Contents Cleaning, Triage & Recovery After Property Damage

Scope and process

The first step is safe access and documentation

Items should not be moved through clean areas until the source and contamination conditions are understood. When access is safe, the initial review can record location, visible condition, material type and whether an item is likely salvageable, uncertain or clearly unsalvageable.

Photos and item lists can help an owner or insurer understand what was present before disposal or cleaning decisions are made.

Practical guidance

What contents work may include

• Separating affected items from clean, unaffected contents.
• Surface cleaning of suitable hard contents.
• Careful soot, dust or residue assessment before cleaning.
• Drying suitable items after clean-water exposure.
• Odour-control planning where smoke or moisture has affected contents.
• Labelling, inventory support and coordinated movement of items when a pack-out is appropriate.
• Referral or coordination for specialty items that require a qualified textile, electronics, document or art-restoration provider.

Practical guidance

Not every item can be restored

Porous items affected by sewage, long-term mold, heavy soot, heat or prolonged saturation may not be safely or economically recoverable. Sentimental value and replacement cost matter, but they do not change physical contamination or material damage.

No page or phone estimate can guarantee that an individual item will be saved. Final decisions depend on inspection, item construction, exposure and the available cleaning method.

Practical guidance

Information that helps us review a request

• Type of loss and when it happened.
• Rooms and approximate quantity of contents affected.
• Whether sewage, mold, smoke or standing water is involved.
• High-value, sentimental or business-critical items.
• Access, storage and authorization details.
• Whether an insurer or adjuster is already involved.