cleaning electronics after water damage occurs
Most people wouldn’t expect that you can clean water and fire damaged electronics with water. There is a technique specialists use to clean fire and water damaged electronics. If your personal electronics become damaged by water or fire you might want to consider using a restoration company. Most techniques used to clean a TV or computers aren’t achievable by home products, but there are a few things you can do to lessen the damage to your belongings. Make sure that the electronic devices are out of out the way of water if possible. Don’t risk shocking yourself over a computer. Before the restoration company arrives determine what you want to be cleaned. The sooner the device gets to a restoration company the better chance of it being saved. It’s better if the device is still wet because if it dries that means corrosion or rusting of components can happen.
Before the restoration company starts the cleaning process they will determine whether it’s even salvageable. Most steps are similar for cleaning a fire or water damaged electronics. Not only is the outside wet or covered in soot the inside is to. The specialist will disassemble the device whether it is a TV, computer, or radio. They have special degreasers and washing chambers made for cleaning electronics. If the electronics have been in water it’s important to get the contaminated water off metal parts such as mother boards and hard drives to prevent rusting and corrosion. Soot from smoke can cause staining so a fire wash can remove soot and help stop staining. Deionized water is what is used to clean the electronics. It is water that has had the minerals pulled from it making it safe for electronics.
After the washing faze is done the electronics will be put into drying chambers. The drying chambers consist of dry heat air at about one hundred and twenty degrees. This is the idea temperature that the pores open. Even after the device is washed there could be a smell to it from the fire opening the electronics pores making it smell like smoke. A scented mixture is put into the drying chambers so when the electronics heat up to one hundred and twenty degrees its pores open again removing the smoke smell and replacing it with the new fresh scent. The electronics are put into the drying chambers for at least twenty four hours maybe longer depending on how bad the smell is.
When the washing and drying fazes are done the electronics are reassembled and tested. The whole goal to electronic restoration is to make the device work like new. Sometimes the device can have a little bit of melting or staining. It is your choice whether you want this device back. If not let your restoration company and insurance agent know. You insurance company will usually replace the item or give you money for how much it was worth before the disaster.
