3 Items You Need to Throw Away After a House Fire

7/18/2018 (Permalink)

After a house fire, it can be hard to determine what items are salvageable. This is tricky because soot and smoke can be harmful if inhaled or consumed. It’s good to know which of your belongings you can thoroughly clean and which you should throw away. Here are three items that should be tossed if they are exposed to high heat during a house fire:

1. Singed Clothing Clothing that has been burned should be thrown away immediately;

It’s not worth the risk of health issues. Smoke and soot can be very dangerous because they are composed of various toxic chemicals. When inhaled or directly contacting the skin, soot can cause health issues later on. Throw away clothing that has been exposed to flames and dry-clean any clothing that isn’t burnt but contains soot.

2. Potentially Contaminated Food

It doesn’t matter if the food is nonperishable or not, if it was exposed to high heat, it needs to go straight into the trash. High temperatures can spoil, warp, or activate bacteria within the sealed food, causing it to become dangerous to eat. Toxic fumes from the flames can also contaminate food. Cans that are bulging or covered in soot should not be consumed. 

3. Cosmetics Makeup can become unsafe to wear if it is exposed to soot or hot flames.

Because the minerals directly touch the face, using contaminated cosmetics can harm your skin and lead to future health issues. Check to make sure that your makeup isn’t warped or covered in soot. Being aware of items that are no longer salvageable can save you time as well as protect you from potential harm. Fire damage can affect your possessions, and so it’s important to stay safe even after the fire has occurred. As you work to restore your home, be sure to throw away anything that is no longer reliable to have around.

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