Cleaning up After Smoke Damage

There's plenty of work to be done after a fire affects your home.  Smoke damage is one of the many issues you'll encounter. Here are a few pointers on how to deal with the smoke damage.

Smoke Damage Can Grow If Left Untreated

We’ve previously talked about what you should do after a fire has affected your home. The journey to restoring your home can be a stressful one, but you’ll get there. This time we will continue on the subject of fires, but we will focus on what you should do to deal with the damage left behind by smoke. Smoke damage should not be left untreated. Not only do smoke stains look ghastly on your walls and ceilings, it can cause even more damage if left untreated and the repair costs can rise as time passes. You can try to tackle the problem on your own, to some extent. But if the damage is big, you better let a professional property restoration company such as Daniel’s DKI do it for you. Here are some things you can try on your own, be prepared for hard work.

Prepare Yourself and Ventilate Your Home.

First and foremost, you need to worry about staying safe and avoid affecting your health. Before you get down to cleaning up the damage, you need to wear safety equipment. This includes a safety mask, eye goggles, and protective gloves. You will protect your lungs and keep smoke particles off your skin and clothes. Once there’s no sign of fire left, you need to ventilate your home. The clean air will lower the risk of permanent smoke damage. Open up your doors and windows. You can even rent industrial fans to help the air circulate better.

Dealing With Soot

The residue left behind by smoke after a fire is called soot. It contains mainly carbon-based impurities and it generally occurs when a material doesn’t burn completely.  Soot can affect your respiratory system, and in extreme cases, it can cause cancer and birth defects. You need to assess the extent of the damage before you can find a cleaning solution. You should first start by vacuuming soot and ash from your furniture, upholstery, carpets, and curtains. It’s likely that you will have to rent a heavy duty vacuum cleaner to have a better chance of sucking out most of the soot. After that, you will need to deep clean all the affected surfaces. Know that some damage can’t be undone and you’ll probably need to replace some of your possessions. Mix a tablespoon of Trisodium Phosphate (TSP) cleaner and a gallon of water, this will be your cleaning solution. Soak a sponge in your cleaning solution and start wiping the affected areas, using hard, firm strokes. After you’re done with the section, dip some clean rags in warm water and rinse the area. Continue like so until you’re done with the walls and ceilings. You might have to repeat the process until you get the desired results. Just be careful not to over-wash since the excess water can seep into the drywall or baseboard and potentially cause mold formation. That’s a whole other problem you don’t need to deal with.

Extensive Damage

In cases where the fire and smoke damage is really severe, you will need to call a smoke damage professional. There are some problems you can’t tackle alone because you run the risk of hurting yourself or causing further damage to your property. Let Daniel’s DKI fix restore your home in Palm Springs for you. Their cleaning techniques and specialized restoration chemicals can remove soot, smoke stains, and fix other types of damages caused by smoke and fire. They will also remove the nasty, burnt smell from your home. Call them at (760) 320-2128 to find out more about how they can help you.

Bubbling Paint

The excessive heat can cause the paint on your walls and ceiling to bubble and blister. You can’t push the paint back in place, but you can repair the area. You will need to scrape the bubble, then sand the area until flat, and spackle to cover any imperfections. Once the section has dried, sand the area again and give it a fresh coat of paint. Prepare yourself mentally and physically to possibly re-paint the whole room again.

Smoke Smell

Sometimes, after all the repairs are done, the only trace of fire damage is the smoke odor left behind. People usually go to a professional fire damage restoration to deal with their smoke odor problem. Since the damage is at a molecular level, they have the proper tools to handle the problem. However, you can try some other methods to momentarily deal with the smell. Try using baking soda, white vinegar, activated charcoal, or oil diffusers to reduce the odor.

Call the Best Property Restoration Experts in Palm Springs

It’s always a good idea to let an expert tackle the biggest property damage. You can call Daniel’s DKI at (760) 320-2128 to learn about their services and what they can do to help you get rid of smoke and fire damage.