After a home disaster, there will be many concerns weighing on you. From getting your home back in order to the cleaning and renovation, the amount of stress can be overwhelming. One of the consequences of a disaster can be the loss of personal belongings such as photographs, paperwork and important documents. While it might not be at the forefront of your mind, document and content restoration can be a breath of fresh air amongst the devastation.
If your home was flooded or involved in a fire, the first thing to do is hire a restoration company. After assessing the level of damage to your property, the certified technicians will create a plan for getting you and your property back to normal. One of the first action steps will be to complete a pack out. This includes removing any waterlogged, smoke and soot ridden materials including, clothing, furniture, electronics, documents, etc. Once the items are removed, they will be expected and cataloged for an inventory report. This inventory report will be crucial when working with your home insurance agency, as you’ll want to make a claim for the lost property. If removed quickly and dependent on the level of damage, items may be salvageable.
Flooding can cause items to become waterlogged, which can cause staining, erosion, and decay of the material. If standing water is an issue, the structure and integrity of the home or items can be a breeding ground for mold, mildew and other bacterium and contaminants. Fire and soot damage can cause discoloration and the continual rot of surfaces. While soot is small, the devastation can be drastic as soot left untreated can cause structural deterioration and adverse health effects. Both water and fire damage can cause grave health issues, and the cleanup should be professionally handled to ensure the safety of you and your loved ones.
An incident may occur on your property and seem relatively small or easy to handle on your own, however, you may find eventual damage down the road. Even if you performed a deep clean of your home’s surfaces, porous materials such as wood, brick, drywall can harvest contaminants after the fact. Most household cleaners don’t penetrate as deeply to remove the level of debris that results from a disaster. Furthermore, cleaning soot ridden items in your personal washer and dryer can cause the debris to spread to other items and gum up your machines.
A professional restoration agency will have the knowledge, tools, and skills to quickly address the needs of your property. At GS Jones, we’ll be able to pack out and catalog your belongings quickly in an effort to salvage as much as possible. We’ll be able to uniquely meet the needs of each item to safely and effectively salvage the material. From photographs to clothing to electronics, the processes will vary depending on the material and item. Don’t lose hope that you’ve lost everything. If we’re on the job, we’ll do our best to provide you with quick and efficient work to salvage your belongings and return your feeling of home.