Dallas–Fort Worth • Insurance Contents Specialists

Fire Damage Contents — Packout, Cleaning, Storage

Call or Text: 214-718-1685

On-site inspections within 24–48 hours. Emergency Packout response available.

Fully insured

General liability & cargo

Workers' comp coverage

On every crew, every job

Climate-controlled storage

Chain-of-custody documented

Direct insurance billing

Xactimate + Direction to Pay

Owner-led operations

20+ years insurance claims

Trusted referral network

Adjusters, mitigation, plumbers

For covered insurance claims, we bill your carrier directly whenever possible — homeowners typically owe no out-of-pocket cost for the contents portion of the loss. Deductibles are owed to your carrier or general contractor, never to us.

After a residential or commercial fire, the structural restoration crews need contents out of the building before they can run smoke remediation, demolition, and rebuild. The contents themselves need specialized handling — soot is acidic, smoke odor is bonded into textiles, and electronics are corroding on the inside even when they look untouched. A real fire-damage packout protects what can be saved and documents what cannot so the contents portion of the claim settles cleanly.

Total Packout Solutions handles fire-damage contents end-to-end across the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Owner-led, insurance-direct billing, climate-controlled facility, full chain-of-custody documentation. For the in-the-moment conversion-focused page see /fire-damage-contents-cleaning. This page is the authoritative reference for the full fire-damage contents process.

Step-by-Step

How the Process Works

1
Wait for fire marshal clearance
Do not enter the property until the fire marshal has confirmed it is safe. Structural integrity, hot spots, and air quality have to be cleared first.
2
Photograph everything before it moves
Wide-angle photos of every room. Detail photos of high-value or obviously damaged items. The claim is documented from these photos.
3
Open the claim with your carrier
Call the carrier today. Get the claim number and adjuster contact. We work with every major carrier in the DFW market.
4
Call for a contents inspection
Call 214-718-1685. David walks the property, photographs the loss, scopes the contents work, and presents the Work Authorization and Direction to Pay.
5
Packout under controlled conditions
Crews segregate salvageable from non-salvageable as items are packed. Soft goods, hard goods, electronics, art, and specialty items are packed separately for category-specific cleaning.
6
Off-site cleaning and deodorization
Ultrasonic and hand cleaning by material type. Ozone, thermal fog, or hydroxyl deodorization. Electronics handled by specialists.
7
Climate-controlled storage
Cleaned and pending-cleaning contents stay in our private climate-controlled facility for the duration of the structural rebuild.
8
Non-salvage list and pack-back
Non-salvageable items documented for adjuster settlement. Salvageable items returned, unpacked, and placed when the rebuild is finished.

What 'fire damage' actually does to contents

Most contents that survive a fire are damaged by smoke and soot, not by flame or heat. Soot is fine, acidic, and reactive — it etches metal and finishes, bonds odor into porous materials, and corrodes electronics from the inside out. Thermal exposure (heat-warped plastics, melted finishes) is concentrated near the fire's origin. Water from suppression adds a water-damage layer on top of the fire-damage layer.

Effective contents handling addresses all three (soot, odor, water) simultaneously, by category, with the cleaning method matched to the material.

What gets cleaned vs. what gets written off

Nothing is thrown out without documentation. Salvageable vs. non-salvageable is decided per item, with photo evidence, and submitted to the adjuster.

Textiles — laundered and ozone-deodorized at a contents facility
Hard goods — ultrasonic or hand cleaning, surface deodorization
Electronics — specialist cleaning; never powered on at the property (powering on corrodes the board permanently)
Paper, photographs, books — document-recovery vendor if salvageable
Art — fine-art conservator for high-value pieces
Mattresses, upholstered furniture, draperies — often non-salvageable depending on exposure
Solid-wood furniture — usually cleanable with controlled refinishing
Particleboard / MDF — usually non-salvageable once soot or water has penetrated

How the contents process fits the structural rebuild

Mitigation runs structural smoke remediation, HVAC cleaning, and (where required) demolition first. Contents come out before that work starts so the crews have clear access. Contents stay in storage during the rebuild, which typically runs 3–9 months for a moderate fire. Pack-back happens after the HVAC tests clean and the structural surfaces are sealed — returning cleaned contents to an unfinished space ruins the cleaning work because residual odor reabsorbs.

Insurance coverage and billing

Standard HO-3 and HO-5 homeowners policies cover fire-damage contents handling — packout, off-site cleaning, deodorization, storage, non-salvage settlement, and pack-back. Commercial property policies cover the equivalent on the business side. Everything is line-itemed in Xactimate. Total Packout Solutions bills the carrier directly through Direction to Pay. Homeowners do not pay out of pocket, and we never collect deductibles.

Common Questions

Fire Damage Contents FAQ

Can I save anything from a house fire?

Usually more than you think. Most contents away from the fire's origin are damaged by smoke, soot, and odor — all of which are addressable at a contents facility. Items destroyed by flame or heat at the origin are documented and settled by the adjuster.

Should I try to clean smoke-damaged clothes at home?

No. Home washing sets smoke odor permanently and the carrier denies the claim on those items. Soft goods need ozone-chamber deodorization and controlled laundering at a contents facility.

What about my electronics?

Do not power them on. Soot is corrosive on circuit boards and powering on completes the circuit on a contaminated board. Specialist cleaning at the contents facility recovers many electronics that look like total losses.

How long are contents in storage after a fire?

Typically 3–9 months for a moderate fire rebuild. Larger losses run longer. Storage is line-itemed monthly to the carrier for the duration.

Will insurance cover the full contents process?

Yes on most covered fire losses. Packout, off-site cleaning, deodorization, storage, non-salvage settlement, and pack-back are all standard Xactimate line items. We bill the carrier directly.

What is the difference between this page and /fire-damage-contents-cleaning?

This page is the comprehensive process and educational reference. The /fire-damage-contents-cleaning page is the in-the-moment, conversion-focused page for homeowners who just had a fire and need a crew today. Both lead to the same service.

Adjusters — how do you scope a fire-loss packout?

On-site walk with the homeowner, photo documentation by room, salvageable / non-salvageable call by category, and an Xactimate-coded scope priced to the loss ZIP. Scope and documentation delivered to your inbox or claim portal.

Property managers — how is fire-loss packout handled in apartments or HOAs?

Tenant or unit-owner contents are documented under separate chain-of-custody, structural smoke remediation is coordinated with the property's mitigation vendor, and each affected unit is billed to the appropriate carrier.

Mitigation companies — when should we hand off contents?

Before structural smoke remediation, HVAC cleaning, or demolition begins. Contents in place during structural ozone or thermal fog reabsorb residual chemistry and have to be cleaned again.

Contractors — how does pack-back coordinate with the rebuild?

Pack-back is scheduled after HVAC tests clean, paint and flooring are complete, and the final clean is signed off. Returning contents too early ruins the deodorization work.

Public adjusters — what documentation do we deliver?

Photographed inventory, category-tagged cleaning records, electronics-specialist reports, fine-art conservator notes where applicable, and a non-salvage list with replacement-cost backup. PAs use this as their contents-side negotiation file.

Is a fire usually a total loss for contents?

Not usually. Contents at the fire's origin are often a total loss; contents in the rest of the home are usually salvageable through specialized cleaning. Each item is decided with documentation, not assumption.

How does the deductible work on a fire claim?

Your deductible is owed to the carrier or the general contractor handling the structural rebuild — never to us. If anyone calling themselves a packout vendor asks for your deductible, that is a red flag.

Related Resources

Fire & Smoke Cleaning (in-the-moment page) · Smoke Damage Contents · Contents Cleaning Services · Contents Storage · Insurance Packout Process · Non-salvageable items · Packout Services hub · Mitigation team coordination · Dallas service area.

The faster contents leave a fire-damaged property, the more is salvageable. Call 214-718-1685 — David will be on site, scoping the work, the same day.