Smoke and Water Damaged Clothing: What Can Be Saved

After a fire or a flood, clothing is rarely the first thing on anyone's mind, and that is completely reasonable. But the first few days do decide a great deal, so this is written to be useful quickly.

Act sooner than feels necessary

With water damage, mould can begin within roughly a day or two in warm humid conditions. With smoke, the residues are acidic and continue attacking fibre and any metal fittings for as long as they sit there.

In both cases the damage is ongoing rather than finished. Waiting a fortnight for an insurance process to move can convert recoverable items into unrecoverable ones.

What to do first

• Photograph everything before it moves. Insurers generally want it and you will not be able to recreate it later.
• Do not wash anything at home. Household washing usually drives smoke residue deeper and sets it.
• Do not put anything in a dryer. Heat sets smoke odour permanently.
• Separate wet from dry so damp items do not contaminate things that escaped.
• Do not seal wet items in plastic bags. That accelerates mould dramatically. If they must be bagged for transport, get them to a cleaner the same day.
• Get air moving in the room if it is safe to do so.

What is usually recoverable

More than people expect. Smoke odour and residue can often be removed from ordinary garments, particularly if they reach a cleaner promptly. Clean water damage, from a burst pipe rather than flooding, is frequently very recoverable. Soot on sturdy fabrics is often treatable.

What usually is not

We would rather tell you this plainly than take your money.

Items contaminated by sewage or floodwater carrying contaminants are generally not safe to restore, and that is a health judgement rather than a cleaning one. Anything that has been wet long enough for mould to establish deep in the fibre is often beyond saving. Heat damaged or scorched fabric cannot be reversed, since the fibre itself has changed. Some adhesives in structured garments fail after soaking and the garment delaminates.

On sentimental items

Wedding dresses, christening gowns and anything irreplaceable should be the first things you bring, not the last. These are also the items where we will be most careful to tell you honestly what is realistic before starting, because managing expectations matters more when the item cannot be replaced at any price.

Insurance

Most policies cover restoration of contents. Keep your photographs, keep every receipt, and ask us for itemised documentation, which we can provide. Restoring clothing is very often cheaper than replacing it, which is usually in your interest and the insurer's.

Talk to us

Call 954 983 7519. All restoration work is done in our own plant in Miramar, so the person assessing your things is the person handling them. See our clothing restoration page.

La Mar 1 Hour Dry Cleaners, 6430 Pembroke Rd, Miramar, FL 33023. Family run since 1962.