If your home has been damaged by fire and smoke, there are a lot of things that you need to do to get your home back to livable condition. These are usually things that you can do yourself, although if you do not have the time, you can hire someone else to do them for you. No matter which one you choose, these are the things that you are going to need done to get your home back to its former condition.
Getting the smell of smoke out of the house is not going to be too easy, so open the windows and doors throughout the house and use fans to get the air circulating.
The smoke damage is going to be easier to take care of in the house than the fire, especially on the walls. Unfortunately, cleaning the soot off the walls is probably not going to be an option, since trying to wipe it off will only smear it. This means that you will have to paint over it. If you have a popcorn ceiling, you will have to strip it in order to be able to paint over it. Most popcorn ceilings make a house look outdated, anyway, so removing this will probably be a good thing, anyway.
Try not to walk on any carpet that has been affected unless you plan on removing it, anyway. If you want to try and clean it, though, you will have to vacuum it with a vacuum that does not have brushes, since they will only work the soot down into the fibers. Steam cleaning the carpet may remove the smoky smell and it may not, so you may end up having to replace the carpet.
Appliances are also going to have to be checked out and cleaned thoroughly before they can be used again. Basically every surface in your house is going to have to be cleaned spotless.
Towels, curtains, bed linens, and all other fabric items in your home will need to be washed and dried. When you dry them, try to dry them outside, if possible, since using an electric dryer to do this can set the smell of smoke further into the fabric and make it harder to get out.
No matter what, you should hold your ground against your insurance company, because if they can convince you that they do not have to pay for something (even though your contract says that they do), they will not pay for it. Make sure you know exactly what your contract covers and you should make sure that you prepare for an event like this by having at least a few months’ worth of salary saved up, since most insurance companies expect you to pay for things and then, they will reimburse you.
Showing posts with label cleaning up smoke damage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cleaning up smoke damage. Show all posts
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Starting Smoke Damage Clean Up
A house fire is something no one wants to have to go through, but after the fire is over and out, the thing that can damage a part of the house the fire was not even in is smoke. When a fire starts, smoke goes everywhere and is pretty indiscriminate as to what it damages. It damages basically everything in the house. What can you do after the fire trucks are gone and the cleanup has to start? Here are a few things to get you started.
Your house might smell like smoke for a while until you get the place cleaned up, but you can always assist getting the smell out the door by, well, getting the smell out the door. Get some box fans and open all the windows and doors of the house so the air can circulate in and out of the house, carrying the smell along with it.
Soot that becomes built up on the walls and ceiling is pretty ugly. Anyone who has moved into a home that has had people who smoke living in it knows this fairly well and the only real thing that you can do to completely get rid of the look is paint over it. It sounds labor intensive, but if you do not want to do this, you can always hire someone to do it for you or maybe someone in your family or community will help you for free. Not too many people will volunteer for things like this, but if you are physically unable to do the job, it never hurts to ask around for some help.
You should try not to walk on carpet, if possible. Replacing the carpet is probably a good idea, depending on how much damage there really is to it, but if you want to try and keep it, you will have to vacuum it carefully. An upright will not work for this, since there are brushes on the bottom that will scrub the soot into the fibers. After you vacuum it, you need to have it steam cleaned. This should remove the smell, but if it does not, you will want to replace it.
Upholstered items in the house will also need to be vacuumed with a vacuum without brushes. Do this carefully.
Your curtains and other fabric items all around the house will need to be shaken out, washed, and dried naturally. Do not use an electric dryer to dry these, because it essentially bakes the smell of smoke into the item and makes it almost impossible to get out.
Your house might smell like smoke for a while until you get the place cleaned up, but you can always assist getting the smell out the door by, well, getting the smell out the door. Get some box fans and open all the windows and doors of the house so the air can circulate in and out of the house, carrying the smell along with it.
Soot that becomes built up on the walls and ceiling is pretty ugly. Anyone who has moved into a home that has had people who smoke living in it knows this fairly well and the only real thing that you can do to completely get rid of the look is paint over it. It sounds labor intensive, but if you do not want to do this, you can always hire someone to do it for you or maybe someone in your family or community will help you for free. Not too many people will volunteer for things like this, but if you are physically unable to do the job, it never hurts to ask around for some help.
You should try not to walk on carpet, if possible. Replacing the carpet is probably a good idea, depending on how much damage there really is to it, but if you want to try and keep it, you will have to vacuum it carefully. An upright will not work for this, since there are brushes on the bottom that will scrub the soot into the fibers. After you vacuum it, you need to have it steam cleaned. This should remove the smell, but if it does not, you will want to replace it.
Upholstered items in the house will also need to be vacuumed with a vacuum without brushes. Do this carefully.
Your curtains and other fabric items all around the house will need to be shaken out, washed, and dried naturally. Do not use an electric dryer to dry these, because it essentially bakes the smell of smoke into the item and makes it almost impossible to get out.
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