What is Smoke Damage Cleaning

Experiencing a house fire is one of the most devastating and overwhelming disasters a family can face. House fires can cause a serious amount of damage in a short amount of time, leaving you with a lot of questions and a huge renovation project ahead of you.

Unfortunately, house fires can’t be completely prevented. Even if you do everything right, you can still suffer from a house fire in the blink of an eye. If you do experience a house fire, you will most likely have structural damage as well as lingering smoke damage that needs to be addressed.

You probably know the basics of fire damage restoration, but what is smoke damage cleaning, and why is it necessary? Let’s break down the details around smoke damage and how to recover from it with professional restoration.

What Causes Smoke Damage?

House fires can start in many different ways, but all of them can have a serious impact on your home. The fire can destroy your walls, floors and ceilings in mere minutes, leaving them scorched and potentially unsafe hazards.

As the fire burns in your home, smoke will fill the open air around it and will waft throughout your living spaces as the flames destroy your property. While smoke may seem like an nonissue since its airborne, it can actually have a big impact on your home. Smoke is a combination of gases, liquids and particles produced as a byproduct of the flames.

Smoke travels through the air and can infilrate every porous possession and structure, such as:

• Couches and chairs
• Soft materials like curtains or clothes
• Drywall
• Hardwood
• Furniture
• Toys, games, books, etc.

When it comes into contact with these porous materials, the smoke particles will get caught and will linger. This is why sections of your home that were never touched by the flames still stink of smoke days after the event. Smoke can leave soot, oily film and stubborn odors all over your home, even if the fire was small or well-contained.

What is Smoke Damage Cleaning?

After the fire is out and your family is accounted for, it will most likely be overwhelming to see the destruction around you. Even a single room that is fully damaged by fire can be difficult to comprehend.

Thankfully, there are professionals who handle fire damage restoration every single day and can help you recover, too. Fire damage restoration teams have the tools and equipment to tackle a restoration from start to finish, and that includes smoke damage cleaning. 

While fire-damaged possessions are being pulled from your home and construction gets underway, smoke damage cleaning also takes place. This process is much more intricate compared to large-scale construction remodels as it focuses on each affected possession to remove the smell of smoke and residue. Let’s break down the steps of smoke damage cleaning below.

Step #1: Assessment and Inspection

The first step in smoke damage cleaning is a thorough assessment. Your property will undergo an inspection to identify areas with smoke damage and any fragile possessions will be removed to preserve them in a safe location.

Step #2: Air Filtration

Once the project is identified, the air filtration system begins. HEPA filters and air scrubbers are brought in to capture the smoke particles and remove the toxins from the air. This process ensures the airborne particles cannot settle back down onto your freshly cleaned space.

Step #3: Surface Cleaning and Soot Removal

In addition to air filtration, your space undergoes a thorough cleaning and disinfection. This process removes the soot with specialized cleaning solutions designed to clean up the visible mess while also eradicating the odor.

Step #4: Deodorization

Once your space is clean, a few final deodorization techniques are used to ensure the smell of smoke is gone completely. Some techniques include thermal fogging, ozone treatments, or activated charcoal. This deodorization process happens with your soft possessions as well. The smell of smoke can be pulled from couch cushions, curtains and stuffed animals without damaging them further.

Step #5: Final Restoration Touches

The final step is to handle minor restoration needs. Walls get a fresh coat of paint and floors can be refinished to revitalize your property. Once this is all complete, your freshly cleaned possessions will be put back into place!

Can You DIY Smoke Damage Cleaning?

If you are a relatively handy person, you have successfully DIY-ed many aspects of your home. Smoke damage cleaning and fire damage restoration should not be one of of those things. 

These processes require professional equipment and a trained hand to ensure a thorough clean without damaging your home further. You might be able to pull some of the smoke out with residential air filters, but it will most likely linger in some aspect. Even if you think you got it all out, chances are that when the wind blows right, you will catch wafts of smoke for weeks or even years to come.

Why Professional Smoke Damage Cleaning Matters

You take pride in your property, so you deserve to have it properly cleaned after a disaster. Professional smoke damage cleaning teams have the tools to completely eradicate the smell of smoke from your home. Their equipment can get deep into your house to remove soot from hard-to-reach areas.

They are also experts in revealing hidden damage that you might not have been able to track down right away. A thorough cleaning and disinfection removes all of this! In addition, a professional team has the licensures needed and training required for working on insurance claims from smoke and fire damage. This fact alone can save you significant money during your restoration process.

So, now that we have answered the question of, “What is smoke damage cleaning?”, tackling your recovery is simple! . Hire a professioal team like the fire damage restoration team at Exit Mold to handle your recovery from start to finish.

Recover from a house fire and smoke damage faster with Exit Mold. Call us today at (516) 512-7877 for immediate assistance.