Insurance claim cleaning · Singapore
Cleaning for Insurance Claims in Singapore: Fire, Smoke, Water & Mould Damage
Rosabelle cleans clothing, curtains, bedding, and leather, bags and shoes damaged by fire, smoke, leaks, floods or mould in Singapore, when an insurer is paying for the work. Each item is inspected and treated for the damage it actually has, in-house.
Every item is priced before any work starts, on an itemised quote you can send to your insurer or loss adjuster. Once the insurer approves it, we can bill them directly.
The work takes two weeks and upwards. What caused the damage, how long each piece was exposed and what it is made of decide the result. Complete removal is possible on some garments but cannot be guaranteed. We collect from homes anywhere in Singapore.
After the smoke clears.
What we clean for an insurance claim
Claim work covers four kinds of item. Each goes through the process that suits it, by the same team that handles our stain removal and restoration work.
Clothing
Everyday clothes, tailoring, silk and knitwear. Each garment is wet cleaned or dry cleaned according to its fibre, its dye and its care label; our guide to wet cleaning and dry cleaning explains how that choice is made.
Curtains
Curtains take the worst of most household damage because of their surface area, whether that is smoke or water running down a wall. If they are still on their tracks, we take them down at your home and rehang them once they are clean; see curtain cleaning.
Bedding
Duvets, bed linen and other bedding from the affected rooms; see bedding cleaning.
Leather, bags and shoes
Cleaned on our leather process, which is cleaning with reconditioning. We do not recolour or refinish.
Insurance claim cleaning at a glance
- Damage
- Fire, smoke, water, mould
- Covers
- Clothing, curtains, bedding, leather, bags and shoes
- Quote
- Itemised, before any work starts
- Insurance
- We can bill your insurer directly once the quote is approved
- Price
- Per item, on inspection
- Turnaround
- Two weeks and upwards
- Collection
- Islandwide pickup; curtain take-down and rehanging
Also quoted item by item
- Clothes in luggage damaged on a flight, for the airline or your travel insurer
- Curtains and bedding in a rented furnished flat, when landlord and tenant are settling the deposit at the end of a lease
Damage we clean for insurance claims
Fire, smoke and soot
Smoke reaches further than the fire, so a fire in a neighbour's flat can leave fine, oily soot and a lingering odour on everything in yours. Soot and odour are treated as separate problems. Our guide to smoke-damaged clothes and insurance claims covers which policy pays, what HDB fire insurance does not cover, and what to do when the fire was next door.
Water used to put out a fire
A flat that never burned can still be soaked when a fire next door or upstairs is put out. Items often carry smoke and water damage together, and both are assessed on the same quote.
Leaks from the flat above
Water coming through the ceiling soaks bedding, curtains and the clothes in a wardrobe, and carries whatever it passed through on the way, so it can leave tide marks and discolouration. If the water came from a neighbour's flat, ask your insurer whether to claim on your own policy or against the neighbour; the itemised quote works for either.
Burst pipes, water heaters and washing machine hoses
Sudden failures that put a lot of water on the floor in a short time. Curtains that reach the floor and anything stored low in a wardrobe take most of it.
Aircon leaks
A leaking aircon unit drips onto whatever is below it, usually bedding or curtains, often for some time before anyone notices. Policies differ on damage that built up over time, so check the wording with your insurer before the work starts.
Flash floods
Ground-floor units, landed homes and basement storage take on floodwater after heavy rain. Floodwater carries dirt and debris into the fabric, and items left wet in Singapore's humidity start to grow mould.
Mould after a leak nobody noticed
A wardrobe against a damp wall, or a flat left closed while the owner was away, can turn a slow leak into mould on everything nearby. The growth and its staining are lifted, the musty smell is treated and each piece is cleaned to suit its fibre. Whether a policy pays for mould can depend on tracing it back to the leak that caused it, which is a question for your insurer.
Mould after sea shipping or storage
Household goods shipped by sea during a relocation can spend weeks in a sealed container, and they can arrive with mould on clothes, curtains and bedding. A self-storage unit that leaks or holds damp air does the same. The quote goes to whoever is handling the claim, usually the removal company or the cargo insurer. Our journal explains why items go mouldy after sea shipping and what to do when they arrive.
How cleaning for an insurance claim works, step by step
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Inspection and an itemised quote
Each item is inspected for the damage it carries, its fibre and dye, its construction and trims, and any heat damage. Each one is priced on its own line. Nothing is cleaned until the quote is approved and you have said yes.
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Surface residue removed first
Loose soot is lifted off dry before any liquid touches the item, because wet soot spreads into the weave and becomes a stain. Mould growth is lifted from the surface before cleaning.
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Cleaning chosen for the item
Wet cleaning or dry cleaning, depending on the fibre, the dye and the care label. Leather, bags and shoes go to the leather process.
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Odour treated as its own step
Smoke odour and the musty smell left by water and mould sit in the fibre itself. Cleaning removes the residue but does not reliably remove the smell, so the two are treated apart.
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Repeated rounds where needed
Each piece is checked after a round. Where soot, staining or odour is still there, it goes through another.
When your insurer is paying
The itemised quote is the document your insurer or loss adjuster works from: every item with its own price, agreed before any work starts. Once they approve it, we can bill them directly instead of you paying first and claiming the money back. Agree that arrangement with the insurer when you send them the quote.
Before handing anything over, photograph the damage where it happened and check with your insurer before throwing anything away. Leave smoke-damaged pieces unwashed. Wet items should be spread out to dry rather than bagged, because fabric sealed damp in plastic grows mould.
How much it costs and how long it takes
There is no published rate. Two pieces from the same room can need quite different work, depending on what reached them, how long it stayed, the fibre and the construction, so each item is priced on inspection. The work takes two weeks and upwards because the stages are separate and some pieces need more than one round.
What we do not promise
Scorching, melting or shrinkage from a fire's heat, and dye that has run or fabric that has shrunk after soaking, are changes in the material itself rather than soiling, and they are assessed apart from the rest. Mould that has stained the fibre may leave faint shadowing. What we commit to is inspecting each piece, pricing it before any work starts and telling you what we see. Complete removal is possible on some garments but cannot be guaranteed.
Common questions
Frequently asked
Can you give an itemised quote for my insurance claim?
Yes. Rosabelle Launderette inspects every damaged item and gives you a quote that prices each one separately, before any work starts. You send it to whoever is handling the claim, whether that is your own insurer, a loss adjuster or another party's insurer, and once they approve it we can bill the insurer directly instead of you paying first. Nothing is cleaned until the quote is approved and you have agreed to it.
What kinds of damage do you clean for insurance claims?
Rosabelle Launderette cleans clothing, curtains, bedding, and leather, bags and shoes damaged by fire, smoke and soot, by water used to put out a fire, by leaks from the flat above, burst pipes, water heaters, washing machine hoses and aircon units, by flash floods, and by mould, whether it grew after a leak or during sea shipping or storage.
How do you get smoke smell out of clothes after a fire?
Smoke leaves two things on a garment: fine, oily soot on the surface and odour that works into the fibre. At Rosabelle Launderette the loose soot is lifted off dry first, each piece is then wet cleaned or dry cleaned to suit its fibre and care label, and the odour is treated in a separate deodorising step, repeated where it remains. What burned, how long the piece sat in the smoke and what it is made of all change the work. Complete removal is possible on some garments but cannot be guaranteed.
Should I wash smoke-damaged clothes at home first?
No. Water on loose soot spreads it into the weave, where it behaves like a stain rather than a deposit that can be lifted off. Airing lifts some surface odour but leaves behind the soot residue that holds the rest. Leave the pieces as they are and tell us anything that has already been done to them.
Can curtains and bedding soaked by a leak from the flat above be cleaned?
Water from a ceiling leak carries whatever it passed through, so it can leave tide marks and discolouration as well as wet fabric, and in Singapore's humidity a piece that stays damp can grow mould within days. Rosabelle Launderette inspects each curtain panel and bedding item, prices it on an itemised quote for the claim, and cleans it by the method that suits its fibre. How long it stayed wet and what the water carried change the work. Complete removal is possible on some garments but cannot be guaranteed.
Can mould be removed from clothes after sea shipping?
Mould grows in a shipping container or storage unit when humidity builds up around packed fabric for weeks at a time. At Rosabelle Launderette the growth and its staining are lifted, the musty smell is treated and each piece is cleaned to suit its fibre. Mould that has stained the fibre may leave faint shadowing, and we tell you what we see before any work starts. Complete removal is possible on some garments but cannot be guaranteed.
How much does cleaning for an insurance claim cost in Singapore?
At Rosabelle Launderette each item is priced on inspection, because the damage, the fibre and the construction differ too much between pieces for a published rate. Every item's price is set out on an itemised quote and agreed with you, and with your insurer if they are paying, before any work starts.
How long does cleaning for an insurance claim take?
Two weeks and upwards at Rosabelle Launderette. Inspection, cleaning and odour treatment are separate stages, and some pieces need more than one round. The timeline is agreed with you together with the quote, before any work starts.
Do you collect damaged items from home for an insurance claim?
Yes. Rosabelle Launderette collects damaged clothing, curtains, bedding and leather from homes anywhere in Singapore, which helps when the flat is not fit to stay in. If the curtains are still hanging, we take them down and put them back up once they are clean. The items are inspected and quoted at our facility, and nothing is cleaned until you have agreed to the quote.