After a fire or a flood, the physical damage to your belongings can look catastrophic. You walk into your living room and see your flat-screen TV covered in a greasy layer of soot. You see your child’s collection of stuffed animals smelling like heavy smoke. You see your leather jacket stiff and water-stained.
The instinct is to assume these items are garbage. “There’s no way to get that smoke smell out of a teddy bear,” you might think. Or, “That computer got wet; it’s fried.”
In the past, you would have been right. But restoration technology has advanced light-years in the last decade. Today, we can save items that were previously considered “total losses.” By understanding the science of contamination—and the chemistry of cleaning—we can restore not just the structure of your home, but the personal possessions that make it yours.
Electronics: The Silent Corrosion
When a TV, computer, or stereo system is exposed to smoke, it doesn’t necessarily have to burn to be ruined. Smoke contains thousands of chemical compounds, many of which are highly acidic. These acids settle on the sensitive internal circuit boards of your electronics.
If left alone, the humidity in the air reacts with these acids to cause rapid corrosion. The copper contacts turn green and degrade, leading to failure weeks or months later. This is why simply wiping off the outside of the TV isn’t enough.
We use specialized electronics cleaning stations. This often involves disassembling the outer casing and using deionized water and specialized cleaning agents to wash the circuit boards themselves. It sounds counterintuitive—washing electronics with water—but when done with the correct chemistry and immediate drying in controlled chambers, it removes the corrosive soot without damaging the components. TechRepublic notes that professional decontamination can recover data and functionality from hardware that looks visibly destroyed, provided it is treated before the corrosion sets in.
Soft Goods: Why Dry Cleaning Isn’t Enough
Clothing, bedding, leathers, and stuffed animals fall under the category of “soft goods.” The challenge here is two-fold: the stain of the soot and the embedded odor of the smoke.
Traditional dry cleaning is often ineffective for heavy smoke damage. It traps the odor rather than removing it. Instead, the restoration industry utilizes a technology known as the Esporta Wash System (or similar hydraulic washing systems).
This technology uses a combination of hydraulic pressure, specialized detergents, and biodegradable agents to push water through the fibers at high velocity. It forces the soot particles and organic contaminants out of the material, rather than just tumbling them on the surface.
This allows us to restore items that would normally be thrown away, including heavy leathers, shoes, and even sports equipment (like helmets and pads). Testing has shown that this process can remove over 99% of organic contaminants. This is vital for items with high sentimental value—like a handmade quilt or a wedding dress—where “replacement” isn’t an option.
The Inventory Process: Helping You Get Paid
Despite our best efforts, not everything can be saved. A plastic toy melted by heat or a book turned to mush by water is a total loss. However, the role of the contents restoration team is just as important here.
We generate a “Total Loss Inventory.” This is a detailed list of every unsalvageable item, including its make, model, and age. Why does this matter? Because your insurance adjuster needs proof to pay you.
If you just tell the insurance company “I lost a lot of clothes,” they will give you a generic, low-ball check. But if we provide a list stating “3 Armani Suits, 2 Patagonia Jackets, and 15 pairs of Nike sneakers,” you get paid the actual replacement value for those specific brands. We act as your advocates, ensuring that you receive the full financial benefit of your policy for the things we cannot physically restore.
The Value of Restoration Over Replacement
In a world of fast fashion and disposable tech, why bother cleaning? Why not just buy new?
First, environmental impact. Restoring contents keeps tons of plastic and e-waste out of landfills. Second, insurance limits. Most policies have a cap on personal property. If you max out your limit buying new socks and t-shirts, you might not have enough money left to replace your high-end furniture or jewelry.
Restoration is typically a fraction of the cost of replacement. By cleaning your high-volume items (clothes, dishes, linens), you save your insurance budget for the things that truly need to be bought new. It is a strategic approach to recovering from a disaster that maximizes both your budget and your sentiment.
Your San Diego Experts for Contents Pack Restoration
Don’t throw away your memories until you talk to us. We use advanced technology to bring your treasured items back to life.
Christian Brothers Pro is San Diego’s leader in contents processing and electronics recovery. Visit our Contents Pack Restoration page to see what we can save, or Contact Us to schedule a packout.
