The SERVPRO Team Is The Right Team For Portage Home Restoration

11/29/2023 (Permalink)

Why SERVPRO - Cleaning And Removing Fire Damage From Portage Homes

With a border on Lake Michigan, Portage residents have great beach access and can watch the ships move in and out of Indiana-Burns Harbor. Even a town with so many idyllic spring and summer days like this one though has its share of fires and other disasters.

Cleaning up and removing fire damage to Portage homes requires a professional service with access to the latest equipment and training. That is why SERVPRO® should be your first choice to restore your home to its original, clean condition before the fire happened. Our local office connects with a nationwide network to source every cleaning agent or device needed to restore your home.

In most cases, sprinklers or firefighters extinguish residential fires before they consume structural or personal property. That usually means the majority of our efforts center on removing the residues left by smoke and soot on surfaces throughout the home. Residues fall into four categories: Dry, Wet, Protein, and Fuel Oil.

Dry residues contain few aerosols, so they are often powdery and easier for SERVPRO technicians to remove than other residues. They are the result after a fire burns very hot and leave fewer stains along with a less pungent set of odors. The only drawback to having dry residues is that the hotter fire destroys more property than cooler fires. Cleaning these residues can often be accomplished with dry sponges and a spray bottle of water or a mild detergent to break up thicker layers.

Wet residues contain more aerosols from liquids like solvents and varnishes. Fires that generate them burn slower and cooler, so while the residues are harder to remove, they are not spread as far throughout the home, affecting fewer rooms and surfaces. Technicians require stronger cleaning agents to remove the residues, and may also require a mechanical agitation device to carefully break up thicker residue layers without harming the surface underneath them.

Protein residues come from kitchen fires and are the result of burning fish, meat, and poultry. They are harder to see since the color usually runs from yellow to almost clear and only slightly discolor paint and wallpaper. Since they are greasy, the odors are far more pungent than dry or wet residues. Since odors travel farther and faster through a home than residues, even a small kitchen fire often forces us to deodorize an entire residence.

Fuel oil residues result from puff-backs. These only happen with oil burners that incorrectly ignite, jarring loose old soot, and push particles into the ductwork of a home. Few residences still use oil burners of this design, so the puff-backs only happen in older homes in Indiana and other parts of the Northeast. Removal is usually not difficult, but our technicians are careful not to scratch covered surfaces.

At SERVPRO of Porter County, our goal is to return every home to its clean, pre-fire damage condition. If you need our services, call our office at (219) 476-1883 today. We are here for you.

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