My Home Office Is Fire Damaged – What Can Be Saved?

9/2/2020 (Permalink)

Our fire damage experts can have your home office back to its original state, “Like it never even happened.”

Experienced Fire Mitigation Technicians In Milton May Be Able to Restore More Than You Think.

Milton NY, is a lovely waterfront town that began in the mid-1700s. It has a lot of history and historic buildings. The town is also home to old and new residential homes, many of which have home offices right now. A fire can strike any of these homes at any time.

Can My Wallpaper Walls Be Saved?

More than ever before, folks are working from home. Home offices have developed rapidly as a result. You may have turned an extra bedroom into an office or portioned off a section of the basement for office use. Whatever your choice, it is now an essential part of your home and work life. In this case, a small space heater caused a minor blaze that left fire damage in this Milton workspace. 

Your office is set up the way you need it to be for work but also for comfort. In this home, a delicate floral wallpaper adorned the wall. Matching drapes hung on the large window. Both of these are now covered with smoke residue. Thankfully, the charred and burnt damage is minimal. Restoring the wallpaper depends on the type and the extent of the damage. There are five basic kinds of wallpaper our SERVPRO technicians typically encounter. They are:

Paper – Dry cleaning is the only safe method for this as it is porous and can absorb cleaning wet cleaning products.

Vinyl – Nonporous vinyl coating helps this type resist moisture, so it is easier to clean versus paper.

Foil – Resists moisture, but care must be taken not to damage printing on top of the foil.

GrassCloth – Can only be dried cleaned. The film from the smoke may make it uncleanable.

Flocked Wall coverings – Dry cleaning is the best option, but is a fragile surface, so care must be taken.

The home office in this scenario had three walls that were cleaned using a dry sponge. The fourth wall was more heavily soiled. The wallpaper had to be removed and replaced. 

I Love My Lampshades

Lampshades are delicate. If the shade was an inexpensive one, it would be more cost-effective to replace it unless there is very light residue. If so, brushing, vacuuming, and dry sponging may work. If the lampshade was costly, restoration may be possible but can be a delicate procedure. Our content management teams can assess the damage and help you determine what can be salvaged.

My Drapes Match My Wallpaper

There are many factors involved in salvaging draperies. Different cleaning methods are required depending upon the type of smoke residue involved. Our fire and smoke restoration technicians (FSRT) check:

• Type of fibers

• Dye stability

• Backing material

• Age

• Pre-existing conditions

Once they know what they are working with, they can use a combination of dry cleaning and hot water extraction methods to clean drapery and curtains. 

What About My Hardwood Floors?

The beautiful oak floors in this office were mainly smoke damaged except for the spot where the small heater was placed. There was some charring in that location. The goal is to remove the smoke residue without damaging the floor’s finish. Often damp mopping with a neutral pH cleaner does the trick. Charred areas should be worked on by technicians experienced in refinishing hardwood floors. If you had area rugs on the floor, these can be cleaned using carpet cleaning techniques or might be taken to the SERVPRO warehouse for cleaning.

Is There Hope for My Desk & Belongings?

Hardwood desks are items that have a good chance of being saved, especially when the fire damage is only due to soot. Again, the type of material and the extent of the damage are key factors. In this case, the outside was cleaned with a wet cleaning agent, and dry cleaning was used on the unfinished areas, such as drawer bottoms. Other items that may have been in your office we can often save include:

• Books

• Documents

• Photographs

• Clothing

• Furniture

• Personal items such as knick-knacks

Fire Damage and Restoration Services

It does not matter if the fire that impacts your home is a minor one or a major blaze. SERVPRO has 24/7 emergency fire mitigation services that are “Faster To Any Size Disaster.” There are no regular hours for disasters, and we understand that. We provide fire damage help as soon as possible once we receive your phone call. You want your home restored quickly, and we want that too. That is why we work during the holidays and at night. 

When you walk back into your home office, we want it to look, “Like it never even happened.” We have been restoring homes in the Milton area for years. Our customers are satisfied and know we are committed to customer service. Contact SERVPRO of Sullivan and South Ulster Counties at (845) 791-7647 for expert fire damage service.