Effects of Chicago Fire Damage on Homes and Businesses

4/6/2023 (Permalink)

If you need professional assistance with fire damage, Call our SERVPRO team in Chicago; we are always available to help you!

We Overcome Several Types of Fire Damage

While we hope never to see the severity of the great fire of 1871 that spread over more than 3 miles of Chicago, destroying more than 17,000 structures, fires are still happening every day in the city. Because each disaster features several variables, the needed restoration and recovery strategies change from one building to another. Our team is equipped to help with single-family homes, high-rise apartment buildings, and massive commercial facilities. We focus on specific factors when we first arrive, including:

• Structural integrity
• Personal belongings
• Safe living conditions
• Water damage

There is an urgency to address Chicago fire damage when it occurs. The longer that mitigation and restoration take to begin, the more the structure becomes damaged by post-disaster effects like soot circulation and harsh odors. Our roster of talented and accredited professionals is ready and able to help 24/7 when fires threaten your life.

Why We Act Quickly

Mitigation is a powerful and necessary phase of fire damage recovery operations for our responding team. These actions are critical in protecting the structure from more significant harm while protecting affected personal belongings and contents. The rapid response team is trained to identify structural hazards and pressing concerns to resolve these issues so restoration does not get delayed in starting. Some focal points include:

• Fire Debris Removal
• Water Removal
• Content Relocation

The Airborne Hazards After Fire Damage

A significant threat to the property after a fire is extinguished is the environment's circulating particles. Our team focuses on ways to reduce the presence of microscopic soot and make the work area safer for responding restorers and the occupants of the house. With HEPA 500 air scrubbers and hydroxyl generators, these units filter harmful particles out of the air, ultimately reaching a point where personal protective equipment is no longer required to operate in the room safely.

Removing Soot and Smoke Damage

Soil deposits must also be addressed rapidly. The longer that corrosive smoke damage residues can stay on sensitive building materials and contents, the likelier these surfaces cannot be restored. We use multiple approaches to overcome soot and smoke damage on materials, much of which depends on the affected underlying substrate, type of smoke damage, and the thickness of the residue.

• Solvents - these chemicals are necessary when thick residues on surfaces must get dissolved to be wiped away.
• Alkaline Detergents - we utilize certain cleaning materials to neutralize acidic properties in soot particles on surfaces. Introducing alkalinity to acidic residues can protect underlying materials while cleaning.
• Abrasive Cleaning - in some situations, more aggressive cleaning measures are necessary. Media blasting and abrasive mechanical action can help prevent the tear-out of affected building materials.
• Controlled Demolition - when other measures are ineffective, the final resort is to remove and discard affected materials.

Odor Neutralization After Fire Damage

One of the widespread and overwhelming byproducts of combustion is a harsh smoke odor in the building. Some of the cleaning and mitigation steps can reduce the severity of these smells, but deodorization practices are necessary to neutralize the scent completely. We use devices like ozone machines for open areas where the family is not still in the structure to fogging machines that can impact trapped malodors in porous building materials.

Chicago fire damage appears in many forms, but our experienced professionals can help. Give our SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City team a call at (773) 337-3993.

Fire Damage Restoration - What Your Chicago Home and Life Need

1/4/2023 (Permalink)

If you find yourself in need of assistance with fire damage remediation, call SERVPRO.

Recovering is Easier with Fire Damage Restoration

The differences between your pre-fire Chicago home and what the fire department leaves behind are apparent visually and by how your residence now smells. To get everything back to normal where you feel comfortable with your family living there again, you need fire damage restoration services from SERVPRO.

The longer your family waits to get their old routines back after a fire, the more stress they endure. SERVPRO's fire damage restoration services in Chicago make recovering after a fire more streamlined. Our guidance can turn a messy, and time-consuming experience into a streamlined, organized restoration service. 

During this process, we want to let you know your property's status and upcoming restoration activities. We discuss the following, and many other aspects, with our customers while we carry out fire damage restoration services:

• Disposal of discarded materials and belongings,
• Necessary replacements of electrical and plumbing components, and
• Areas of your residence that need to be rebuilt.

Most post-fire cleanup projects require a dumpster on-site. A dedicated dumpster ensures that we can dispose of everything as needed without pausing cleaning. Working non-stop means we finish sooner.

Intense heat can destroy PVC pipes and joints. Electrical wiring can also sustain severe damage. Our expert plumbers and electricians can resolve these issues for you while the rest of the restoration process continues. We can also provide replacement services in the interim to ensure we can work uninterrupted.

Wherever the flames ate at your house's wooden frame, we need to rebuild. Your flooring may need new support. The cabinetry might have become soggy from the fire department's efforts and is now warping. Carpeting and its padding can harbor immense amounts of soot, making replacing more cost-effective than installing new carpeting or other options.

We go over everything with you, including where you can find any specific boxed and stored belongings, deodorization, glass, and other surface cleanings, ultrasonic bath cleaning of washable items, laundry services to save your family's clothing, and roofing repair.

Call SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City for comprehensive fire damage restoration services at (773) 337-3993.

Levels of Fire Damage Possible in Your Chicago Home

8/1/2022 (Permalink)

Call SERVPRO for a Chicago house fire cleanup. We can make it "Like it never even happened."

SERVPRO Remediates ALL Types of Damage After a Fire

Candles are lovely for ambiance, and many people use scented candles to give off a pleasant aroma. They can also come in handy during a power outage. However, you need to use candles responsibly to avoid a fire in your Chicago home. It is essential to keep the candle away from anything flammable and not to leave it unattended at any time.
 
Sometimes, as careful as we are, candles still start home fires. Before you know it, you can be looking at severe fire damage in your Chicago home, which is when you need to call our professionals at SERVPRO for help. When the fire is out, we are the ones you can trust to clean and repair your home, so the fire looks "Like it never even happened."
 
Fires can result in varying ranges of damage, making each restoration project unique. With fire damage that is minor, only specific areas or rooms might be affected by smoke residues, and the smoke damage is not heavy. Our restoration services might involve dry or wet cleaning of walls, ceilings, floors, and your possessions. A few areas may need repainting, while only a few items need replacing.
 
When the fire damage is moderate, the smoke residues are as well, and more items need wet cleaning to eliminate residues. The areas that need repainting and the items that need replacing increase, and floors might need refinishing. Heat damage to cabinets, drywall, and contents means more materials that need replacing. SERVPRO techs may be able to clean contents at the job site, and smoke odors are present and could need additional deodorization after cleaning.
 
When the fire has been more severe, heat and damage are worse at the fire's source. Finishes and structural framing could be charred, resulting in repairs to the structure. We can help after the fire department leaves and allows access. Smoke residues are spread throughout a significant portion of your home, and odors are strong. We may need to board up your home, establish a source of electricity, and remove any smoke-filled and charred debris. Our restoration services involve extensive cleaning of your structure and likely need restorers to pack and move any salvageable contents off-site for cleaning. We also use various methods for deodorization.
 
SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City understands the various levels of fire damage. Just give us a call at (773) 337-3993.

Fire Cleanup and Odor Control In Chicago

7/10/2022 (Permalink)

Attic fire damage can quickly trickle down and make its way throughout your home. Call SERVPRO immediately after the fire fighters leave. We are here.

Fire Cleanup and Odor Control Needed in Chicago Home

A home disaster that requires fire cleanup and odor control is a prevalent scenario. As fire burns, it leaves behind soot and smoke residues. The soot particles can be smaller than the human eye can see, and as they carry scents, that is why the smell from a fire is so challenging to remove.

An attic fire in a Chicago home needed both fire cleanup and odor control. Removal of charred items assists in lowering the amount of residual scents from the fire loss. SERVPRO technicians removed the burned sheetrock and insulation and found much of the framework did not receive much in the way of the actual damage, and the techs left it in place.

Careful Cleanup of Fire Loss

As items get removed from the worksite, the techs inspect each one for restorability potential. The techs only dispose of things with the approval from the adjuster or the property owner. To assist in the expediting of insurance claims, each loss item has a detailed record created, including a photo and condition statement. This attention to detail helps SERVPRO save homeowners the cost of replacing through their cleaning methods.

Soot Equals Odors

The techs have a multi-layered approach to odor removal. The first part is cleaning the visible soot and smoke residues from surfaces. The techs test the surfaces and choose the appropriate cleaning agent to ensure the best outcome. Air scrubbers are invaluable pieces of equipment for the capture of airborne soot particles, and this also assists in lowering odors in the home.  

The final step involves equipment such as hydroxyl generators. These safe machines use UV rays to attach to and change the molecular makeup of odorous elements, rendering them inert for causing foul smells. For porous objects, thermal fogging with a heated solvent is very useful for the removal of smoke odors.

SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City at (773) 337-3993 has certified technicians available 24/7 for fire cleanup and odor. Their advanced equipment and restoration methods make the fire loss in your home, “Like it never even happened.”

Our professionals Describe The Fire Damage Restoration Process In Chicago

4/10/2022 (Permalink)

Regardless of the extent of the fire in your apartment, team SERVPRO can help. Contact our certified technicians right after the firefighters leave.

Fire Damage Experts In Chicago Describe The Restoration Process In Detail

If your apartment building in Chicago ever sets ablaze, the flames can engulf many of your contents and building materials if they are not extinguished promptly. When our SERVPRO technicians work toward restoring fire damage, we know that no two fires are the same. However, whether the blaze was big or small, our team uses the same restoration procedures and process for every job. Our process has proven to be successful when strictly followed each time.

The first phase of our SERVPRO team's process we conduct when mitigating your fire damage in Chicago is the project initiation step. This phase starts as soon as we get your call saying that you have a problem. The first project initiation phase involves the following six steps.

1. Intake And Research

During this first step, we figure out the details of your property, such as who owns it and whether it is insured or not. We then record the contact information of all of the people who need to be involved in the restoration process.

2. Contact And Schedule

Once we receive your call, our IICRC-certified technicians contact you and schedule the best time to inspect your home. During this initial contact, we get information regarding how many rooms got affected to get an idea of your situation.

3. Arrival And Walkthrough

During this step, we arrive at your house on schedule and meet you for the first time and listen to your problems. We do a walkthrough with you and get an idea of what your priorities are.

4. Project Consultation

Once we get the information about your damage that we need, we go over it with a manager on our team so that we can formulate the best plan. We also notify you of the situation and tell you about our emergency action plan.

5. Customer Consultation

After we have reviewed our findings with our team's manager, we then sit down with you and tell you what we need to do to restore your home to the way it was before the fire “Like it never even happened.” Once you approve of our plan, we get authorization from you so that we can begin work.

6. Initial Services

This step includes making the work area safe by cleaning up rubble and boarding up burnt out windows.

Restoration projects always go more smoothly when you get help from the experts. Once you notice problems caused by something burning, call SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City at (773) 337-3993. We are available 24/7.  We’re Faster to Any Size Disaster.

Lightning Strike Causes Fire Damage in Chicago

3/1/2022 (Permalink)

When jolted by a fire damaging lightning strike to your Chicago home--call SERVPRO--We're Faster To Any Size Disaster

Chicago Fire Damage Cleanup by SERVPRO

Thunder and lightning are frequent accompaniments to the torrential rains experienced lately in northern Illinois. Lightning strikes that cause residential fires are rare but serious. If it happens to you, a clear action plan must be developed and followed immediately. After the firefighters leave your home, still standing but damaged, depend upon SERVPRO to help.

Being jolted out of bed by the flash and rumble of a thunderstorm is annoying but adding fire damage in your Chicago home from a lightning strike makes it worse. Now you have a bona fide disaster on your hands. Reach out to us, and we respond with a full range of fire restoration services provided by highly qualified technicians.

Lightning typically strikes the highest point on a building, making attic fires among the most common related to this cause. The energy of the lightning also damages plumbing, wiring, and electronics, conducted throughout your home via these utility lines. Even when the fire department quells the flames quickly, secondary fire damage spreads throughout your home. SERVPRO has an effective strategy for every issue:

We assess charred framing and rafters in the attic, arranging for replacement if the damage is severe, or cleaning with proper solvents and abrasive scrubbers if minimal.

• We look closely at the insulation in the area of the fire. Damage to insulation is typical if water was used to extinguish the fire. Our SERVPRO crew chief can scope the damage and determine what to replace or discard.
• We contain soot and other residue and thoroughly remove it from surfaces using dry or wet techniques depending on the porosity of the materials affected.
• We inspect HVAC systems to ensure odors and debris experience limited distribution. Cleaning and sealing the interior of the venting is one technique that works.
• We evaluate lingering fire-related smells and deodorize following best practices taught during the comprehensive fire restoration curriculum our ICCRC certified techs master and review regularly.

The energy of the lightning travels along with communication, electrical, and plumbing systems inside your home, damaging them and appliances and electronics attached. Our SERVPRO project managers work with your insurance company and other contractors to get all of these essential services back up and running, “Like it never even happened,” whenever possible.

Recover from the shock of a lightning strike fire by partnering with SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City. Begin the journey back to preloss condition with a call to (773) 337-3993.

How Can I Restore the Sheen to My Windows after a Fire Incident in Chicago?

12/23/2021 (Permalink)

Call SERVPRO to restore your fire damaged Chicago property--Yes, we do clean windows!

SERVPRO Handles All Types of Fire Damage Restoration in Chicago Including Restoring Windows to Their Pre-Damaged State

You may feel relieved that a fire incident at your Chicago house does not shatter the windows. Later, you may realize you still have some issues around the windows that you need to address. For instance, you must remove ash, soot, and window haze from the glass panes and window trim.

What Makes Window Cleaning After Fires Challenging?

Cleaning windows as part of fire damage restoration at your Chicago home may be challenging than the normal cleaning you do from time to time because of issues like:

• Soot having oily residues
• Vulnerability of glass to substantial agitation
• Likelihood of fire damage to frames and caulking

Using conventional cleaning methods might not clean your windows to the desired levels. It might also take longer, especially when cleaning products fail to cut away oily residues. Agitation with brushes or other cleaning materials might lead to scratches, or the vulnerable windows might crack.

How Does SERVPRO Resolve These Challenges?

Using appropriate cleaning equipment and products is one unique way our technicians use to eliminate soling from the fire incident, “Like it never even happened.” We use specially formulated Window Green Clean Solution that helps remove stubborn soils faster. It has numerous unique characteristics that make it ideal for cleaning fire residues, including:

• An ideal pH around 10-11
• Does not contain solvents or ammonia
• Has no dyes

In addition to the chemical solutions, most window cleaning processes after fires require agitation to eliminate the soils. We use power washers to deliver a jet of water at high pressure, stripping away soils from the windowpanes and frames conveniently. Pressure washing is particularly useful when cleaning the outer sections of your home. The combined action ensures all the glass surfaces in your property are streak-free and shiny clean.

If you are uncertain whether your windows can regain their original sheen, call SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City to help clean them. You can reach us at (773) 337-3993.

SERVPRO Offers a Premier Fire and Smoke Restoration Service in Chicago

11/15/2021 (Permalink)

A coat of paint will only temporarily solve smoke and soot issues. For a job-done-right the first time, call SERVPRO.

Prompt Response and Experienced Technicians Make SERVPRO One of the Most Trusted Fire and Smoke Restoration Companies in Chicago

Fire and smoke damage can not only ruin the contents of your home but can cause significant structural damage to it as well. Hiring professionals like SERVPRO for fire and smoke restoration of your Chicago home is the first step toward getting your home back in order after a fire incident.  

Experienced and skilled SERVPRO technicians use a unique and scientific approach during the fire and smoke restoration of your Chicago home. The primary goal of the restorers is to get rid of the smoke and soot residue from the various surfaces quickly before they can cause any long-term damage. Most cleaning methods that SERVPRO techs use involve:

• Loosening the soil.
• Suspending or dispersing them in a cleaning product.
• Extracting the residues along with the cleaning product. 

How do Cleaning Products Remove Smoke and Soot Particles During Fire Damage Restoration of your Chicago Property?  

SERVPRO techs use the basic principle of 'like dissolves like' while selecting the cleaning product to remove smoke and soot residues from your fire-damaged Chicago home. Soils formed during the fire and smoke damage can be categorized as hydrophilic (easily dissolves in water) or hydrophobic (easily dissolves in oil-based solvents).

SERVPRO techs use detergent solutions in water to remove hydrophilic soot particles. However, it is much more challenging to remove oily particles. SERVPRO techs either emulsify the oily particles in detergent solutions or dissolve them using oil-based cleaning agents.

While water-based detergents have their advantages, heavier hydrophobic residues are more efficiently cleaned by solvents. SERVPRO techs use solvents recommended by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Call SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City at (773) 337-3993; we can assist you any time of the day.  

Need Fire and Smoke Cleanup in Chicago – Call SERVPRO

10/15/2021 (Permalink)

If you need professional assistance with fire damage, Call in the experts at (773) 337-3993. We are always available to help you!

SERVPRO Offers Fire and Smoke Cleanup and Restoration in Chicago

The focus of many clients after a fire in Chicago is the damage caused by the fire. There may be contents and structures that were damaged by the flames contained to a small area. However, this damage is only a small part of the total damage. Fire retardants and water used by first responders to quell the fire can damage contents adjacent to the fire location. Smoke residues and odors can also be distributed to adjacent rooms or even throughout the entire structure by an HVAC system. No one wants to live with the aroma of smoke on their clothes and their furnishings.

SERVPRO provides fire and smoke cleanup to Chicago residents and businesses. Our highly trained restoration team can be onsite within four hours of your call. We assess the situation and determine how much damage there is from the fire, from water, fire retardants, the type of fire, and the amount of smoke odor in the home or business. The kind of fire determines the type of smoke residue. Hot fires produce fluffy residues, while slow-burning fires and kitchen fires often have an oily residue that adheres to everything.

SERVPRO fire, smoke, cleanup, and restoration services include:

• Removal of at-risk contents to a safe area for their protection
• Cataloging of removed contents
• Demolition of damaged areas
• Cleaning and odor removal from hard and soft services
• Coordination with your insurance company
• Fast response to avoid secondary damage from high humidity and mold infestations
• Restoration of your home or business to its preloss condition

Call SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City for fire and smoke cleanup in Chicago and surrounding areas. We can help 24/7. Call (773) 337-3993.

Call Our Experts After Fire Damage In Your Chicago Home

9/14/2021 (Permalink)

Fire damage issues can be a lot to take in. Call SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City as soon as a fire occurs.

Read This Before Covering Up Fire Damage In Chicago With New Paint

When a part of your home becomes discolored as a result of fire damage in Chicago, the first solution that may cross your mind could be to cover up the patch of discoloration with a fresh coat of paint. However, without the help of a professional damage restoration company like SERVPRO, you run the risk of causing permanent damage to the building through freshly applied paint. The process to eliminate any visual signs of damage is far more complex than one might assume, and without using specialized cleaning techniques before covering up the damage, these consequences could develop with time.

Long-Term Odors

One of the ways we help local Chicago residents deal with fire damage is through our smoke odor removal services. SERVPRO technicians use thermal fogging devices armed with special mixtures that target and eliminate smoke odors at their source. Without these heavy-duty tools, it can be almost impossible to mask smoke odors long-term. Repainting over a damaged area without first putting the area through odor removal treatments can lead to your home still smelling smoke years after the incident happened.

Coloration Problems

For a variety of reasons, freshly-applied paint may not match the colors in the room, even if the same base color from the same paint company is used. Dark brown and black colors may create a dark patch on a wall or, worse, compounds in the smoke and ash residues still present on the wall can cause chemical changes in the paint and alter its pigmentation. When necessary, we use special types of paint that not only match the other colors in the home but also can thoroughly cover up any charring on the wall.

Cleaning Troubles

Cleaning the wall on your own before applying fresh paint can bring trouble, too. Some types of fire residues can react in a harmful way when they come in contact with water and other household cleaning agents. SERVPRO technicians use a diverse array of specialized cleaning agents to scrub off residues without causing further damage to the structure of your home.

SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City can help you to clean up and recover from the effects of fire in your home without causing any further damage to the building. Call us 24/7 at (773) 337-3993.

Can Fire Cleanup Help Restore Extreme Soot Effects at My Chicago Home?

7/11/2021 (Permalink)

Fire damage cleanup and remediation needs to happen quickly after a fire. Contact our SERVPRO team 24/7 365 days a year for your emergency.

SERVPRO Uses Advanced Fire Restoration Methods to Reverse the Effects of Soot and Smoke

After a fire incident, you might have difficulty identifying many items in your Chicago home because they are caked with soot, or their surfaces have streaks or other stains. Your first consideration might be to throw damaged items away. However, professional cleanup can help restore them.

Since soot has different effects on various materials, you need to seek help from people who can offer well-rounded fire cleanup services for your Chicago home, ensuring you minimize the financial and sentimental loss following the incident. SERVPRO can help you manage your fire loss better since our crews can clean wood, glass, ceramic, metallic, or any other material affected by fire residues.

Cleaning helps achieve various objectives like:

• Fire damage restoration
• Smoke remediation
• Water & fire damage restorations

The outcome of a cleaning exercise mostly depends on the methods used. On the other hand, the methods chosen depend on the type or location of the affected material. Our SERVPRO technicians combine a wide range of cleaning approaches to realize the desired objective. For instance, on the exterior surfaces of the building, we can readily use pressure washing to strip off residues without harming the materials. For interior surfaces, we opt for alternatives such as using chemical sponges since they do not introduce excessive moisture. 

Specialized cleaning methods may also be necessary and include:

• Blast cleaning with soda blasters
• Immersion cleaning with an ultrasonic cleaner
• Cleaning with specially formulated chemical agents

SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City has considerable experience handling fire cleanup in properties removing any soiling, “Like it never even happened.”

Materials that Harbor Smoke Odors in Your Downtown Chicago Property

6/7/2021 (Permalink)

Fires of any size result in smoke and soot damage. SERVPRO is always ready to remediate home.

SERVPRO Remedies the Effects from Smoke and Fire Damage

Almost all house fires cause smoke damage of some kind. Whether it is an isolated kitchen fire or a much larger one, SERVPRO almost always needs to treat smoke damage of some form in the aftermath of a fire. But not all materials are created equal, and some can harbor smoke much more readily than others. Knowing what materials do and don't have significant fire damage can help you make an early guess on the costs and time it may take to get your home smoke and damage-free.

Materials that Harbor Smoke Odors

Porous materials, such as fabric, wood, and grout, take the most fire damage from smoke in Downtown Chicago. These materials have pockets of spaces ranging from microscopic sizes to easily seen ones, inside which smoke particles can become lodged and prove challenging to remove. Even the tiniest pores in the wood are vulnerable, as smoke particles are often smaller than cells or microorganisms. These are the materials that SERVPRO brings out the heavy guns for, applying advanced area foggers to get into the deepest recesses. Other tools such as CO2-based deodorizers may be used to remove smells from a concentrated area. If ash and smoke damage are severe, we may also apply specific and thorough cleaning processes to rid the object or surface of its smoke entirely. It may be necessary to use a pressurized CO2 pellet blasting to remove charred damage from raw wood such as garage ceilings.

Materials Resistant to Smoke

The most resistant materials to smoke damage include metal, stone, and plastic. For the most part, these materials are solid throughout, providing few places for smoke to latch on that cannot be quickly and easily washed. Note that for stone, cracks and molding materials can still be harbors for stray smoke particles. In some cases, laminated woods or smooth tiles can also give the same advantages, but it is much easier for these to be breached and deeply affected by the smoke.

SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City is a locally-owned franchise with the tools and training necessary to entirely rid your home of smoke and other signs of a fire. Call us anytime at (773) 337-3993.

Hesitant Whether Fire Damage Restoration Can Save Your Chicago Home?

4/8/2021 (Permalink)

Effective fire remediation, for even small fires, is best left to professionals. SERVPRO has the know-how to restore your home.

SERVPRO Commits the Best Personnel and Tools for Successful Fire Damage Restoration in Chicago

Chicago is a city of many firsts, whether you consider innovations or other social aspects of life. For instance, the city is home to the only river in the world that flows backward due to human intervention. The project that took eight years was completed in 1900. Its goal was to ensure sewage and other pollutants did not reach Lake Michigan. Considering how human activities continue to pollute water bodies worldwide, the project is remarkable to this day.

The founding of the city was also unique compared to other towns in the United States. The first non-indigenous resident in the area was Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, a man of African and French descent born in present-day Haiti.

Various innovations also originated from Chicago, including:

• Cook County Hospital set up the first blood bank in the country
• NBC 5 Chicago/WMAQ was the first all-color television station
• Spray paint was invented in Chicago by salesman Ed Seymour

The Home of Famous People

The city of Chicago has grown significantly compared to the days of Du Sable. It is the third most populous city in the country and the most populous in Illinois, with a population estimated at 2,693,976 in 2019. Apart from having a large concentration of people, many of its residents have gained national or even global fame. One of the people readily associated with Chicago is gangster Al Capone who gained notoriety during the Prohibition Era. Although born in New York City, he later moved to Chicago in 1919. Other renowned people from The Windy City include former first ladies Michele Obama and Hillary Clinton. The film industry has also drawn several actors and directors from Chicago, including Shonda Rhimes, Harrison Ford, Bernie Mac, and many others.

Unique Architecture

Today the Chicago metropolis is dotted with giant skyscrapers; however, a raging fire on October 8th, 1871, almost halted the city's development. The inferno wiped out structures covering approximately 2100 acres. Although the fire did not influence architectural designs since the primary goal during the rebuild was a speedier resumption of normalcy, new laws required new buildings to use fireproof materials like stone, marble, brick, and limestone. However, the economic and population growth that followed the fire led to the exploration of unique architectural approaches resulting in iconic buildings like:

• Chicago Cultural Center, which opened in 1897
• Wrigley Building which features a Seville Cathedral's Giralda tower with touches of French Renaissance details
• Marina City, which has two cylindrical towers that resemble corn combs

How Helpful is Fire Restoration in Saving Chicago Properties?

Unlike in the days of the Great Chicago Fire, when firefighting was in its infancy and restoration techniques almost nonexistent, nowadays it is possible to manage the damages from fires. Fire restoration can help save the structure and valuables or reduce the recovery cost from a fire incident.

Successful fire restoration in Chicago properties takes different processes. Some of the most useful ones include cleaning and deodorizing any affected materials to manage:

• Fire and smoke damage
• Smoke remediation
• Water & fire damage restorations

SERVPRO provides sufficient resources, including equipment and trained technicians, to fully carry out the fire restoration processes. For instance, our technicians spend time evaluating the loss extent before attempting to fix any issue. We also use advanced and straightforward cleanup or deodorization techniques such as soda blasting and thermal fogging, resolving issues from light soiling to deep charring.

SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City is well suited to handle fire damage restoration. Call us at (773) 337-3993.

SERVPRO Stands Ready to Assist Chicago Property Owners for Post Fire Cleanup

2/8/2021 (Permalink)

Fire damage to your property can be devastatingly uppsetning. Call SERVPRO to help ease the situation and get you some help.

Chicago Residents Rely on SERVPRO For Fire Cleanup

It can feel daunting to see a residence after the first responders leave the scene. Possessions pushed into the center of the room and continually hosed down to halt the fire's spread is hard to look at. 

When SERVPRO works on Chicago fire cleanup jobs, the technicians' first actions are to go through the pile left by the firemen and see if there are any restorable items as the articles within the burn area get removed to a staging area outside. The staging area can have multiple uses such as:

• Use of immersion cleaning techniques for non-porous items
• Odor control treatments as needed for items
• Hand cleaning for hardwood or upholstered items without charring but need the removal of smoke residues or water stains

The technicians may need to mix specific formulas inside the home to create cleaning agents to use on particular surfaces without marring. For example, some surfaces cannot tolerate contact with a solvent-based cleaner. In those cases, oxygenated or oil-based cleansers may get used for releasing the sticky residue off the surface.

SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City at (773) 337-3993 brings years of experience and the latest equipment to handle fire cleanup in Chicago properties.

Visit the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago—A Fire-Free Zone

12/14/2020 (Permalink)

The Lion House at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. SERVPRO is not "Lion" about restoring your fire damaged property! Call Us!

So Much to Do in Chicago

Over 58 million people visit Chicago every year to see this vast metropolitan city's sites and sounds. There are museums, shopping, sports activities and many more too numerous to mention. However, the locals know about many activities that are inexpensive and can be enjoyed by the whole family. For example, visit:

• Zoolights at Lincoln Park Zoo
• Try ice skating at Maggie Daley Park
• Admire the City of Chicago Christmas tree
• Visit the RBG (Ruth Bader Ginsburg) Exhibition
• Shop along the Magnificent Mile

Zoolights at Lincoln Park:

are on display until Jan 3rd, 2021, from 4-10 every night. Admission is $5. However, there are also five free nights. This is a display the entire family will enjoy. There are loads of light displays, animal exhibits outdoors. Get your tickets early since many nights are sold out early.

SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City provides fire and odor removal services to Chicago residential and commercial business customers and the surrounding area. Call (773) 337-3993. We are available 24/7 to help with all your fire and odor removal needs.

Learn About Wine Tasting from the Comfort of Your Chicago Home

11/10/2020 (Permalink)

SERVPRO supports local event attendance from the safety of your Chicago home.

Zoom Events Designed to Turn Chicago Wine Aficionados into Sommeliers

Due to current safety guidelines, many local events are now held over Zoom or other video platforms. However, this means that Chicago apartment dwellers can learn new skills and enjoy new experiences while staying comfortable at home. One such event is Tasting Tuesday, a weekly virtual wine tasting event led by sommelier Tuanni Price.

These wine-related events also feature:

• Guest sommeliers and aficionados coming together to enjoy quality wines
• Learning to evaluate such qualities in wine as price point, typicity, and quality
• Viewers learn about the ins and outs of deductive wine tasting
• Streams take place at either 3:00 or 6:00 PM Pacific Time, a perfect time for Windy City residents to enjoy a hearty dinner paired with their favorite wines

SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City warmly welcomes you to the vibrant Windy City. If you need fire mitigation for your Chicago apartment after a cooking mishap or electrical failure, you can get rapid-response service at (773) 337-3993.

The Blaze Started in a Second -- Who Can I Count on to Restore Fire Damage in Chicago Quickly?

7/26/2020 (Permalink)

“Like it never even happened.”

Rely on Your Local SERVPRO to Respond Promptly and Manage Chicago Fire Damage Fast

A moment of inattention can throw your Chicago home into chaos, fire flaring after a pot boils dry or bubbles over, or children playing with the fireplace matches set paper ablaze. Even if you bring the fire under control with an extinguisher, the effects can linger and be much harder to resolve than you ever knew possible.

How Are Fire Residues Different Than Other Dirt and Grime?

When structural components and the contents of your Chicago home suffer fire damage, restoration needs professional intervention. Because of the chemical changes occurring during combustion, burned items transform into smoke holding solid incompletely combusted particulates -- soot -- that settle, adhere, and stain surfaces throughout your home. Your HVAC system and superheated air current team up to spread the soiling far from the ignition site, so the entire house needs inspection and treatment.

What Are the Challenges to Removing Soot Residues?

SERVPRO technicians delve deep into scientific theories developed to break the bond between soot and surface during coursework at the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). On-site, they put these theories to the test. Three broad types of soot respond well to the following products and techniques:

    •    Loose, ashy soot (paper and wood fueled)
    •    Brushing
    •    Vacuuming
    •    Dabbing with a dry (chemical) sponge
    •    Foam cleaning

Thick, sticky soot (plastic, rubber, synthetic fabric fueled)
    •    Cleaning products matched for effectiveness through testing
    •    Spray and wipe
    •    Immersion of loose items if durable
    •    Addition of abrasive substances into cleaning solution
    •    Use of abrasive tools -- gently -- to loosen stubborn residues

Protein-based soot (food and grease fueled)
    •    Solvents
    •    Carefully used scraping and abrasive tools
    •    Immersion or ultrasonic cleaning if available

We’re Faster To Any Size Disaster, SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City, on duty to set things right after a household fire. Contact us 24/7 at (773) 337-3993.

How Can I Rid My Chicago Apartment of Fire Damage?

5/28/2020 (Permalink)

Never wait if your home is fire damaged. Speak with SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City by calling (773) 337-3993.

SERVPRO of Chicago Is Here to Help Your with Your Fire Damage Restoration Needs

Fire damage could happen to your Chicago home at any time. A candle left unforgotten could turn into a blaze, or cooking could get out of hand and start a grease-fire. Fortunately, for when accidents happen, help is always close at hand.

If your Chicago home suffers fire damage, you should call for help as soon as possible. Here at SERVPRO, we prioritize getting to your house as fast as possible to provide you with efficient and professional restoration services. No matter the time of day, or the day of the week, we're open and ready to help you.

What Can SERVPRO Do About the Fire Damage?

We believe in erasing the damage inside of your home as thoroughly as possible. When it comes to fire, we can:
    •    Address smoke damage and remove malodors with advanced equipment
    •    Clean up soot-stains with home made cleaning agents
    •    Remove anything beyond remediation and demolish any damaged structures

When we leave your home, we want you to feel as if the damage never happened. Here at SERVPRO, we aim to address all aspects of fire damage, so you can live your life, “Like it never even happened.”

What Advanced Technological Devices Can SERVPRO Use For Fire Damage Restoration?

While addressing the physical signs of fire damage, our fire and smoke damage technicians can use:
    •    Hydroxyl generators
    •    Thermal foggers
    •    Sealing paints

Removing greasy soot stains can be challenging, but our technicians are very capable. We can remove stains from your home with some chemical knowledge, elbow grease, and the right cleaning agent. Furthermore, should your home need any demolition, our technicians can put you in contact with a reputable contractor for rebuilding.

Never wait if your home is fire damaged. Speak with SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City by calling (773) 337-3993. Our skilled technicians are always ready to help you.

Why Smoke Is So Difficult to Remove In Fire Damaged Chicago Properties?

5/14/2020 (Permalink)

Smoke may seem like a relatively benign effect of fire damage, but in reality, it is one of the most challenging and troublesome factors.

SERVPRO Gives Smoke Removal Tips for Chicago Homeowners

Smoke may seem like a relatively benign effect of fire damage, but in reality, it is one of the most challenging and troublesome factors. Smoke is virtually impossible to remove with conventional means, necessitating the kind of specialty equipment carried by SERVPRO or other restoration companies. However, why is smoke so difficult to remove? Why won't a simple cleaning and air freshening job solve the problem? Here's a bit of insight into the science behind it.

Almost all cases of Chicago fire damage produces smoke, since smoke is one of fire's natural products, along with ash and certain gasses that can vary in composition depending on the nature of the fire. Smoke similarly varies in composition, being heavily affected in form and nature by what was burning, how long it burned, and what its moisture content was during the fire. Some types of smoke may be very easy to clean and require virtually no deodorization, but this is rare. More commonly, your home may encounter darker, wetter types of smoke that are much harder to remove.

These types of smoke produce enormous quantities of tiny smoke and soot particles that can sink into materials and embed themselves well beyond the reach of common cleaning products. Even high-powered washers and scrubbers used by SERVPRO technicians usually can't touch smoke that has seeped into a home's structure. However, our powerful deodorizing foggers accomplish the task well, saturating an area with a fog similar in composition to the targeted smoke particles. Depending on the type of smoke, particles in this fog should nullify or replace smoke throughout the area, removing any smell or sign of damage permanently.

SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City is a local franchise of a national company with the training and equipment to handle smoke and fire restorations of any size. Call us 24/7 at (773) 337-3993.

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How Do Professionals Restore Differing Stages of Fire Damage in Chicago?

5/2/2020 (Permalink)

Our expert technicians are available for emergency services 24/7 and can be at your home in hours after you call.

SERVPRO Explains the Various Levels of Fire Damage in Chicago

Fire damage can be a horrendous situation. Just imagine all your belongings are gone or turned to dust. The most dangerous part about a fire is if your loved one is still in the house. However, if everyone can get out safely, then we can breathe a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, dealing with the aftermath of fire damage can be quite stressful. This problem is mainly because different levels of fire damage can change the way we repaired or manage the situation.

Fire damage in Chicago has various levels. Minor fire damage is basically a light smoke residual that flows across the room. The restoration process involved dry cleaning or wet cleaning the ceiling and floor. This level of damage does not require a lot of repair or replacement. The medium fire damage level contains a moderate smoke residual level that requires wet cleaning to remove the residual. This is where the amount of re-painting and repairing can increase. The floors might need to be refinished, and you might have to replace the cabinet or drywall. The smoke odors are noticeable so you might have to deodorize. The major fire damage level is very severe. This situation is where structural framing and finishing can require extensive repair. The smoke residuals are distributed throughout a large portion of the residential establishment. This level requires an emergency service to assist in the replacement and repair. Restoration can involve cleaning, restoring, repairing, and replacing any structure or items in the house. In this level of damage, you might need to call in the professionals.

SERVPRO technicians are expert at fire damage restoration. They can begin the mitigation process to secure the structure and to prevent further damage. This process would include boarding up openings, winterizing the plumbing system, and providing a temporary source of electricity. They can help clean any fire damage structure to remove smoke residuals. They can also provide content cleaning within the office, residential, and other building. A full reconstruction is usually required for extensive damage, and the SERVPRO technicians are experienced in all aspects of the repair and replacement from fire damage.

Methods for Cleaning and Deodorizing After Fire Damage To Your Chicago Home

Chimney fires account for a portion of the fire damage losses in the United States every year which damages include smoke and soot damage. The blazes can be attributed from usually one of two causes. The first is a build-up of creosote, a highly combustible oil that is distilled from coal tar and coats commercially sold wood as a preservative. The residue of burning logs can block a chimney leading to a flash fire. Regular chimney maintenance avoids this happening. The second common reason is the homeowner failing to use a fireplace screen and a spark igniting carpeting or furnishings.

When SERVPRO responded to a call to mitigate the loss after a Chicago living room fire, we used a multi-layered approach to address all aspects of the damage left by the fire. Technicians inspected the home to determine how much of the house was affected by the fire, water to put out the fire and deodorization needs. Containment around the living room was used, and the HVAC system turned off to stop the spread of the odor around the home.

Technicians remove items that cannot be restored and choose the best cleaning method based on the type of smoke residue as well as the construction materials of items, special dry sponges with specially formulated solutions to combat soot and smoke are one of our effective methods used.

The odor left behind by a home fire penetrates porous objects, furnishings, and building materials. Hydroxyl generators work by neutralizing harmful gases, odors and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor environments. This method also eliminates bacteria, mildew, and mold. Thermal fogging is another deodorization method employed by SERVPRO. This restoration method uses the same principle to penetrate areas of the room as the smoke did, eliminating odors left behind by the fire.

SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City knows restoration of fire damage to your home needs to start as quickly as possible to avoid additional damage. Our expert technicians are available for emergency services 24/7 and can be at your home in hours after you call (773) 337-3993.

Click here for more about Chicago.

The Benefits Of Fast Fire Debris Removal In Chicago

4/27/2020 (Permalink)

Give our SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City rapid response team a call anytime at (773) 337-3993.

Advantages of Beginning Fire Debris Removal Fast in Chicago Homes

After a considerable structure fire happens in Chicago homes, you might not be able to look at the ruins of your house and see it ever looking the way that it used to again. Because of the fast response and the training made available to our Fire & Smoke Restoration Technicians (FSRT) in our SERVPRO team, we can offer practical solutions for your property beginning as soon as we first arrive.

Structure fires can destroy construction materials and contents in its path, leaving a desperate need for fire and debris removal in Chicago homes. While you must wait until the property gets turned back over to you after extinguishment completes, it might not always be in your best interest to rush inside. Your insurance provider has likely already gotten involved and insisted on professional restoration. You can expect our team to help with immediate emergency services like shoveling out debris and ash. There are two distinct advantages to beginning debris removal immediately.

Lessens Fire Loss Damage Concentration
Heaps of debris and charred remnants of walls and contents can amplify many of the challenging obstacles that our restoration professionals must overcome in your fire-damaged residence. Aspects like harsh odors can become more heavily concentrated in areas where debris is a concern, and removing this threat can lessen the severity of these conditions until appropriate deodorization can occur.

Exposes Vulnerabilities or Weaknesses
Clearing surfaces and flooring of this debris can help to expose some structural concerns and weaknesses that were not immediately seen. Now the assessment of the structure by our SERVPRO project manager and crew chief, which determines what processes are necessary to recover the house, can be more accurate.

You cannot predict when destructive fires can take place in your house, but you can trust in the team of professionals that can begin working right away to protect your property and get you back to normal life as soon as possible. Give our SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City rapid response team a call anytime at (773) 337-3993.

For more about Chicago click here.

Fire Damage Mitigation In Your Chicago Property

1/16/2020 (Permalink)

For help with any size mitigation project, call SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City at (773) 337-3993 24/7.

Fire Damage Mitigation In Chicago Often Requires The Restorer To Clean Clothing

Whenever something burns on your property in Chicago, the smoke coming from the flames can spread all throughout any structure. As the smoke works its way through your building, it can cause different types of fire damage to take place. Smoke can cause the surfaces of your building materials and contents to become soiled and coated with soot residues. Smoke can also penetrate porous materials and cause foul odors to exist.

When dealing with fire damage restoration in Chicago, our SERVPRO technicians utilize various techniques to remove unpleasant aromas and soot residues. When dealing with porous materials such as upholstered items like your furniture, we can take steps that both clean the items and remove foul odors. Smoke can also travel throughout your home and negatively affect contents like your clothing.

Our SERVPRO crew knows that when cleaning smoke-damaged clothing that there is an element of urgency involved. Many items of clothing are manufactured with synthetic fibers that can bond with smoke particles and malodor molecules. If clothing does not get cleaned quickly, then discoloration or pungent aromas can adhere to the items permanently.

Before we clean your clothes, we prioritize them in three different groups based on how often you use them. The first group we clean consists of items that you wear regularly and need immediately. Next, we put clothes in the second priority group, which is clothing that you will need at a later time. Lastly, we clean the third group of clothing that contains seasonal items.

Cleaning clothing can often require several steps and a combination of techniques. First, we remove clothes from metal coat hangers and dispose of the hangers. Smoke residues can cause the metal on the hangers to oxidize onto the clothing.

Next, we take steps to remove any loose soils on the surface of the fabric. We can accomplish this by blowing off the clothing using compressed air. The force of the air can evaporate odor molecules and blow off smoke particles.

If foul odors remain inside clothing, other deodorization steps can be taken. We can spray items with a solvent-based odor counteractant, which can counteract the malodor particles. Or, if pungent aromas still exist, we can thermal fog your clothing so that deodorants can mimic smoke and penetrate deep into the fabrics.

If you ever notice smoke-related issues inside your home after something burns, it is wise to call in a professional restoration company. For help with any size mitigation project, call SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City at  (773) 337-3993 24/7. We’re Faster to Any Size Disaster.

For more about Chicago click here.

We Have The Proper Techniques To Restore Your Chicago Home After A Fire

11/4/2019 (Permalink)

Our technicians have the specific equipment and training for odor removal and deep cleaning of carpet and upholstery.

Learn How to Remove Fire Odor in Your Chicago Residence

Fires affect many households in Chicago every year, causing families to lose precious memories and possessions. Even though the experience of a fire may not be traumatic, the odors it leaves behind are a terrible reminder of the incident. It is daunting to remove the unpleasant odor associated with fire damage, particularly when synthetic materials have been burned. The smells can linger for many days or weeks long after the fire has been put out.

Smoke can seep easily into wood, drywall, and textiles, and soot can coat and ruin several materials, leading to residue, discoloration, and permeating odors. To eliminate fire odor in your Chicago residence, you can take the following steps:

Air out your home by opening doors and windows. You can also use a large fan to increase air circulation in your home.

• Remove curtains, rugs, and blankets to be washed or dry cleaned. Smoke sticks to fabrics, so you need to clean these items to get rid of the smoke scent.

• Wash the windows, window shades, and window screens while paying attention to the window sills, frames, and blinds because smoke tends to stick to these areas and may cause a recurring odor after the cleanup.

• Use a unique solution made of white vinegar, dish soap, and warm water to wash solid surfaces like walls, ceilings, cabinets, doors, and door frames.

• Clean carpets and upholstery as soon as possible to keep smoke particles from penetrating the fibers deeply.

If the smoke scent persists, you may need to dispose of some household items. You can also benefit from using professional fire odor removal services. Smoke damage restoration professionals from SERVPRO have the experience and equipment required to remove the smoke scent altogether. We use efficient and safe odor removal techniques to eliminate malodors from structures and personal possessions. We start with necessary deodorization procedures which include:

• Removing the source of the odor

• Cleaning odor-causing residues from surfaces

• Recreating the condition of odor penetration
  Sealing surfaces as necessary

It is not always possible to identify what is causing an odor or determine which specific deodorization method can counteract a particular odor source. Therefore, our SERVPRO technicians often combine several deodorization methods and products to produce the desired outcome. Some equipment we can use to remove the unpliant scents includes thermal foggers, air scrubbers, and hydroxyl generators.

We may also use water-based wet mist deodorizers to deal with the odors. We apply them using a ULV mister to produce a fine mist or fog, which enables the chemical to get into surface crevices and cracks where the smoke scent is present, eliminating it “Like it never even happened.”

If your home has troublesome fire odors, you can trust SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City to help you remove them. Call us any time at (773) 337-3993 for effective odor removal services.

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Smoke Deodorization Is A Crucial Part Of Our Fire Damage Restoration Process In Chicago

7/22/2019 (Permalink)

Any type of smoke that gets into your Chicago rental home can cause you many problems.

Fire Damage Experts From Chicago Talk About Smoke Deodorization

Any type of smoke that gets into your Chicago rental home can cause you many problems. Smoke and fire damage costs residents and landlords across the country millions of dollars each year. Cigarette smoke is also a common issue, and our SERVPRO technicians always treat these scenarios the same as any other type of smoke-related problem. If your tenant inside your rental property smokes tobacco, your house could develop a serious odor problem.

Cigarette smoke causes landlords in Chicago many fire damage claims each year. Cigarette smoke can travel throughout your structure and penetrate your building materials and contents just like smoke from any other burnt substance can. Once tiny partially combusted particles penetrate deeply into porous materials, foul aromas can exist for a very long time.

Once the smoke has affected your rental house, it is wise to call in a professional restoration company such as SERVPRO. We have advanced equipment and knowledge when it comes to removing unpleasant smells. When conducting deodorization procedures, we use these four tools the most.

1. Hand/Electric Sprayers
For light odors, we can use sprayers to spray a chemical that deodorizes by both masking and pairing. Masking is when foul aromas get covered up by more pleasant ones, and pairing is when malodor particles get chemically neutralized.

2. Ultra Low Volume (ULV) Foggers
ULV systems use similar masking and pairing detergents, but the machine breaks the particles down and applies them in a mist form. The fog can mimic how smoke behaves and penetrate affected items.

3. Thermal Fogging
Thermal fogging systems get used for more severe scenarios, and they work by heating the chemicals and breaking them down into even tinier particles. The hot fog works in the same way as the ULV fog, but it can penetrate further into some substances due to the smaller particles.

4. Ozone Generator
Ozone systems work differently as the other techniques and use unstable O3 or ozone particles to deodorize. These particles float around and give an oxygen atom to malodor molecules to oxide and neutralize them.

If you ever have a tenant smoke tobacco inside your Brighton Park, Scottsdale, or Gage Park rental home, call SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City at (773) 337-3993 as soon as possible because We’re Faster to Any Size Disaster.

For more about Chicago click here.

You Can Depend On Our Fire Damage Experts To Restore Your Chicago Home

6/4/2019 (Permalink)

Contact our IICRC-certified specialists for this and other restoration work by calling our 24-hour services line.

The Mess After A Fire Needs Cleanup By Trained Professionals In Chicago Properties

Seeing your Chicago residence from the outside after a fire can seem minor to the destruction that you later see inside. You might feel hopeless about the future your family seems destined to experience while putting your lives back to normal. SERVPRO professionals use industry-standard techniques that help our customers accomplish their goals of recovering after disasters at the lowest possible expense.

Owners might feel tempted to carry out fire cleanup tasks in their Chicago home to reclaim some of the personal belongings scattered around their now charred property. Doing so can quickly seem like another disaster. Others prefer to not even look at their items, as seeing them can feel like reliving the fire all over again.

The condition a fire leaves furnishings and other contents in can range from heavy soiling with soot and smoke residue from other items that burned to melted plastics and charred wood and other combusted materials. Water from fighting the blazing home’s structure can also create additional conditions that require the attention of mitigation and restoration specialists.

Because of our Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) training, we know how to use our extensive inventory of restoration tools and equipment to clean up fire damage affecting your home efficiently. We also rely on teamwork, making it possible to have your home restored soon after we begin, “Like it never even happened.”

For families with children, we understand that helping them with the trauma and after-effects can reduce the stress that the adults in the family must deal with daily. We can place loveys and other chosen items in priority position so we can return them to you faster. Our ultrasonic water bath can get these clean in a short time, with only drying and deodorization to follow before we hand them back to your family.

Our fire cleanup experts continue with other items that our specialists boxed up for restoration through cleaning while others proceed with the work needed inside your home. This includes removing soot from walls, ceilings, counters, and cabinets, extracting water from putting the fire out, removing destroyed items including remnants of curtains, rugs, and mattresses, and deodorization. Working in teams, SERVPRO completes fire cleanup tasks quickly and gets your home restored so your family can move back home again.

SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City has qualified professionals on the job in Scottsdale, Gage Park, and Archer Heights homes, performing fire cleanup and restoration work. Contact our IICRC-certified specialists for this and other restoration work by calling our 24-hour services line, (773) 337-3993, any day of the year.

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Why Safety is Important With Fire Debris Removal in Chicago

4/17/2019 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City is always on call for your fire-damaged property.

Fire Debris Removal Workers In Chicago Describe Restoration Methods

Anytime something burns inside your Chicago home, items inside the building may need to be removed and replaced. If the flames torch your building materials or contents, it could become necessary to call in a professional fire debris removal company such as SERVPRO. The number one goal when arriving at your residence is to use specific methods to save items preventing replacement as much as possible. However, in some situations, your structural components or other items can get damaged to the point where they need to be removed and replaced. When a situation like this occurs, it is wise to save the fire debris removal for the experts.  

When rebuilding a fire damaged home, we take specific safety measures. During any fire debris removal project in Chicago, our SERVPRO technicians always put safety first. Before we begin any work, we inspect your home for both potential dangers and to figure out the extent of the damage. If there are any structural issues or other problems that could pose a hazard to any of the building's occupants, then we perform steps to mitigate the possible danger. For example, should burnt items pose a fall hazard, we take them down.  We also temporarily support the compromised building's structure while demolition procedures take place.  

After our SERVPRO experts deem the fire damaged building safe for you, your family, and our staff, we commence mitigation efforts. First, we run tests to see how burnt your building materials and contents got. For instance, if charring is found into the drywall and past its surface, then most likely it needs removal. If your studs show torching deeper than a quarter inch, then sections of your building's skeleton needs discarding.  

After disposing of the unsalvageable contents and building materials, we take measures to prevent the spread of unpleasant aromas created by smoke and charred materials. If anything ever burns inside your house, call SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City at (773) 337-3993 any day of the week.

Click here for more information about Chicago.

You Can Save Money And Still Do Proper Restoration Of Fire Damage In Chicago

9/17/2018 (Permalink)

Even after a small fire, extensive damages might occur, requiring extra effort to restore the property back to its preloss condition.

Proper Fire Damage Restoration

Even after a small fire, extensive damages might occur, requiring extra effort to restore the property back to its preloss condition. In small Chicago fires, smoke causes most of the damage because it drifts even to areas unreached by the flames. Water and other materials used to extinguish the fire can also cause further damages especially if left to pool around. Since cost is never a priority when putting out the fire, what determines whether you make any savings is what you do after the flames die down.

When dealing with fire damage in Chicago, one way to save cost is to be thorough when doing the restoration. Combines, the damage extent, the size of the affected area and the time spent doing the restoration determine the total costs involved. If ineffective methods are used, it might lead to unsatisfactory results. Such outcomes necessitate repetition of the procedures, which inevitably drives up the costs. If you choose to work with SERVPRO, our technicians first inspect the damaged areas and choose the most effective restoration approaches.

Sometimes, the restoration methods used, end up causing more damages thus driving costs up. A good example might be using a strong cleaning solution that ruins upholstered items instead of removing stains caused by soot or other smoke residues. Chemicals used in thermal foggers to deodorize smoke odor might also cause damages to leather items. Our SERVPRO team has access to a wide variety of professional cleaning products and tools ensuring we only use the appropriate ones during the restoration of your property.

Speed is essential during restoration because other costs might pile up as you wait for your property to be fully functional again. Even a simple inconvenience like eating out because the kitchen is no longer usable can pile costs up. Also if you leave standing water in the affected area for too long, problems like mold or rotting of wood can develop. Our SERVPRO team clears debris and extracts any water from your property immediately restoration starts, saving you from unnecessary costs. We also work at sufficient speed to ensure your property is usable in good time.

To restore your property cost-effectively, call SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City at (773) 337-3993. We are available 24/7.

Click here for more about Chicago.

Making The Claims Process Efficient After Fire Damages In Your Chicago Home

8/22/2018 (Permalink)

Overcoming a disaster to impact your Chicago residence might feel overwhelming.

Making The Claims Process Efficient After A Fire

Overcoming a disaster to impact your Chicago residence might feel overwhelming. With widespread damages affecting multiple areas of your house, it is often challenging to know what you need or where to begin putting the pieces back together. With professional restoration services, experienced technicians can help you to assess the full scope of the damage and to lay out a plan to bring your home back to preloss conditions.

An example of an overwhelming situation in your Chicago home is combating fire damages. With so many different threats happening all at once, no homeowner gets prepared for the work that has to happen to bring their property back to the way it used to be. When our SERVPRO franchise says We’re Faster To Any Size Disaster, this is precisely the kind of situation that we meant.

Once the first responders have left your home, you have to start making calls. The first of these would be to your insurance provider to let them know about the incident and start getting the ball rolling on filing a claim. Restoration work like ours is often a result of insurance claims, and our team of experienced technicians and staff work directly with the insurance provider and adjuster to expedite the claims process to get your home restored as promptly as possible.

While this insurance company is going to need some physical proof of the claim that you are filing, usually photographs, this is another situation where our SERVPRO professionals can take over. There are many threats and potential hazards in a home after a fire that our experienced professionals have the equipment to face. Our estimator can provide these required images to your insurance adjuster as part of the full inspection required in the estimation process.

As a homeowner, you want to restore the damages to your residence as promptly as possible following an instance like a fire. Unfortunately, there are often a lot of steps in between the disaster and its completed restoration. Let our professionals at SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City help you to navigate this process and work as efficiently as possible to restore your home to preloss conditions. Give us a call anytime at (773) 337-3993.

Click here for more about Chicago.

Chicago's Fire Damage Restoration Team Explains Cleaning Wooden Furniture

5/24/2018 (Permalink)

When dealing with fire and smoke damage, it is best to bring in the experts to help restore your home. Contact SERVPRO right away for best results.

Team SERVPRO is Certified When It Come to Remediating Fire Damage in Homes

Nobody ever plans on it happening to them, but it is possible that a small fire starts inside your Chicago apartment building. A blaze can burn materials and items inside the home forcing them to be counted as a loss. As a fire burns, some particles do not fully combust into gas creating plumes of smoke.
 
These partially combusted particles rise with the heat before adhering to cooler surfaces. When mitigating any fire damage in Chicago removing soot left behind from the smoke is an essential step of the process. Soot residues can ruin surfaces and cause pungent aromas to fill the air.
 
Various materials react differently to soot residues that consist of multiple partially combusted particles. Some soots can get wiped off with minimal effort while other types of residues adhere well to surfaces causing removal to be difficult. Our SERVPRO technicians have a vast quantity of different chemicals and methods they can implement based on each scenario.
 
When cleaning contents inside your home, the type of surface we are cleaning dictates the method we use. When cleaning porous surfaces, wet cleaning can cause more damage, so dry sponges get used to remove the soot. Non-porous surfaces can be scrubbed with water-based detergents because the moisture does not soak into the material.
 
If hardwood furniture gets affected by soot, the type of finish it has and the extent of the damage change the item's cleanability. Many furnishings have a finish that changes its ability to resist heat, smoke and odor particles. Depending on the type of finish, the coating can either help or hinder the cleaning process. Unfinished woods are porous and can get cleaned best using dry cleaning methods.
 
The heat created by the burn can cause hardwood furniture to blister. Some types of smoke can permanently stain the wood. If the piece of furniture suffers blistering or staining, then cleaning becomes impossible and refinishing is required.
 
Certain chemicals are explicitly designed for removing soot from materials like hardwoods. For assistance with smoke problems at your residence, call SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City at (773) 337-3993 24 hours a day.
 
Click here for more information on the city of Chicago.

Speed And Quality Of Recovery Equally Important When Fire Damages Your Chicago Home

4/13/2018 (Permalink)

Our SERVPRO team can professionally clean and restore your fire damaged home back to preloss condition.

SERVPRO Has What it Takes to Restore Your Chicago Fire Damaged Home

The harm done by a fire is not just frightening and discouraging your family while you spend days trying to devise a cleanup plan on your own. Failing to clean up the water, chemicals, smoke, soot, and other residues in your Chicago home promptly exposes the building materials and all contents to their progressive and devastating after effects. A professional fire damage restoration company provides high-quality services within the first hours.

Fire damage in your Chicago home involves much more than the charring and burning that seems the most prominent. The materials combusted by the flames create smoke, a vaporous mixture of solids, liquids, and gases. A component of smoke is soot, a dark substance that coats surfaces throughout your home. The sooty residues are corrosive, extraordinarily acidic and capable of damaging home structures and the fixtures, furnishings, and personal possessions inside.

Every moment that ticks away means the damage becomes more severe and less likely to reverse easily. Some materials warp, some yellow, some tarnish, and some etch. A fully equipped SERVPRO crew moves deliberately through a fire damaged home, cleaning and restoring areas one by one. The first priority is actually water removal and drying in most fire scenarios as water commonly extinguishes fires. Water damages a fire-ravaged home as well and creates slip and fall and other safety hazards. We are a full spectrum recovery firm, and water damage remediation is accomplished quickly.

Our trained technicians then match the proper tools, techniques, and cleaning products to the characteristics of the soot debris encountered. Soot that is light and loose vacuums and brushes away, while wetter soot sticks and needs a spray and wipe or abrasive approach. Kitchen fires feature protein and grease based smoke and soot that coats surfaces tenaciously, perhaps needing solvents and abrasive tools to loosen and remove. SERVPRO employees can also use immersion techniques, and even ultrasonic cleaning at our production facility for thick soots on blinds, light fixtures, and other intricately figured articles.

Smoky fire smells linger, and the SERVPRO team masters deodorization techniques that eliminate, not cover up odors. Removal of burned objects and a thorough cleaning are initial steps followed by sprays and advanced technologies like thermal fogging and hydroxyl generators that neutralize odor particles at the molecular level.

Locally Owned Company with National Resources

SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City responds fast and scales up a crew of expert fire damage remediators to clear debris and clean surfaces and deodorize within hours to days rather than the weeks a DIY effort might require. Call (773) 337-3993 to schedule an evaluation as soon as the firefighters leave the scene.

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Chicago's Fire Damage Specialists

3/15/2018 (Permalink)

Fires can happen quickly. After you and your family are safe and the fire fighters have left, contact SERVPRO for remediation efforts.

SERVPRO Technicians Follow FOUR Proven Steps When Removing Odors After a Fire

Whether it is big or small, a fire burning inside your Chicago condominium is never a pleasant situation. Flames and heat burn contents and building materials. Smoke possibly flows throughout the building leaving behind soot residues and foul odors.
 
After a burn, one of the last and most important steps is to remove all pungent odors that get left behind. Chicago's fire damage technicians at SERVPRO follow four steps when deodorizing a structure. First, we remove the source, then we clean, recreate and seal.
 
Deodorization after a blaze sometimes gets complicated since foul odors usually have more than one type of source. In some situations, multiple methods must be used to remove odors, but the four steps still get followed. To start with, our team always removes the source of the odor. Any debris that got severely burnt and is smelling pungent gets discarded from the area.
 
Awful smells inside a home often come from soot residues that adhere to surfaces after a fire. If smoke smells still exist after removing all burnt items, then most likely the source is the odor-causing residues sticking to surfaces in different rooms of the condo. Our restoration crews follow the smoke and make sure to clean all areas that soot is present.
 
If horrible smells still exist after cleaning, then odor particles penetrated deep into contents and building materials inside the structure. The best way to remedy this problem is to recreate the same conditions odor particles stuck to the materials by using a chemical fogger. Sometimes this step gets skipped if it is not needed.
 
In many scenarios, odors get eliminated by just removing the source and cleaning soot residues. If the first two steps do not work, fogging is the next option then the last step is to seal. Our experts often seal surfaces that get exposed to malodors. In some cases, we paint over walls or wooden studs with a specialized sealant paint.
 
After deodorization, we do a final cleaning process that sometimes involves adding pleasant odors to the area. For professional help with the restoration process, call SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City at (773) 337-3993 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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Fire Damage in Your Chicago Home from a Kerosene Heater

1/25/2018 (Permalink)

It is important to keep heaters away from flammable objects while in use.

SERVPRO’s Fire Damage Restoration Process

Using a kerosene heater in your Chicago home in this cold weather is not uncommon. However, there are precautions you must take to prevent severe hazards like fire. Keeping the heater too close to furniture or other combustible items like draperies, knocking a lighted heater over, or lighting the fuel accidentally when filling the tank are all things to be careful of. Explosions can also occur from using the wrong kind of fuel, or by operating the heater with combustible fumes present, like in a garage or workroom.

No matter where the fire and fire damage has occurred in your Chicago home, it can create lots of damage quickly, and leave a big mess behind. SERVPRO can help you clean the fire damage, soot and smoke, and any water from the fire being extinguished. We have the tools and training necessary to do the job correctly in a timely fashion.

We arrive at your home within hours so we can begin assisting you with fire damage restoration. We do a quick damage assessment first, pretesting the areas affected and writing any needed estimates. When needed, we perform stabilization of your structure and emergency board-up.

We use methods for cleaning up soot and other residues from the fire damage which are environmentally friendly. Another essential step in our process is the removal of smoke odors, as is air purification and sanitation to make your home safe again.

Careful removal and securing of any personal possessions, household goods, and other contents is done. These items are taken to another location so we can clean and restore them while the rest of your home is taken care of. SERVPRO uses water extraction equipment which is of an industrial grade, plus air movers, dehumidifiers and other equipment to remove any water left behind as well.

Reconstruction of the affected areas is done so your home is fully restored. Then disinfectants and antimicrobials are used to prevent the growth of mildew and mold.

SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City is very thorough in cleaning up your home in Gage Park, Brighton Park, or Scottsdale after fire damage. You can count on us to take care of you after a fire when you contact us at (773) 337-3993.

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Cleaning Smoke Residues After a Chimney Fire in Your Chicago Home

11/14/2017 (Permalink)

SERVPRO has specific cleaning methods for the different types of smoke damage found in your home.

Wet Smoke vs. Dry Smoke and Necessary Cleaning Methods

If you have a fireplace in your Chicago residence, you need to take care of your chimney on a regular basis. A build-up of creosote along the lining walls of the chimney can facilitate the beginnings of a fire in your chimney. Such a build-up is created by unburned materials in the smoke accumulating on the walls of the chimney and making a sticky substance which can catch fire quickly.

Annual inspections and cleanings are therefore a must for your chimney in your Chicago home. If you have still experienced a chimney fire and fire damage to your home, you should give our professionals at SERVPRO a call as soon as the fire is out. We can help you to clean up the mess the fire left behind, including making any necessary repairs.

Each fire progresses through steps, putting out both dry and wet smoke. Some fires make a large enough proportion of one kind of smoke to characterize the whole exposure as predominately dry or wet smoke. We use different cleaning methods to remove the different residues. Usually, wet smoke is more challenging to remove. A chimney fire can quickly spread throughout your home fast, so we could be dealing with various surfaces that have been affected.

A few factors determine whether smoke residues are dry or wet, including the rate of combustion, the kind of material that is burning, and how much oxygen is present during the fire. In many fires, the more oxygen which is available, the faster the combustion process is. Fast-burning fires with plenty of oxygen produce a dry smoke, and slow-moving fires without much oxygen make wet smoke.

More materials are restorable in conditions with dry smoke. It carries few aerosols and deposits small, dry particles. It does not stain surfaces as deeply as wet smoke, and it has a less pungent odor. SERVPRO techs use less aggressive cleaning procedures in these cases, but dry smoke usually occurs from hotter fires, which do more damage.

Our restoration efforts are more involved with wet smoke residues. Usually, they contain a high proportion of aerosols like solvents, varnishes, and other liquid components. Since the fire is moving slowly, it has its time to work its way into crevices and enclosed areas which generally would not be contaminated by a fire that is fast-burning. Hot, oily residues discolor plastic materials within minutes.

Many times, contents exposed to a smoldering fire and wet smoke cannot be restored. Even stripping and refinishing may not prove enough. Aerosols in wet smoke can soften, penetrate, and stain finished surfaces and burning plastics and rubbers making large, black particles which smudge or smear.

No matter the type of smoke or damage done by the fire, SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City does our very best to restore everything that is salvageable, and we make repairs when needed to get your home back to its original state. Just give us a call at (773) 337-3993 if you reside in the areas of Gage Park, Marquette Park, or Scottsdale and have suffered a fire.

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Electrical Fire Caused by Rodents in Your Chicago Home

7/3/2017 (Permalink)

Almost one-quarter of fires with unknown causes are thought to be due to rodent damage

Can Rodents Cause a Fire in Your Home?

Everyone knows that rodents are a nuisance inside our homes. They get into food and ruin it with their feces, scurry in walls and above our heads, and they reproduce rapidly. They do much damage to the structure of your home, pipes, insulation, and even electrical wiring, which is where the biggest problems come into play. A missed frayed wire can create an electrical fire in your home.

Almost one-quarter of fires with unknown causes are thought to be due to rodent damage. The simplest way to prevent fires and fire damage that are rodent-related in your Chicago home is to keep rodents from getting into your house in the first place. Since mice can squeeze through holes that are as small as a one-quarter inch, a wildlife exclusion team needs to be called in to make sure rodents cannot enter your home.

If you have rodents already, a professional pest team should be called right away. If they have caused an electrical fire before you realized the problem, you need the expert help of SERVPRO, a fire remediation company with the experience and training to repair your home and clean it properly after a fire.

Normally, electrical wiring is surrounded by plastic insulation since electricity is very hot when it goes through wiring. It protects objects nearby from getting overheated. When a rat or other rodent chews on the wires, however, they leave nothing but exposed hot metal. Then it is just a matter of time before the wire short circuits, causing a spark, or heats up and makes something close by ignite. Household insulation or other debris are usually stirred up by the rodents and is what sets fire, but it can also be from a wire resting on a wooden support.

Getting a hold of our technicians at SERVPRO as soon as possible after a fire is important because more damage can be done from the soot and the water from firefighting efforts. We have all the knowledge and equipment to dry your home out, repair it, and clean the soot before it starts eating away at materials in your home.

Locally Owned Company with National Resources

SERVPRO of Marquette Park/West Lawn/Ford City understands the complexities of fire damage, so we work fast, but efficiently, to recover your home to its preloss condition. Call us as soon as you can at (773) 337-3993 so that we can do our job and help you regain your life on track.

For more information regarding the city of Chicago, click here: https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en.html