It is challenging to deal with the aftermath of smoke or fire damage in your house. Paint peels and chips away, leaving a thick oily residue that sticks to the walls like a permanent marker, and everything seems to be covered in a coating of film. While cleaning up a smoke-damaged house is a nightmare, specific critical actions are taken to reduce the money and time spent doing so.

Smoke Damage Cleanup Tips

The more prepared you are for what lies ahead, the more effective your action plan will be. Here are the actions to take while dealing with smoke and fire damage.

Furniture

If your furniture can be saved, start by cleaning the soot off any wood surfaces with a dry chemical sponge. You don’t want to ground the smoking participles further into the wood grain, so don’t scrub too hard. Then, gently wipe down any wood surfaces using a cotton towel and a 14 cup oil soap solution (or wood cleaner) in a gallon of warm water. Steel wool may be required to remove the stubborn soot from the wood. After you’ve removed all of the soot, wash clean the furniture with a moist towel and let it air dry.

Walls

Wipe down the walls and ceiling to remove any surface residue that is readily removed. Then, in one gallon of warm water, dissolve one tablespoon of TSP. Make sure you’re wearing rubber gloves, a face mask, and goggles. The sponge may then be used to wipe off the damaged parts in tiny pieces.

 

After using the cleanser, you’ll need to re-rinse the walls with water to remove the residue. If you have drywall, be cautious not to oversaturate it with water since this may damage it and increase mold development. You’ll also need to fix any problems, such as chipped and peeling paint or bubbling wallpaper if needed. If you have wallpaper, you may need to take it down and start again.

Textile

You must first remove the soot from your textiles and carpet before you can eliminate the smoke odor. Clean the spots with a vacuum. Brush attachments should be avoided since they tend to drive dirt and soot into the material fibers. After you’ve removed the soot, you may deodorize the damaged areas. Because domestic products may only mask the odor for a short time, hiring a professional may be the best option.

Hire a Professional

Call a professional if you have extensive soot or smoke damage after a fire. Cleaning and deodorizing walls and furniture is a complex and challenging operation that is best left to property restoration specialists. By the time you’ve purchased all of the necessary equipment and spent your own time attempting to repair the damage, it may have been more cost-effective to hire a professional.

Conclusion

Repairing smoke damage to your house may be a daunting and time-consuming undertaking. Make careful to examine the circumstances and prepare for the project before embarking on this adventure. If you’re still unsure, engage a local expert to do the hard lifting.