HOW TO REMOVE THE SMELL OF SMOKE FROM A HOME DAMAGED BY FIRE

While some property owners may believe that only the room where the house fire occurs is directly affected by smoke odors, that's untrue.

Smoke damage spreads to different rooms throughout your home. The smoke is acidic, and nearby furniture, walls, and floors absorb the smoke molecules.

Within a few hours, smoke odor will be absorbed by personal items.

Smoke odor damage could render furniture unsalvageable, and long-term inhalation causes respiratory issues.

Along with smoke odors, inhaling soot is dangerous. Even after washing walls or using scented candles, it's hard to get rid of smoke and soot since these scents linger.

Removing smoke odors is crucial, as smoke molecules will negatively affect the air quality and health.

Elements Influencing Smoke Odor Eradication

Several factors affect smoke odor eradication:

• Soot Type: Dry soot is easier to clean, requiring a sponge, warm water, and mild detergent. Oily soot requires special techniques that should only be done by professionals.
• Fire-Damage Area Size: Smaller areas take less cleaning time, while larger areas can take months to get rid of.
• Fire Size: Larger fires release more smoke particles, requiring more cleaning time.
• Delay After Fire: Delayed cleanup action will make the cleanup to remove smoke odor a lengthier process.
• Type of Materials Burned: Different household materials react differently to smoke particles:
• Porous Hard Surfaces (drywall, wood): These materials become discolored due to smoke damage.
• Metallic Surfaces: Metals corrode and rust from smoke exposure.
• Metallic Appliances: Smoke particles can cling onto wires, causing electrical damage.
• Plastic and PVC: These items gather more smoke particles, making cleaning difficult.

While smoke odor removal services are helpful, they're an added expense.

Exploring cost-effective ways to remove soot and smoke can help save money and time.

Safety Measures in Smoke Damage Management

Staying safe while cleaning is important, especially if you don't have prior cleanup experience.

Do not jump into a do-it-yourself process. Washing walls, doors, or carpets without safety precautions can spread smoke particles and soot.

These are important safety reminders while you remove smoke odor:

• Check That the Area Is Safe: Ensure there's no risk of furniture breaking or walls falling on you.
• Wear Personal Protective Equipment: Wear gloves, masks, and eye protection goggles while cleaning.
• Ventilate the Smoke: Open windows or doors to let fresh air in. If you have an HVAC system, turn it off to avoid spreading smoke particles.

After ensuring your safety, the smoke removal process begins.

Removing smoke odor throughout your home requires different methods depending on the materials burned.

Regardless of the material, proper ventilation is crucial in ensuring you do not risk your health.

Ventilation: The Initial Step

Letting fresh air in helps get rid of health risks from the fire smoke smell. A ventilation system decreases respiratory issues and speeds cleaning up.

Fans and air purifiers with a HEPA filter ventilate the room, as carbon-based materials within the air filter absorb particles and get rid of the smoke odor.

When using fans, position them toward open doors or windows to eliminate toxic particles.

Remove window screens to improve air circulation.

Cleaning Affected Areas

The next step in post-fire cleaning is to deep clean throughout your home.

Deep cleaning removes smoke odors from materials that've been directly affected. Depending on the material, getting rid of the smell may take hours or days.

Walls, clothing, upholstery, and carpets absorb smoke particles differently and require unique cleaning methods.

Textiles

Most houses are full of textiles, which are typically made from woven fibers. These fibers make up fabrics like clothing, upholstered furniture, and carpets.

Fibers quickly absorb smoke; masking it with scented candles or a mild detergent is ineffective. Homeowners will need to act quickly to eliminate the smoke smell.

One way to remove smoke smells on textiles is by putting baking soda on them. Baking soda works as a pH neutralizer, removing the smoke's acidity.

Add it to your wash cycle or sprinkle it on carpets. Otherwise, white vinegar is a good alternative.

White vinegar has acetic acid, neutralizing the smoke smell. Add white vinegar into your wash cycle and dilute it with warm water.

Or, create a vinegar, water, and dish soap mixture and use it on carpets, clothing, or upholstery.

The following are also good alternatives:

• Activated Charcoal: Activated charcoal absorbs the fire smoke smell and may be placed in bowls on certain corners around the house to absorb the scent.
• Deodorizing Spray: Deodorizing sprays have odor-eliminating agents that bind with smoke, changing its chemical structure and reducing the smell.
• Laundry Scent Booster: Scent boosters use fragrance pellets that dissolve in water, letting fragrant smells stick onto textiles and remove odors.
• Air Dry: Using fresh air is an earth-friendly option. Air-drying clothing or upholstery may somewhat remove smoky smells.
• Washing in Hot Water: Hot water loosens fabric fibers, allowing cleaning solutions to access smoke molecules. Note that not all textiles can be washed in hot water.

Glass Surfaces

Glass materials, like windows or mirrors, are hard surfaces susceptible to oily fire smoke and soot. Their oily structure makes cleaning difficult with just mild soap.

Only using dish soap and cloth to wipe away soot spreads it further, causing a lingering odor. Discoloration may also occur.

Use glass surface cleaners to remove the smoke smell or combine white vinegar with water, dish soap, and lemon to wipe glass surfaces.

Homeowners can also use newspapers made of strong fibers.

Here's how to start cleaning with newspapers:

1. Spray a cleaning solution onto the exposed glass surface.
2. Ball up a piece of newspaper to a palm-sized shape.
3. Use the newspaper to rub the glass cleaner around the glass in a circular motion.

Whether you use glass cleaners or DIY solutions, be patient. The smoke smell and discoloration may take time to remove, so be prepared for multiple cleaning sessions.

Hard Surfaces

Hard surfaces like walls, doors, or uncarpeted floors easily absorb fire smoke smell.

Using white vinegar to wipe away further damage from soot helps remove dirt and bacteria.

Due to white vinegar's strong smell, dilute it with water and thoroughly wash away soot from walls or floors.

A steam cleaner is a good alternative if the above mixture isn't strong enough to remove the soot or odor.

A steam cleaner breaks down the smoke's sticky tar and resin. However, avoid using one to clean delicate fabrics, drywall, and unsealed wood or stone.

Floor Coverings

Carpets and rugs are notorious for keeping the smoke smell within their fibers for long periods.

Besides sprinkling baking soda on top of the affected item, try cleaning it with a vacuum cleaner or using a fabric refreshing spray. Steam carpet cleaners can also work well.

Purifying HVAC Systems and Air Ducts

A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system controls internal temperatures.

Though not every house has a full HVAC system, you may have a version of it if you use a fan or heater.

After a house fire, an HVAC's system and air ducts will get clogged with soot and fire smoke odor. This affects the house's air quality, increasing health risks.

To combat this, immediately replace your system's filters. Hire professionals to clean air ducts or existing filters.

Invest in an advanced HEPA filter that removes fire smoke odor particles. Keeping your HVAC system and air ducts dry-cleaned ensures no fire smoke particles linger in the air.

Intensive Cleaning and Structural Purification

Homeowners will need to inspect the inside and outside of certain materials to ensure they don't have leftover soot or fire smoke odor.

Cleaning upholstery and other surfaces with white vinegar and replacing filters are intensive cleaning methods.

Though minor blemishes can be dealt with using DIY methods, extensive fire smoke damage requires professional help.

These professionals play a crucial role in the restoration of a damaged house.

If you intend to sell your home, ensuring the structural purification process goes smoothly is essential in rebuilding the home to its pre-fire look.

There are various tools for fire smoke smell removal, and their use depends on the item you're cleaning and the severity of the smoke smell.

Domestic or ordinary household cleaning items are good for mild to moderate smoke odor cases. Industrial products or machines are better for severe cases or when domestic items fail to remove the odor.

Domestic Items

These are simple and affordable domestic items that can get rid of a strong smokey smell:

• Baking soda
• White vinegar
• Lemon juice
• Activated charcoal
• Odor-absorbing gel beads
• Fabric softener sprays
• Coffee grounds
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Essential oils like lavender or citrus

Since vinegar, lemon juice, and hydrogen peroxide are acidic chemicals, ensure you dilute them with water before using them on upholstery or other furniture.

Coffee grounds and activated charcoal can quickly absorb the smoke smell and may be placed in bowls around the house.

Industrial Products

Industrial products are items that cost more and require more care to use. They aren't as accessible but work better for stronger smoke-smell cases.

These are examples of industrial products:

• Ozone generators
• Commercial odor absorbers
• Smoke odor-neutralizing sprays
• Enzyme-based odor eliminators
• Neutralizing agents
• Carpet cleaners with odor-neutralizing solutions
• Odor encapsulating sealers
• Disinfectants and cleaners

Only use industrial products if the damage is severe or has spread through most of the house or apartment building.

Machines and Gadgets

Some machines or gadgets are easier to find than others, and using them depends on how strong the smell is.

These machines help against the smoke smell in varying ways:

• HEPA air purifiers
• Steam cleaners
• Ozone generators
• Ultrasonic cleaning machines
• Fogging machines
• Ionizers
• Hydroxyl generators
• Thermal foggers
• UV light air purifiers
• Wet/dry vacuums

Before purchasing any of these items, research whether you need them or if regular items around the house will suffice.

You might think, "What if I just let the smoke odor disappear?"

While smoke odor naturally vanishes after some time has passed since the house fire, stronger smells do not go away as easily.

Depending on the fire severity, the materials burned, and the cleaning supplies used, the odor may linger on walls and upholstery for months.

Smoke can be stubborn, especially if the affected items absorbed large amounts of smoke and were allowed to linger.

Even with several intensive cleaning sessions, odors may remain throughout the house. Immediate cleaning and purification may speed up the cleaning process.

Elements Influencing the Timeframe

Multiple elements affect the fire smoke odor duration:

• Fire Severity: The more fire damage a house receives, the longer it will take to remove any leftover smoke odors.
• Ventilation: The cleanup duration shortens if you properly ventilate the house while removing the smoke odor. A house with poor or no ventilation keeps smoke particles stuck on various items.
• Burned Material Types: Different materials release varying smoke molecules. Synthetic materials produce more stubborn fire smoke smells than burned wood.
• Environmental Conditions: The fire cleanup timeline changes if the weather is hotter or colder. Warmer weather and low humidity speed up the timeline, while the cold lengthens it.
• Fire Damage Size: Larger damaged areas mean longer timeframes, especially if there's poor ventilation or the cleaning has been delayed.

Though the fire's severity, environmental conditions, and burned material types typically can't be controlled, how we clean the smoke smell directly affects the recovery timeline.

Accelerating the Process

Speeding up smoke odor eradication depends on the following:

• Ensure proper ventilation by keeping doors and windows open, using fans, and investing in air purifiers.
• Keep all items and surfaces dry-cleaned through cleaning agents, solutions, and consistent cleaning techniques. Focus on areas with heavy smoke smells, like upholstery or walls.
• Use steam cleaning on carpets, rugs, and other fabrics to remove embedded smoke molecules quickly.
• An ozone generator releases powerful oxidizing agents that break down odor-causing molecules. However, use this sparingly, as high ozone exposure is dangerous.
• Repaint walls and ceilings with special odor-sealing paint.
• Place odor absorbers, like activated charcoal or coffee grounds, in bowls around the house.

Hiring a professional smoke odor removal service is necessary if the above methods don't work due to severe damage.