Flood and fire damage can be devastating. These disasters can destroy your home from smoke, soot, and water damage. You can also lose more than just your home; smoke and water damage can lead to warping, mold and rust which can cost you your precious heirlooms and items of both monetary and sentimental value.

For victims of a flood or fire, disaster restoration needs to happen immediately. Water and smoke issues need to be handled as soon as possible to prevent permanent damage to important personal property items.

Today’s video sees Frank giving advice on old-fashioned ways to clean up and recover from these disasters, as well as how an ultrasonic cleaning system can be used in disaster restoration to help you get back some of those lost possessions.

Drain Standing Water

Drain any standing water left from the incident immediately. Empty anything that is holding water be it a shoe, your pet’s food bowls, or appliances. Standing water is a breeding ground for bacteria and mold, and you want to remove this issue first and foremost. Remove as much remaining water as possible with towels.

Dealing with Fabrics

Remove waterlogged fabrics immediately and hang them to dry. Don’t wash your bedding or clothes—instead turn them over to a disaster restoration company. They could already be infected with mold, bacteria, or damage from smoke and soot. A qualified restoration company can disinfect, clean and sterilize your fabrics properly without cross contaminating your other clothing.

Cleaning Up

Spray down items that have hard surfaces with degreasers and wipe them down, but be sure you use compatible chemicals so that you do not damage delicate equipment as LCD screens or pottery glaze.

To recover furniture, lift each leg and wipe it down, and then sop up any water that may have collected underneath. Finally, cover the furniture with plastic until the home airs out and is once again dry.

Open all drawers and doors to promote air circulation. Air circulation helps to remove mildew and smoke odor in the home.

Document Recovery

Important documents can be the worst loss you suffer. To recover these as best you can, carefully dry books, documents and papers with paper towels and lay them out to dry. Keep paper products out of direct sunlight and use a dehumidifier to draw moisture out. Know that paper can dry with wrinkles unless processed with a document vacuum processing system available at only a few specialized restoration companies.

Ultrasonic Recovery

Don’t throw anything away! Modern ultrasonic cleaning can be used to recover almost any household item, even ones previously considered unsalvageable. It can remove the smell of smoke and soot, and can clean just about anything to help you recover those important family heirlooms.

Even teddy bears and computers can be recovered using these cleaning systems. Remember, each thing you save is something you do not have to replace—contacting a restoration service that uses modern ultrasonic cleaners can save you a significant amount of money and get back things you feared lost.