cleaning up after a natural disaster

After a fire, it's easy to feel as if you have lost everything. If your beloved furniture is damaged, you might fear that you will have to throw it away. However, this might not be the case. If you want to try to save your furniture after a fire, follow these helpful tips.

Dry Off What You Can

First of all, dry off any items that can be easily dried by hand. For example, wipe off your wood furniture; getting it dry will help prevent it from rotting or from the colors running. Drying off leather furniture with a clean towel is also helpful because it can help preserve your leather.

Avoid Unnecessary Touching of Upholstered Items

You may find yourself wanting to mess with your upholstered furniture to try to get it clean. However, unnecessary touching of upholstered items is not a good thing after a fire. Soot is oily, and if you touch it, it can become smeared on your furniture and can become more difficult to get out. It's best to keep your hands off as much as possible to prevent this from happening.

Let in Some Ventilation

After a fire, your home is probably smoky and wet from fire damage and the water that was used to put it out. Opening up all of the windows will allow a little bit of ventilation in the house and can help prevent furniture from taking on an odor or having mildew or mold stains. If your home has been cleared and you can safely use your HVAC system again, turning it on and switching your air filter out frequently until you can no longer see any soot on it can also help with ventilation.

Hire a Fire Damage Restoration Company

If you want to save as many of your belongings as possible, your best bet is to hire a fire damage restoration company like Nordic Services Inc. A good fire damage restoration company has all of the right equipment, cleaning products and experience to remove as much soot, mildew and other things from your furniture as possible. Along with potentially saving your furniture, a fire damage restoration company can also help with saving your flooring and many other household items.

You don't have to assume that you will lose everything after a fire. In some cases, you can save your furniture. Follow these tips, and you can help ensure that as much of your furniture as possible is preserved.