult decisions you will have to make. The best advice I can give is to call a reputable fire restoration company immediately. Many people assume that the aftermath of a small fire or smoke mishap can be handled by themselves but unfortunately, this does not hold up. Fire smoke and soot damage are three of many things I can think of that should be evaluated and remediated by a professional. And if your not totally convinced that these damages can not be handled by an experienced do-it-yourselfer, then please continue reading.
   My client lived in a beautiful home in Scarsdale, NY. He has a love of cooking for his family every night. One of these lovely evenings turned into a small nightmare. The pilot light on the stove/oven malfunctioned and set a dishtowel that was a little too close to the appliance on fire. Luckily, the smoke detectors were in working order and they alerted my client and his family of the fire. My client was able to extinguish the fire and gratefully the family was safe. My client said that he noticed the fire damage had seemed like it was limited to the kitchen and he thought he might get a head start on the impending cleanup. He got out some rags, some cleaners, a mop and a bucket of water. But as he began to "clean-up", he noticed that there was a lot more soot than he thought and it seemed to be getting even worse as he wiped and scrubbed. Thankfully, his gut instinct to stop cleaning was right because he actually made the matter worse. He picked up the phone, contacted me and I was there to evaluate the situation an hour later. 
   The damage did look like it was limited to the kitchen but looks can be deceiving. The smell of the fire was throughout the first and second level of the home. And the soot damage had traveled beyond the kitchen as well. That's why I recommend to home and business owners not to try to cleanup after a fire. Soot especially, can travel through vents and into other rooms. It sticks well to fabric, walls, ceilings, floors and all of the other little items that are in your home. If you happen to sit on a sofa that has a thin layer of soot that isn't really visible, it makes the damage harder to clean. Walls can be particularly tricky. They can look fine but again, soot can be really difficult to see if your not trained to look for it and lighting can play a huge role in that deception. My client was lucky that he stopped what he was doing because he ended up causing more harm than good. Soot cant be cleaned off walls with water or cleaning sprays.
   So if you have had a fire, smoke or soot damage in your home or business, call a professional restoration and remediation company. Keep your family, home and business safe by installing smoke detectors and by changing the batteries on a very regular basis. Make a simple exit plan for you and your family in the event that a fire does occur. Leave the cleanup to the professionals and just worry about being safe.