Food Safety After A Fire

When your house has had a fire go through it there are more things to worry about than simply what can and can't be cleaned and how you should go about it. Safety measures should also be followed and one those measures involves food.

Food that has survived a fire should be treated with caution because it will have been affected in some way. here are some tips about how to proceed when it comes to the food that is left over after a fire.

• Food in cans or jars may look as though it has been unaffected by the fire, however if it was in close proximity to the heat of the fire there is a strong possibility that it has been rendered inedible. The heat from the fire can activate bacteria that spoils food. If the heat has been hot enough it is possible that the can has split and the food will be unsafe to consume anyway.
• Food that is stored in permeable packaging such as cardboard, plastic, paper, etc. should be thrown away regardless of the possibility of heat damage. Toxic fumes will in all likelihood have contaminated the food. It doesn't matter if the packaging was unopened, toxic fumes can still permeate the packaging and contaminate the food within.
• Raw fruit and vegetables that were stored outside the refrigerator should be discarded because these, too, will have been contaminated by fumes. Even food that is stored within the refrigerator or freezer may have been contaminated although you can still attempt to eat it if you wish. If you notice an unusual flavor or odor to the food when it is prepared you can assume that the seals were not airtight and the food should be thrown out.
• It is possible that some of the chemicals that were used to fight the fire came in contact with food in the house. These chemicals contain toxic materials that cannot be washed off the food. Food that is exposed to these chemicals should also be thrown away. This includes all goods that are stored in permeable containers and screw top jars. Cans and cookware should be decontaminated before they are used.

Deodorizing A Water Damaged Carpet

Most carpets can withstand water damage for up to three days. Naturally, responding to a flooded carpet as quickly as possible is critical to effecting a successful restoration, but if you can't get to it within a day, there's not necessarily cause for dispair.

If you get the carpet up off the floor your first stage is to begin the drying process. Once you have worked out the state of the water that has damaged your carpet, then you can decide whether it is worth the effort to proceed. Sometimes water is simply too dirty or unsanitary to bother with a restoration and cleaning service.

There are essentially three classes of water. First there is clean water which is water that contains no debris, possibly from a leaking pipe for example. The prognosis for the wet carpet is that it can be saved. The next type of water is grey water. In this case the water is not necessarily clean but it also doesn't contain hazardous materials. The wet carpet may have been damaged from a washing machine oveflow, for example. The carpet can be saved in this case too.

The final type of water rating is black water. This may have come from sewage backup or runoff water. The carpet must be handled with caution and everything that has come in contact with the water should be discarded.

For the carpet that is being saved the carpet should first be dried and then sanitized. After it has been sanitized it will have to undergo a deodorization process. In this process there are some basic steps that should be followed. First you have to remove the source of the odor, then clean the carpet before sealing the carpet so that it is protected against further spills.

Using a deodorizing solution from the local supermarket will do the job or you could try using water with a 20% plain white vinegar mix. Follow this up with a thorough carpet shampoo and then make sure there is plenty of ventilation where the deodorizing took place to completely dry out the carpet again.

When you are performing a carpet deodorization you ant to achieve the following 7 things:

• masking
• absorbing
• pairing
• disinfecting
• digesting
• oxidizing
• sealing

As well as using a deodorizing chemical you may also have to resort to more heavy duty methods to get the carpet smelling fresh and clean again. You might have to make use of such things as thermal foggers or ozone units.