How Home Fire Damage Affects Kitchen Cabinets and Storage

4/17/2023 (Permalink)

If your home in Clearwater sustains fire damage, SERVPRO is Here to Help. Contact us for content pack-out and fire damage restoration.

SERVPRO Fire Restoration for Clearwater Kitchens Cleans Fixtures and Cabinets

The kitchen is arguably the common source of fire damage in a given home in Clearwater. According to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) data, even minor ignitions that often go unreported can leave behind soot residues that can become acidic on exposure to moisture. This acidity can corrode metal components in appliances and HVAC systems and leave unpleasant odors and hard-to-remove stains.

SERVPRO fire damage cleanup crews restore Clearwater homes to a pre-damage state with a combination of cleanup and repair strategies. While some surfaces may necessitate replacement, SERVPRO focuses on restoring contents where possible according to homeowners’ wishes and their insurance policy.

The impact of kitchen fires on home contents

Kitchen fires, even small ones, can have a farther-reaching impact on kitchen surfaces than homeowners expect. Nearby food storage, for example, might be compromised by soot or high temperatures and may require disposal. Fire suppression with water or extinguishers can also render foodstuffs unsafe to consume. Kitchen tools and appliances, meanwhile, are often restorable with careful cleaning by restoration technicians.

Soot and smoke damage can also impact:

• Kitchen counter finishes
• Electrical outlets and wiring
• Ventilation registers and ductwork
• Backsplashes, paint, or wallpaper in the kitchen
• Kitchen exhaust fans and hood ventilation and lights

Over time, soot, especially after exposure to water from sinks, steam, or other moisture sources, can corrode many of these surfaces and increase repair and replacement costs. Professional restorers, meanwhile, can minimize damages and stop further risk to structures and contents after a home fire.

SERVPRO’s fire damage mitigation strategies preserve kitchen cabinets, counters, and contents

Restoration techs from SERVPRO perform fast-acting fire cleanup strategies that mitigate soils from ceiling to floor and from the lightest damages to the heaviest. Suppose moisture or extinguisher residues are present from fire suppression. In that case, SERVPRO techs can clean and dry these before performing soot removal from surfaces and contents.

Food items like produce and canned goods may require disposal to keep homeowners safe. Fire soils, emissions from burnt materials, and high temperatures can compromise these items. Kitchen appliances and tools, meanwhile, are often salvageable after fire damage with careful sanitation and cleaning with EPA-registered antimicrobials.

• Light soils are typically cleaned from kitchen surfaces with a gentle detergent solution of a dry cleaning sponge. Loose smoke particles can be cleaned from surfaces with HEPA-filter vacuums
• Containment measures such as negative air pressure and duct or doorway sealing prevent soot from migrating to other areas of the property during restoration
• Moderate fire soils may require stronger wet cleaning solutions or immersion cleaning. Delicate items such as chandeliers or porcelain can be restored with ultrasonic cleaners, which use a combination of OSHA-approved antimicrobials and ultrasonic frequencies to vibrate particles off affected surfaces
• Heavy fire damage, such as charring on cabinets, can be remediated with abrasion blasting to prepare the surface for refinishing. Blast media is sprayed at the surface until char is removed. Some materials used for this purpose, like soda ash, also have deodorizing properties. 
• Cabinet interiors are often affected by soot and can be challenging to fully clean if the interior is unfinished, as is often the case. Technicians can often remediate residues with dry cleaning sponges

Professionals can also clean kitchen appliances and inspect kitchen stove hoods and HVAC systems for signs of soot, debris, or microbes that compromise efficacy.

SERVPRO of Clearwater South / Clearwater Beach can be reached at (727) 614-0099. Their solutions allow homeowners to enjoy a property that looks and feels “Like it never even happened.”