How to remove the smoke smell from a fire damaged house?
A fire is one of the worst tragedies that may happen to a home since it damages structural components and household objects quickly and irreversibly and causes additional problems such as possible water damage due to the fire-fighting efforts, harmful soot pollution, unhealthy smoke levels, etc.
Even if the fire was minor and controlled, its consequences might cause property damage and threaten residents’ safety, so you should completely remove all the burned furniture and things.
Smoke odor is one of the most prevalent negative effects of a fire. It can remain in a home for a long time, impairing indoor air quality and causing health risks to residents. In the case of a house fire or adjacent wildfire, you must make every feasible effort to remove the smoke smell from your property and deep clean all surfaces with a cleaning solution.
Remove smoke odor
Fire smoke smell is difficult to remove. When fire smoke enters a home, small smoke particles attach to all surfaces and lodge in porous materials, including carpets, furniture, textiles, books, and paint.
Often, removing them takes specialist cleaning equipment and cleaning products from damage restoration cleaners, especially for carpets and upholstery.
Burns
Several effective measures can minimize smoke particles in an affected region, but whether they will be adequate to restore fresh and safe living conditions in your house relies on several aspects.
Fire-size
Larger flames emit more smoke, hence the ensuing smoke smell is stronger;
Duration
The longer a home has been exposed to smoke, the deeper the stench penetrates.
Combustibles
Various materials burn with different smells. Others are hard to remove (such as the smell from burning synthetic or plastic materials, for example).
Try all established DIY smoke odor elimination procedures after a fire to determine if the results are adequate. If not (or if you don’t have the time and energy), call smoke odor elimination services.
How to remove smoke smell after a fire?
Ventilate
- First, ventilate the home. Open all doors and windows to bring fresh air in (remove screens for optimal airflow). Place fans strategically throughout the home to “push” odours out the entrances and windows.
- If the smoke smell is strong and widespread, you may need to blast out your home with positive pressure.
- Set up a huge fan outside your home’s entryway, looking inwards;
- Turn on the fan and close all other doors and windows, leaving one window open for exhaust. This will blast fresh air into the room with the open window and push away any leftover smoke and stench;
- After blowing out the room for 15 minutes, close the window and door and open another window.
- Repeat until all your rooms are aired out.
- Fresh air will help minimize the smoke smell in your home, but to totally eradicate it, clean any smoke-affected goods and surfaces.
Housecleaning
To remove the smoke smell after a fire, clean everywhere. Curtains, area rugs, furniture coverings, ornamental cushions, duvets, blankets, and other fabric items should be removed and cleaned.
Smoke-exposed garments, towels, and linens must be washed. Keep clean fabrics outdoors until the house is smoke-free otherwise they may soak up the smell again.
Clean windows, screens, and shades
Wash windowpanes to restore transparency and luster, but focus on frames, sills, and blinds (smoke residue sticks mainly to them, not to the glass). Cleaning plastic blinds with white vinegar and hot water and wooden blinds using wood-friendly solutions.
Also clean window screens. Use dish soap or shampoo to clean the mesh. Rinse the screens with lukewarm water and air-dry them. Wash the filter if you utilized an exhaust fan to air out your home.
Dish soap, white vinegar, and warm water clean solid surfaces
Wipe walls and ceilings, doors and doorframes, baseboards, cupboards (inside and out), shelves, and furniture. Also clean light switches and fixtures.
Mop uncarpeted floors with the same solution. After each pass, rinse the mop. Otherwise, smoke will float in the mop bucket and return to the floor.
Dirt2Tidy specialist cleaning chemicals to remove smoke odor from furniture. Buy a suitable cleaner and follow the instructions. After washing, dry the furniture outside on a sunny, breezy day. The fresh air will help completely eliminate any persistent odors.
Clean upholstery and carpets
Smoke particles sink deep in upholstery and carpet fibers, making odor removal difficult.
Sprinkle baking soda over upholstery and/or carpet, let it sit for several hours (or a day) to absorb the smoke smell, then vacuum. Use a HEPA-filtered vacuum to prevent smoke from reentering the room.
Steam cleaning is more effective, but it can harm sensitive fabrics like leather furniture and silk carpets. Leave this work to the pros.
Using expert upholstery and carpet cleaning services after a house fire is the safest and most effective alternative.
HVAC cleaning
Finally, maintain the HVAC system. Smoke may contaminate ductwork and ventilation systems, affecting indoor air quality. As soon as possible after the fire, change the air conditioning filters and any additional air filters and furnace filters and have the HVAC system evaluated for damage.
Air duct cleaning may be needed to ensure appropriate indoor air quality. Clean air ducts. Using air purifiers and spreading bowls of vinegar, ground coffee, or activated charcoal around the house can also assist. These methods just cover the stench, not eliminate it using scented candles or spray deodorizers has the same effect.
Do not clean soot-covered objects yourself. Trust a professional to prevent future damage. If the smoke smell continues after cleaning, you may need to replace various home goods and/or materials (such as blinds, carpets, paint, etc.)
Paint Walls
If the paint maintains the smoky odor, you’ll need to repaint to remove the terrible scent after a fire.
Wash walls with ammonia or glycol. Both substances are very effective when it comes to neutralizing unpleasant smells. Rinse and dry walls; Apply an odor-blocking primer Paint using latex. If the problem persists or you’re not up to the challenge, call the pros.
Smoke odor removal professionals
Professionals have the knowledge and modern equipment nano filters, air scrubbers, ozone generators, hydroxyl technology, etc to eliminate smoke odour after a fire. They’ll utilise safe and effective odour elimination procedures and cleaning chemicals. Your home will smell fresh again, and you’ll forget about the fire.
