After a fire, flood or major leak, photograph your belongings where they are before anything is moved. Call (855) 727-0147 and we’ll connect you with an independent restoration company that serves your area to inventory, pack out and clean your contents.
What is a contents pack-out?
A pack-out moves your belongings out of the damaged building so the structure can be cleaned, dried and repaired. The crew inventories each item, packs it and takes it to a facility for cleaning or storage.
Contents cleaning is the work of restoring those items: removing soot and odor, cleaning and drying textiles, and testing electronics. Items that can’t be restored are listed for your claim.
Why does it matter for your claim?
- Your insurer will want to know what was damaged and what it was worth. USFA suggests asking your insurance company how it values your belongings (USFA).
- Texas Department of Insurance tips stress photos, video and receipts for everything (TDI).
- A room-by-room inventory with photos, made by the pack-out crew, gives you and your adjuster the same list to work from.
How does a pack-out work?
| Stage | What happens | Typical timing |
|---|---|---|
| Walk-through | Agree with the crew what goes, what stays and what you want to keep with you. | First visit |
| Inventory and photos | Each item or box is listed and photographed, often room by room. | During packing |
| Sort | Items are marked to clean, to store or as non-restorable. | During packing |
| Pack and move | Belongings are packed and moved to a cleaning or storage facility. | One or more days, by volume |
| Clean and restore | Soot, odor and water damage are treated with methods suited to each material. | Weeks, alongside structural work |
| Pack back | Cleaned items come back once repairs are done. | After the home is ready |
What can usually be cleaned, and what can’t?
- Food: throw out food exposed to flames or fumes, including food in sealed cans and plastic and in the fridge or freezer (USDA).
- Hard goods such as dishes, metal, glass and many hard plastics usually clean well.
- Clothing and textiles can often be cleaned and deodorized by professionals.
- Electronics exposed to smoke or water should be checked before use.
- Moldy porous items, such as mattresses and carpet, may have to be thrown away (EPA).
- Burned money: USFA says to handle it as little as possible. Partly burned bills can sometimes be exchanged if half or more remains.
What should I keep with me?
- Medicines, glasses and medical devices.
- Wallets, IDs, keys and phones.
- Important papers, if they are safe to handle. USFA lists the documents people most often need to replace after a fire.
- Anything irreplaceable you want to handle yourself, such as photos or heirlooms.
What is safe to do yourself?
- Photograph everything before it is moved.
- Make your own list of high-value items and where you bought them.
- Keep receipts for anything you buy while displaced.
- Don’t wash smoky clothes in your own machine before the adjuster sees them. Ask the company or adjuster first.
- Don’t throw things away before they are photographed and listed.
What drives the cost?
- The number of rooms and the volume of belongings.
- How badly items are affected by soot, odor or water.
- Specialty items, such as electronics, artwork or documents.
- How long items are stored.
- Moving and handling, including any large furniture.
How does homeowners insurance handle contents in Texas?
Your policy and your adjuster decide what is covered. The restoration company’s job is to document the damage and write an estimate the adjuster can review.
- Report the claim early. Texas insurers have 15 business days to acknowledge a claim, then 15 business days to accept or deny it once they have what they need. They can extend that by 45 days if they explain why (Texas Department of Insurance).
- Photograph and film everything before it is moved or cleaned, and keep every receipt (TDI claim tips).
- Stop the damage from getting worse, for example with a tarp or a temporary repair. TDI lists this as a step for policyholders.
- Your deductible is yours to pay. Texas law bars contractors from offering to waive, rebate or absorb it (TDI: know the law).
- A contractor can’t act as your public adjuster. A company that does the repair work can’t negotiate your claim for you or advertise that it will.
- If you can’t live at home after covered damage, additional living expenses coverage may pay for a hotel, meals and laundry. Keep the receipts (TDI on living expenses).
Stuck on a claim? Call the Texas Department of Insurance consumer help line at 800-252-3439 or file a complaint online.
How getting help works
When you call or send the form, we connect you with an independent restoration company that serves your area. They inspect, document the damage and give you a written scope — you decide whether to hire them.
Questions to ask the company that comes out
- Which IICRC certifications does the lead technician hold (for example WRT, FSRT, OCT or AMRT)?
- Do you carry general liability and workers’ comp insurance, and can I see the certificate?
- Will I get a written scope of work before anything starts?
- Who will talk with my insurance adjuster, and what will you send them?
- If mold is involved: what is your TDLR mold remediation license number, and who did the independent mold assessment?
Frequently asked questions
The restoration company recommends what can be cleaned. Your adjuster decides what the policy pays for. Ask for the non-restorable list in writing.
To the restoration company’s cleaning or storage facility. Ask where it is, who can access it and how items are tracked.
Yes. Tell the crew before they start which items you want to keep, such as medicines, papers and valuables.
It often runs for weeks, alongside the repairs. Items usually come back once the home is ready.
Find help in your area
Elsewhere in Texas? See all the areas we cover.
Get connected with a local restoration company
Free. No obligation. Prefer to talk? Call (855) 727-0147.