If you’re the unfortunate victim of a home or business fire in the greater Chicago area, acting fast to secure professional smoke damage restoration services can spare your property from even more damage. That’s because the longer smoke residue is allowed to sit, the greater the amount of damage it causes to numerous surfaces and items.
ServiceMaster Restoration by Simons is available 24/7 to provide prompt and professional smoke damage repair. We’ve got the proper equipment and training to properly assess the extent of the smoke damage to your property and to restore it as quickly as possible.
Time is of the essence when it comes to smoke damage restoration as mere minutes can have a profound impact on the damage caused by smoke residue. The following timeline, from the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), details the effects of smoke and acid soot damage on a home or business:
Within Minutes: Small appliances, including toasters, coffee makers and stand mixers, begin to discolor if they were located close to the combustion source. Expensive marble counter tops, which are extremely porous, also start to discolor permanently from acid soot residues.
Within Hours: The bathroom(s) in your home or business begin to show damage. For example, fiberglass bath fixtures yellow and the grout between your tiles and around the bathroom fixtures begin to stain. Other items that begin to tarnish or discolor during this time frame include metals, counter tops and the finishes on furniture.
Within Days: The value and quality of several more items begin to greatly diminish now. Painted walls permanently yellow; damage to vinyl floors and wood furniture becomes so severe that refinishing or replacement are required. Fabric – whether it’s your clothing or covering your furniture – becomes permanently stained.
Within Weeks: Sadly, the costs to restore or replace possessions continue to skyrocket. For example, many of the family heirlooms or other precious items you own, such as china, crystal and glass, begin to pit and etch from acid soot residue. Silver plate discolors permanently, and synthetic carpet fibers have to potential to permanently yellow.
While some of the items described here can replaced, many others, however, are simply lost forever if they’re not treated by professional smoke damage restoration specialists ASAP. And, unfortunately, that only adds to the devastating emotional and financial impact that a tragic fire can have on you and your family or you and your business.
To help rescue your hard-earned property and belongings from further damage, call the highly trained smoke damage restoration specialists at ServiceMaster Restoration by Simons at 773-376-1110. We’ll take immediate action to return your property to its pre-loss condition as soon as possible. And, as we work through the fire and smoke damage restoration process, we’ll treat you with the compassion and respect that fire victims deserve!