3 Things You Should Know About Electronics Damaged by Fire

2/22/2019 (Permalink)

3 Things You Should Know About Electronics Damaged by Fire

Recovering items that have been damaged by a fire in your home and staring the fire cleanup process can be a difficult. However, many people are unsure how to handle electronic items that have been damaged. There are several tips that can make it easier to handle and clean damaged electronics.

      1. Don’t Use Damaged                      Electronics

After a fire, you may be tempted to test out your electronics to see what is damaged and what still works. However, using electronics that have been impacted by soot and smoke damage can actually cause more damage to the items, and could potentially cause a fire. Instead of plugging in or turning on damaged electronics, try to avoid moving them in order to prevent further damage from occurring.

     2. Damage Can Be Hidden

Some electronic items may have visible marks that indicate the item has been damaged. However, electronics can often appear as if they are undamaged if the majority of the damage has occurred within the electrical components. Electronics that have been damaged by smoke are susceptible to overheating, so in the fire cleanup process, it’s often best to not use an item if you are unsure whether or not it has been damaged.

     3. Act Quickly

It is often possible for electronics to be restored, but time matters when it comes to restoring electronics. The longer an electronic item has soot in it, the more damage that is likely to occur. However, it can be hard to restore these items without the proper equipment. it’s often important to move the items carefully or have the items professionally removed to ensure that soot throughout the home isn’t disturbed.

Knowing that electronic items that are damaged shouldn’t be used, understanding that damage is not always visible and knowing to act quickly to restore your electronics can make the fire cleanup process easier. However, if you need assistance with the cleanup process, it could be useful to contact fire damage restoration professionals.