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Insurance Information
Valuing Your Property
Adjusting the Loss
Replacement of Valuable Documents and Records
Salvage Hints
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 Clothing - Smoke odor and soot sometimes can
be washed from clothing. The following formula often will work
for clothing that can be bleached:
4-6 tbsp. of Tri-Sodium Phosphate
l cup Lysol or any household chlorine bleach
l gallon warm water
Mix well, add clothes, rinse with clear water and dry well.
Be aware that Tri-Sodium Phosphate is a caustic substance
used as a cleaning agent. It should be used with care and stored
out of reach of children and pets. Wear rubber gloves when using
it. Read the label carefully. To remove mildew, wash the fresh
stain with soap and warm water. Then rinse and dry in sun. If
the stain has not disappeared, use lemon juice and salt, or a
diluted solution of household chlorine bleach.
- Cooking Utensils - Your pots, pans, flatware,
etc., should be washed with soapy water, rinsed and then
polished with a fine-powdered cleaner. You can polish copper and
brass with special polish, salt sprinkled on a piece of lemon or
salt sprinkled on a cloth saturated with vinegar.
- Electrical Appliances - Appliances that have
been exposed to water or steam should not be used until you have
a service representative check them. This is especially true of
electrical appliances. In addition, steam can remove the
lubricant from some moving parts. If the fire department turned
off your gas or power during the fire, call the electric or gas
company to restore these services - DO NOT TRY TO DO IT
YOURSELF.
- Food - Wash your canned goods in detergent and
water. Do the same for food in jars. If labels come off, be sure
you mark the contents on the can or jar with a grease pencil. Do
not use canned goods when cans have bulged or are dented or
rusted.
If your home freezer has stopped running, you still can save
the frozen food. Keep the freezer closed. Your freezer has
enough insulation to keep food frozen for at least one day -
perhaps for as many as two or three days. Move your food to a
neighbor's freezer or a rented locker. Wrap the frozen food in
newspapers and blankets or use insulated boxes. Do not re-freeze
food that has thawed.
To remove odor from your refrigerator or freezer, wash the
inside with a solution of baking soda and water, or use one cup
of vinegar or household ammonia to one gallon of water. Some
baking soda in an open container, or a piece of charcoal can be
placed in the refrigerator or freezer to absorb odor.
- Flooring and Rugs - When water gets underneath
linoleum, it can cause odors and warp the wood floor. If this
happens, remove the entire sheet. If the linoleum is brittle, a
heat lamp will soften it so it can be rolled up without
breaking. If carefully removed, it can be re-cemented after the
floor has completely dried. Small blisters in linoleum can be
punctured with a nail and re-cemented if you are careful. Dilute
regular linoleum paste thin enough to go through a hand syringe
and shoot adhesive through the nail hole. Weigh down the
linoleum with bricks or boards. It usually is possible to cement
loose tiles of any type. Wait until the floor is completely dry
before beginning.
Rugs and carpets also should be allowed to dry thoroughly.
Throw rugs then can be cleaned by beating, sweeping or
vacuuming, and then shampooing. Rugs should be dried as quickly
as possible. Lay them flat, and expose them to a circulation of
warm, dry air. A fan turned on the rugs will speed drying. Make
sure the rugs are thoroughly dry. Even though the surface seems
dry, moisture remaining at the base of the tufts can quickly rot
a rug. For information on cleaning and preserving carpets, call
your carpet dealer or installer or qualified carpet cleaning
professional.
- Mattresses and Pillows - Reconditioning an
innerspring mattress at home is very difficult, if not
impossible. Your mattress may be able to be renovated by a
company that builds or repairs mattresses. If you must use your
mattress temporarily, put it out into the sun to dry. Then cover
it with rubber or plastic sheeting. It is almost impossible to
get smoke odor out of pillows. The feathers and foam retain the
odor.
- Leather and Books - Wipe leather goods with a
damp cloth, then a dry cloth. Stuff purses and shoes with
newspapers to retain shape. Leave suitcases open. Leather goods
should be dried away from heat and sun. When leather goods are
dry, clean with saddle soap. You can use steel wool or a suede
brush on suede. Rinse leather and suede jackets in cold weather
and dry away from heat and sun.
Wet books must be taken care of as soon as possible. The best
methods to save wet books is to freeze them in a vacuum freezer.
This special freezer will remove the moisture without damaging
the pages.
If there will be a delay in locating such a freezer, place
them in a normal freezer until a vacuum freezer can be located.
- Locks and Hinges - Locks (especially iron
locks) should be taken apart, wiped with kerosene and oiled. If
locks cannot be removed, squirt machine oil through a bolt
opening or keyhole, and work the knob to distribute the oil.
Hinges also should be thoroughly cleaned and oiled.
- Walls and Furniture - To remove soot and smoke
from walls, furniture and floors, mix together:
4 to 6 tbsp. Tri-Sodium Phosphate
1 cup Lysol or any chloride bleach
1 gallon warm water
Wear rubber gloves when cleaning. After washing the article,
rinse with clear warm water and dry thoroughly.
Walls may be washed down while wet. Use a mild soap or
detergent. Wash a small area at one time, working from the floor
up. Then rinse the wall with clear water immediately. Ceilings
should be washed last. Do not repaint until the walls and
ceilings are completely dry.
Wallpaper also can be repaired. Use a commercial paste to
re-paste loose edges or sections. Contact your wallpaper dealer
or installer for information on wallpaper cleaners. Washable
wallpaper can be washed like an ordinary wall, but care must be
taken not to soak the paper. Work from bottom to top to prevent
streaking.
Do not dry your furniture in the sun. The wood will warp and
twist out of shape. Clear off the mud and dirt by scrubbing with
a stiff brush and a cleaning solution. You can also rub the wood
surface with a 4/0 steel wool pad dipped in liquid polishing
wax, wipe with a soft cloth and then buff. Remove the drawers
and let them dry thoroughly so there will be no sticking when
you replace them. Wet wood can decay and mold, so allow it to
dry thoroughly. Open doors and windows for good ventilation.
Turn on your furnace or air conditioner, if necessary. If mold
forms, wipe the wood with a cloth soaked in a mixture of borax
dissolved in hot water. To remove white spots or film, rub the
wood surface with a cloth soaked in a solution of a half cup of
household ammonia and a half cup of water. Wipe dry and polish
with wax, or rub the surface with a cloth soaked in a solution
of a half cup turpentine and a half cup of linseed oil. Be
careful because turpentine is combustible.
- Money Replacement - Handle burned money as
little as possible. Attempt to encase each bill or portion of a
bill in plastic wrap for preservation. If money is only
half-burned or less (if half or more of the bill is intact), you
can take the remainder to your local Federal Reserve Bank for
replacement. Ask your personal bank for the nearest one. Or you
can mail the burned or torn money via FIRST CLASS REGISTERED
MAIL to:
U.S. Treasury Department
Main Treasury Building, Room 1123
Washington, D.C. 20220
Mutilated or melted coins can be taken to the Federal Reserve
Bank, or mailed via FIRST CLASS REGISTERED MAIL to:
Superintendent, U.S. Assay Office
32 Old Slip
New York, NY 10005
If your U.S. Savings Bonds have been mutilated or destroyed,
write to:
U.S. Treasury Department
Bureau of Public Debt
Division of Loans and Currency
537 South Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60605
Attn: Bond Consultant
Include name(s) on bonds, approximate date or time period
when purchased, denominations and approximate number of each.
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