Fire Damage Contents Salvage: What Can Be Saved

Not everything in a fire-damaged home is lost. Some things can be cleaned and kept, some must be replaced, and the inventory is what decides which is which — item by item, room by room. The pack-out is the process of removing the contents, cleaning what can be cleaned, and listing what cannot be saved, and the list is what the claim is built on. This post explains what can be saved, how the pack-out works, and what the inventory says about every item.

The second thing to understand is that the contents are not an afterthought. They are the part of the job that takes the longest to sort, because each item has to be assessed, listed and either cleaned or removed — and the list is what the insurer reads. The provider lists and photographs every damaged item during the pack-out, and that list goes into the file alongside yours, so the record is the contents as they were, not as they were remembered.

What Can Be Saved

Hard surfaces can usually be saved. A table, a chair, a shelf — each can be dry-passed, wet-passed, and checked against the reference, and each can often be cleaned and kept. The dry pass lifts the soot, the wet pass follows, and the surface is checked again. A hard surface that is dry-passed on the first day can often be cleaned and kept, and a hard surface that is wiped with water before the dry pass will need replacing.

Electronics are harder. Soot is corrosive to circuits, and a device that looks fine can fail weeks later, so each electronic item is assessed one by one. Some can be cleaned and kept, some must be replaced, and the provider will tell you which is which before any work starts. Do not switch on an electronic device that was in the fire, and do not use it until the provider has checked it.

Fabrics are the hardest. A sofa that looks clean can still carry the soot in its fabric, a curtain can carry it in its fibres, and a book can carry it in its pages. The provider tests the contents the same way the surfaces are tested, and the treatment is decided item by item. What can be cleaned is cleaned, what must be replaced is replaced, and the inventory says which is which.

How the Pack-Out Works

The pack-out starts with the photographs. Every room is photographed before anything is moved, and every item is photographed where it sits, before it is packed. The photographs are the record your insurer will read, and the record the provider works from — the contents as they were, not as they were after the pack-out started.

The pack-out continues with the listing. Every item is listed, room by room, with its condition and its value, and the list is checked against your own list. If the two lists differ, the photographs decide it, which is another reason to photograph everything before anything is moved. Keep a copy of the provider's list, and check it against your own — if something is missing, say so on the day, not weeks later.

The pack-out ends with the removal. What can be cleaned is taken to be cleaned, what must be replaced is removed, and what is ruined is photographed and listed before it goes. Do not throw anything away without photographing it first, because what feels like rubbish on the first day is often the evidence the claim needs on the thirtieth. The provider will tell you what was taken, what was cleaned, and what was removed, before any work starts, so there are no surprises.

What Cannot Be Saved

Food cannot be saved. Do not eat food that was exposed to smoke or firefighting water, and do not drink from taps until the water supply has been checked. Photograph the food before it goes, because the photographs are the record the claim needs, and the list says what was lost.

Mattresses and pillows usually cannot be saved, because the soot gets into the fabric and the foam, and the smell lingers long after the cleaning. A mattress that smells after it has been cleaned is a mattress where the soot is still in the fabric, and the smell will come back when the room warms up. The provider will tell you which items cannot be saved, and the inventory says which is which.

Paper cannot always be saved. A book that has absorbed soot and water can sometimes be dried and cleaned, but a document that has been soaked and blackened is often beyond saving. Photograph the documents before they go, and keep the originals and a backup copy of anything that can be saved. The provider will tell you what can be saved and what cannot, before any work starts.

The Inventory and the Claim

The inventory is the list, and the list is what the claim is built on. Every item is listed, room by room, with its condition and its value, and the list is checked against your own list. The provider lists and photographs every damaged item during the pack-out, and that list goes into the file alongside yours, so the record is the contents as they were.

The inventory is also what the insurer reads. The claim is valued item by item, and a specific list is worth more than a general one — the make and model of an appliance, the age of a television, the brand of a mattress. Do not guess at values you do not know; write what you know and leave the rest blank. The provider will help you with the list, and the list is what the claim is decided on.

Keep a copy of the inventory, and keep it with the photographs, the claim number, and every receipt. Do not agree to a settlement before the full extent of the damage is known, and do not sign anything you do not understand. The claim takes time, and the file you keep is what makes it go smoothly.

When the Contents Come Back

The contents come back last, once the rooms are clean, dry and rebuilt. What can be cleaned is returned, what must be replaced is replaced, and the inventory is checked against the list that was made on the first visit. The provider will walk the property with you at the end, room by room, and the job is not finished until you have seen it and the readings say the moisture is normal. The provider will tell you when the home is ready, and will show you the readings, because the readings are the record and the record is what the claim is built on.

The contents come back when the smell is gone. The soot carries the smell, and the smell lingers in fabrics and upholstery long after the soot is gone, and the smell is the last thing to go. The provider treats the source, not the smell, and the source is the soot in the fabric. The smell is the thing that tells you whether the job is done. A sofa that smells after it has been cleaned is a sofa where the soot is still in the fabric, and the smell will come back when the room warms up, which is why the provider tests each item and the inventory says which can be kept and which must be replaced.

The contents come back when the record is complete. The provider's record — the photographs, the inventory, the drying readings — goes into the claim file, and the record is what the claim is built on. The provider will give you copies of everything, so the file is complete, and the claim is decided on the file.

Contents Salvage and Pack-Out, in Order

1. Photograph everything — Photograph every room and every item where it sits, before anything is moved or packed.
2. List the contents — Every item is listed, room by room, with its condition and its value.
3. Pack out — What can be cleaned is taken to be cleaned, what must be replaced is removed.
4. Clean and assess — Each item is assessed one by one — what can be cleaned is cleaned, what must be replaced is replaced.
5. Return last — The contents come back last, once the rooms are clean, dry and rebuilt.

Mistakes That Lose Contents

• Throwing items away before they are photographed and listed
• Switching on an electronic device that was in the fire
• Wiping soot with water, which drives it into the surface
• Eating food that was exposed to smoke or firefighting water
• Reconstructing the inventory from memory weeks later

For help with this in Coachella, see Contents Cleaning & Pack-Out in Coachella — or go back to the Coachella fire damage restoration home page.