A pack out is the removal of a household's contents from a damaged property so that they can be cleaned, stored and returned, and so that the building work can proceed in an empty shell. It is the part of a loss people are least prepared for, because it happens quickly, it involves strangers handling everything you own, and the inventory it produces is what the contents half of the claim is settled from.
What content restoration actually involves
Contents are inventoried room by room, photographed, labelled and boxed, with a note of condition against each item. Salvageable items go to a cleaning facility; unsalvageable items are listed, photographed and disposed of with your agreement. Everything else goes to climate controlled storage until the building is ready. The inventory is the document that matters: it is the basis of the contents settlement, the record of what was thrown out, and the list you will check against when it all comes back.
How contents cleaning is matched to the material
Content cleaning is matched to the material and the contamination. Ultrasonic baths for hard non porous items, hand cleaning for the rest, laundering or specialist textile cleaning for soft goods, and electronics handled separately because the damage is acidic residue on boards rather than heat. Thermal fogging is a deodorising step used after a fire, in which a heated deodorant is dispersed as a fine aerosol that penetrates the same pores the smoke did; it comes after cleaning, never instead of it.
What does not come back
Food, medicine and opened cosmetics, always. Mattresses and pillows after smoke or category 3 water. Upholstery whose foam absorbed contamination. Particle board furniture that swelled. Anything charred. Items where the cost of restoration exceeds their value, which is a judgement worth arguing on sentimental items. Ask for the unsalvageable list to be photographed rather than merely listed, because that list is the part of the contents claim that gets challenged.
The contents claim: what does contents insurance cover
What does contents insurance cover is settled item by item rather than as a lump: personal property up to the policy limit, with sub limits on categories such as jewellery, cash, art and collections that surprise people every time. Replacement cost policies pay the depreciated value first and release the rest on proof of replacement. Keep your own parallel inventory, photograph high value items now rather than later, and check the sub limits before you assume a category is covered.
Questions people ask about what is a pack out
What is a pack out?
The removal of contents from a damaged property for cleaning and storage, with a room by room inventory and condition record, so the building work can proceed in an empty shell.
Do I have to let them take everything?
No, and you should keep essentials and irreplaceable items with you. Anything you retain should still be listed, because the inventory is what the contents settlement is built from.
What is thermal fogging?
A deodorising step after a fire in which a heated deodorant is dispersed as a fine aerosol so it penetrates the same pores the smoke reached. It follows cleaning rather than replacing it.
How is the contents claim settled?
Item by item against the policy limit, with category sub limits for things like jewellery and collections. Replacement cost policies pay depreciated value first and release the balance on proof of replacement.
Who decides what contents restoration can save?
The material and the contamination, not the crew's preference. Hard non porous items go through ultrasonic baths, textiles are hand cleaned or sent out, and porous items that absorbed smoke or category 3 water do not come back.
What should a pack out estimate show before anything leaves?
An inventory with photographs, where the contents are going, how long storage is included, what is being cleaned against what is being written off, and who carries the risk in transit. Ask for it in writing: once a lorry has left with unlisted boxes the argument afterwards is unwinnable.