When people think about restoration, they picture the building — the drywall, the flooring, the roof. But after a fire, flood, or mold loss, it’s everything inside that often matters most: your furniture, clothing, electronics, documents, and the irreplaceable keepsakes in between. Contents restoration is the specialized process of saving those belongings.

A complete contents service covers the full cycle: an itemized, photographed inventory; careful pack-out of your belongings; professional cleaning, deodorizing, and restoration of what can be saved; secure storage while your home is repaired; documentation of what can’t be saved for your insurance claim; and pack-back — returning and placing your restored items when your home is ready.

Fire damage to contents is about far more than what actually burned. Smoke and soot travel throughout a home and settle on everything, and soot is acidic — left untreated, it etches and permanently stains surfaces, corrodes electronics, and leaves an odor that ordinary cleaning can’t remove.

Speed matters enormously here. The sooner belongings are cleaned and deodorized after a fire, the more can be saved. DriForce uses specialized techniques — from ultrasonic cleaning to advanced deodorization — to recover items that homeowners assume are lost.

Belongings caught in water damage are on a clock. Porous items absorb water fast, and within 24–48 hours mold can begin to grow — which is why prompt pack-out and drying is critical. Wood furniture warps, upholstery and textiles mildew, and paper documents and photographs are especially vulnerable.

DriForce stabilizes contents quickly: we protect and pack out salvageable items, dry them properly, and treat them to stop mold. For paper, we offer document and photo drying and recovery — a service most local restorers don’t provide — to save records and irreplaceable memories.

One of the most valuable things a contents team does is help you get a fair insurance settlement. Personal-property (contents) coverage is part of most homeowners policies, but the burden of proof is on you: you have to show what you owned and what it was worth.

That’s where a detailed, photographed inventory is worth its weight in gold. We document every item — restored, or too damaged to save — so your insurer can settle fairly. And because restoration is often far less expensive than replacement, professional contents cleaning can reduce the total claim while getting you more of your actual belongings back.

Some belongings need specialized care. Electronics affected by smoke or water can often be recovered with prompt, careful cleaning. Artwork, heirlooms, and sentimental items are handled with extra care. Documents and photographs get specialized drying. Textiles and soft goods are cleaned and deodorized.

While your home is being restored, your belongings are kept in secure, climate-appropriate storage and tracked through the whole process — so nothing gets lost. When your home is ready, we clean, return, and place everything back. One team handles your home and your contents together, which means one coordinated insurance claim and one point of contact.

A “pack-out” is the careful removal of your belongings from a damaged home so they can be cleaned, restored, and protected off-site. It sounds simple, but doing it right is what separates recovered belongings from lost ones. Here’s how ours works:

• We photograph and inventory every item before it moves — your documentation for insurance
• Salvageable items are carefully packed and labeled by room
• Contents are transported to secure, climate-appropriate storage
• Items are cleaned, deodorized, and restored using the right technique for each material
• Non-salvageable items are documented so your insurer can settle them fairly
• When your home is ready, we clean, return, and place everything back (“pack-back”)

Throughout, you have one point of contact and a clear inventory — so you always know where your belongings are.

Some of the most devastating losses in a fire or flood aren’t furniture — they’re the irreplaceable paper: family photographs, birth certificates, wills, business records, and books. Most restoration companies can’t save these. DriForce offers specialized document and photo drying and recovery to rescue what would otherwise be gone for good.

The key is acting fast before mold and ink-bleed set in. If you’ve had a water or fire loss involving important documents or photos, tell us right away so we can prioritize them.

Most homeowners policies include personal-property (contents) coverage — typically a percentage of your dwelling coverage — plus additional-living-expense coverage if you’re displaced. But settlements hinge on proof: you have to demonstrate what you owned and its value.

That’s exactly what our photographed, itemized inventory provides. We document restored and non-salvageable items alike, so your claim is supported and you’re reimbursed fairly — and because restoration often costs far less than replacement, professional contents work can get you more of your actual belongings back while keeping the claim reasonable.