Fire Smoke and Soot Testing and Cleaning Protocols

Having a fire can disrupt your life for months to years during cleaning and rebuild. One of the most over looked things is how far the soot went and how to prove. Smoke and soot it self is a carcinagen and can cause adverse health effects. Why do you need to prove? Most likely you are going to be working with a restoration company and are filing an insurance claim. Insurance adjuster and restoration company alike only do a visual inspection and possible wipe a rag or sponge to determine the extent. Did it reach your clothing, your bedding, the HVAC system, and etc. We as a third party will take air and swabs in the areas  to determine the scope of the work needed by lab testing. This will provide a protocol on how far the soot traveled  and what needs to be cleaned to provide you with a clean environment. This can also help determine where to contain to limit further damage to proven unaffected areas. By having this protocol it give the insurance company the correct severity of the job and size to correctly fund the project. For the restoration company it will give correct guidelines set by IEP and lab results to completely clean all determined affected areas of the structure. We would also recommend a follow up clearance test to certify that areas have been cleaned properly.