Avoid the Dangers of a DIY Approach to Smoke Damage

5/30/2022 (Permalink)

Trust the Professionals and avoid Smoke Damage in your Property.

When fire affects your commercial property in Cedar City, UT, your business may come to a screeching halt. In addition to the costs associated with cleaning up and recovering from fire and smoke damage, you'll suffer financial loss because you can't continue to work as normal.

Appliances, belongings, and inventory may be lost, and you'll have to arrange for repairs to your electrical and water systems. You may also need to address damage to your landscape.

Even if your property wasn't immediately affected by fire, damage caused by smoke from a neighboring business can cause you a lot of trouble.

How You Should Respond to Smoke Damage

After the initial cleanup of your property, you may find that smoke damage has caused more trouble than the flames or the firefighters' hoses. Smoke carries toxins and acidic compounds throughout the area immediately affected by the fire and into parts of the building that the flames didn't reach. There are visible signs that you have trouble from smoke:

• Sticky black and brown soot deposits
• A strong distinct odor that clings stubbornly to walls, furnishings, and carpets
• Dark stains and yellowing paint on surfaces

Smoke also gets into air pockets in areas that are out of sight. Ignoring smoke damage can lead to contaminated property, stains, and lingering odors. Even if the flames didn't touch your building, smoke and soot damage may be a problem, so act quickly.

Avoid the Do-It-Yourself Approach

You need professionals to respond to smoke and soot damage. A DIY approach can easily lead to further property damage. This may happen because the structure of the building has been weakened and those new areas of vulnerability aren't always obvious. It also happens because many non-professionals don't have the training or the appropriate equipment to remove soot and prevent stains.

DIY recovery attempts often miss damage to the building that can't be seen. For example, as smoke moves through electrical outlets, heating and cooling vents, and tiny openings, it can damage wiring or lead to mold growth.

Schedule a Professional Inspection

As soon as possible, arrange for fire damage and smoke cleaning professionals to inspect your property. These technicians will assess the scope of the damage from the exterior roofing and siding through the framing and plumbing to the interior of the building.

They will look for immediate needs, such as boarding up holes in the building, and will also make a plan for cleaning and rebuilding until your building is once again ready for use.

Contact Your Insurance Company

In addition to contacting property damage professionals, reach out to your insurance company. Damage from smoke is usually a covered loss even if the damage was due to a fire on your neighbor's property. It's important to speak with an insurance representative right away to ensure a quick response from an adjuster.

Many insurance companies prefer that you work with a professional cleanup and recovery team because professional reconstruction is often less expensive than the costs of new damage caused by DIY attempts.

Smoke damage can be as problematic as fire and water damage. You need to act quickly to identify the scope of trouble and involve professionals in your cleanup and restoration efforts. Don't risk unseen or further damage by trying to handle the problem yourself.