What Should Be Thrown Away After a Fire?

1/22/2020 (Permalink)

House fires happen more often than you think and can cause immense damage. After a fire, you may feel like you want to save as many things as you can to save money, but after a fire, certain things should be thrown away for your safety. 

Burnt Clothing

After a house fire, you may discover certain articles of clothing have been burnt or been affected by the extinguishment process. If the article of clothing is completely burnt, it should be thrown away. With clothing that has been affected by the extinguishment process or was affected by smoke damage, you may choose to keep these items, but they should be properly cleaned before being worn again. 

Cosmetics and Toiletries 

These items have to be stored at a proper temperature and the heat of a fire can affect the items. It can actually separate the materials in the products, which can make things, like sunscreen, less effective.  While some cosmetics and toiletries can be expensive, it would be more beneficial to repurchase products instead of using products affected by the fire. 

Food items 

It’s important to throw away most food after a fire. The high heat from the fire can activate bacteria in the food. Also, while extinguishing a fire, either water or chemicals from the fire extinguisher can contaminate the food, which makes it no longer safe for consumption.

Bedding

If bedding has been burnt or affected after using a fire extinguisher, it should be properly cleaned and if it is unable to be cleaned, it should be thrown away. 

Medicine

Any medication that has soot, smoke discoloration or fire extinguisher dust should be thrown out. The chemicals that are found within these things should not be consumed.