To Keep or To Toss: What Must Be Replaced After a Fire

10/5/2021 (Permalink)

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What to Keep And What to Throw Away After a Fire

A residential fire can be devastating. The recovery process is often long and arduous. If your home in Oklahoma City, OK, is damaged or destroyed by a fire, chances are high that many things within your home are damaged beyond repair as well. Fire restoration specialists may be able to salvage some things, but here are some items you will probably need to throw away.

Medication

If you look on the bottle or instruction sheets for most medications, you may see a warning to keep them away from high heat. Heat changes the chemical properties of substances, which can change the effects that those substances have. It is not a good idea to ingest anything that has been altered without knowing exactly how that change will affect you. To be on the safe side, dispose of any medications that were affected by the fire.

Food

The cans lined up in your pantry may seem okay, but if fire, smoke or even excessive heat came anywhere near them, it is best to toss them out. The seal that protects the food inside the cans may have been weakened by the heat. It is better to throw away questionable items than take a chance on eating something that may have gone bad.

Cosmetics

What you put on your body can be just as important as what you put in your body. High heat can destroy any of the following items:

• Makeup
• Facial cleanser
• Moisturizer
• Contact solution
• Perfumes

Without knowing what affect the altered state of these product may have on your skin, it is safer to dispose of them.

Replacing everything may be expensive, but you can’t put a price on peace of mind. If you are unsure whether an item is safe to use, it is best to get rid of it. When you throw away items that have fallen victim to fire damage, you are protecting yourself from the potential of further complications to your overall recovery process.