Smoke Damage: How To Remove Smoke Smell In Your House After A Fire
By: 911 Water Damage Experts
Fire is deadly. But smoke and toxic gases kill more people than flames do. Fire produces poisonous gases that make you disoriented and drowsy. Asphyxiation is the leading cause of fire deaths, exceeding burns by a 3-to-1 ratio.
An estimated 358,500 home fires occur every year. 50% of these fires start in the kitchen, 7% begin in the bedroom, and 6% are chimney fires, 4% of all residential home fires start in the living room, while 3% start from the laundry room.
The biggest health threat from smoke is from fine particles. These microscopic particles can penetrate deep into your lungs. They can cause a range of health problems, from burning eyes and a runny nose to aggravated chronic heart and lung diseases. Exposure to particle pollution is even linked to premature death.
Big or small, if you’ve recently had a fire in your house and still can detect the smell of smoke in your house and want it removed, we list must-know smoke odour removal tips below.
Let’s get into it.
What Are Some Smoke Odour Removal Tips That I Can Use?
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-Setting out baking soda: Keep bowls of baking soda in your microwave and refrigerators to absorb any foul smell. It will help remove the smoke odour from your home. Baking soda is a natural odour absorber. Sprinkle a liberal amount of baking soda powder on your furniture and floor too.
-Using activated charcoal: Activated charcoal is a detoxifying agent and a natural odour absorbent. Keeping bowls full of activated charcoal in its powdery form around your home will help in absorbing odour, which is thereby smoke damage from wildfire.
-Deodourizing and cleaning with vinegar: White vinegar cuts odours naturally. Wipe your washable walls, floors, and furniture, etc. with white vinegar in order to remove the pungent smell of smoke. Placing the bowls of vinegar all over your room with some smoke damage for several days will also serve as a help. If you find the fragrance of vinegar too strong to stand, try putting some drops of essential oil like lavender drops in the bowl will help.
-Ozone generators: Ozone generators products can do an amazing job of cleaning the odour of smoke damage from wildfire. They help in reducing and eliminating smoke odour from your home. Keep in mind you have to be very careful with the ozone generators because it produces a high level of ozone that can damage your lungs as well. You may want to consider moving out temporarily and finding a contractor who can perform the cleaning. It is not recommended that you be around your house during the cleaning.
Air The Premises
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Open all doors and windows to ensure ventilation is good and allows for fresh air to enter the home. Consider turning on fans and place them strategically throughout the home for added effect. Make sure to point them in corners of the rooms or towards doorways and windows to rid smells out of the house.
-If you have window A/C units, tape up the gap between the top of your bottom window and the top window.
-Make sure your chimney flu is closed.
-If you have a mail slot, seal it with duct or packing tape.
-Pick one door in your home to go in and out, and do so quickly. If you have a basement door, use that one.
-Only if the wildfire is under control and the outdoor air quality is cleaned and improved, open the windows to let the fresh and clean air come in and circulate in your home.
-Run air purifiers in your home to maintain high indoor air quality. Using an air purifier with integrated activated carbon technology, which can help particularly in removing the smoke odour from the air.
Deep Clean The House
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Be prepared to clean everything in the house from washing windows, to cleaning all of your clothes. Chances are you have reside on most items and appliances in your home and you don’t want to breathe any of that in. It’s crucial to spend some time focusing on cleaning.
-Remove all curtains, area rugs, furniture covers, decorative cushions, duvets, blankets and any other fabric materials from the affected areas and have them washed or dry cleaned.
-Wash the windows, window screens, and window shades.
-Wash all solid surfaces with a solution of dish soap, white vinegar, and warm water.
-Clean carpets and upholstery.
Clean The HVAC system
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While you are deep cleaning, make sure you take care of the HVAC system. Smoke can affect ductwork and linger in the ventilation system, compromising the air quality in your home. Change the air conditioning filters including air filters and furnace filters as soon as possible.
Have the HVAC system inspected to ensure that it hasn’t sustained any damage during the accident. You may need to seek professional air duct cleaning assistance to guarantee the good air quality in your living environment.
Repaint The Walls
Source: Pixabay
For smoke-damaged walls, you need to make sure that there are no more stains on the walls before applying primer. Double-check to make sure your walls are completely clean, then begin priming.
If you have soot on your painted mantel or hearth, you can quickly clean it using a dry cleaning sponge (such as Mr. Clean Magic Eraser). Just rub in circles until the soot disappears. For extra stubborn stains, use a small amount of all-purpose cleaner diluted with water on a microfiber cloth.
You must leave two hours for the primer to dry before attempting to paint over it. Applying paint directly over top of the remaining stains or odor will not cover them up. You’ll need to apply a good, solvent-based stain-blocking primer to prevent them from bleeding through the paint. You may be able to get by with an oil-based stain-blocking primer.
If you have any questions about fire damage restoration and smoke odour removal feel free to call us at 1-833-WE-DRY-IT any time 24/7/365 all the time. We’re there when you need us!
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