What Are Some Ways to Avoid Christmas Tree Fires Over the Holidays?

10/23/2020 (Permalink)

SERVPRO knows a few things about preventing Christmas tree fires.

SERVPRO technicians handle the cleanup and restoration of fire damage in North Syracuse homes with their experience and advanced equipment.

While the holidays are a great time to celebrate with family and friends in your North Syracuse home, it is also a time to be aware of the many activities that get done during the celebration are also potential fire hazards. Here are some ways to avoid having your home become a statistic during December: 

• Pick a fresh-looking tree
• Keep your tree watered; a dry tree can burn faster than newspaper
• Keep heat sources such as candles away from the tree
• Get rid of your tree as soon as possible after the holidays, you can take your tree to Natural Resource Center at 7413 County House Road in Sennett, and they will use it for composting

Is Fire Damage Restoration Possible for Furniture?

When your North Syracuse home undergoes fire damage restoration, the fire and smoke damage can be unforgiving to many parts of building materials and contents. However, SERVPRO technicians have a great deal of comprehensive training and state-of-the-art equipment to clean up and restore many items that may not look like they have the potential.

In particular, when the fire was extinguished rapidly before the flames spread, the smoke damage can permeate the entire home. Here are some of the most commonly seen types of damage to furniture and how they get cleaned: 

• Leather and faux-leather furniture - in cases of fire extinguisher or light smoke residues, SERVPRO technicians have dry cleaning sponges to gently lift away the layer covering the leather and then use specially developed restorative agents for use on the leather.
• Upholstered furniture - the techs inspect to see if smoke residues penetrated the piece. If it is on the surface only, it can often undergo cleaning for reuse
• Hardwood furniture - Using wet and dry cleaning agents plus wood soaps, as long as there is no heat or water damage, these articles can get restored

SERVPRO technicians have training in the different levels of the restoration that hardwood furniture may require. They have a wood paste with a solvent to remove a thin layer of the finish. This method is known as semi-refinishing and is an effective method for eliminating issues such as watermarks. This problem usually gets caused by firefighters spraying water that landed on the surface and then evaporated. As long as the furniture piece does not have heat or water damage such as cracked joints or warping, it can get the soot, and smoke residues lifted away and then restored for reuse in the home.

Appliances need immediate attention if they have smoke residues. Soot is caustic to metal and should get removed as fast as possible before it causes pitting to the surfaces. The techs have cleaning solutions that work without marring the polished surface. The techs recommend having electric appliances tested by an industry expert before reusing any chance of interior heat or water damage. 

Area rugs are an investment for many homeowners. Cleaning away stains and smoke damage from a fire in the home can occur in many cases. Before cleaning, the techs test the fibers and backing of the rug to ensure the correct cleaning agent and method gets chosen. For example, some fibers react badly to any type of wet solution by bleeding or shrinking; both can render a rug non-restorable. Spending the time testing the fibers and determining the best way to clean it saves the homeowner the cost of replacing their area rug.

Clothing exposed to smoke damage is something that many homeowners want to get cleaned as fast as possible. Since many articles get manufactured with synthetic fibers, soot bonds with these fibers if not removed. SERVPRO techs ask homeowners to separate clothing into three categories:

• The clothing they need now
• The clothing they want to get cleaned but do not need immediately
• Seasonal clothing they want to keep and reuse

Anything hanging in a closet with exposure to the fire gets removed, and metal hangers get disposed of because they can oxidize onto clothing. Washable items get cleaned through the use of the Esporta Washing System; this powerful piece of equipment can remove all traces of smoke odors and particulate after a single wash. 

SERVPRO of North Onondaga County at (315) 457-3432 handles all sizes of fire damage restoration for local properties. The trained, certified technicians are available 24/7 to restore your home and contents from flame and smoke damage to make it, "Like it never even happened."