Not every home requires full fire damage restoration. Some customers sustain smoke damage, which is why learning about smoke damage restoration is valuable for homeowners. Smoke is often more hazardous to occupants because it potentially will lead to respiratory issues. Here are a few tips from our fire damage restoration experts on how to clean smoke damage from walls.
Complexities Of Smoke Damage
Once firefighters contain a fire, it is vital to assess the damage to see what is a total loss or what structural or household goods can be restored. As smoke tends to travel faster than fire, it is common for it to be more extensive than the fire damage. Smoke damage consists of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ash, and biochemical components. Because smoke corrodes quickly, it causes more harm than fire. While it is common to find smoke and soot around burned items, it is not unusual to also find it in faraway rooms or different floors even from a small fire. Smoke can travel through HVAC vents, air flows, doors, and a structure’s porous building material.
Gather Supplies For Smoke Damage Cleanup
Before you begin to clean smoke from your walls, you will need to gather the proper supplies.
- Cleaning Sponges And Rags
- Dry-Cleaning Chemical Sponge
- Bucket and Spray Bottle
- Fan
- Soft-Bristled Brush
- A Shop Vac
- Protective Wear Equipment (Goggles, masks, gloves, and old clothes).
- DIY Cleaning Solution (The Red Cross recommends one cup bleach, one gallon of warm water, 4 tablespoons of tri-sodium phosphate (for odors).
Cleaning Smoke Damage
You are ready to begin removing smoke from the walls, so put on your protective wear and choose one area to clean at a time to control the cleaning process. You’ll want to begin at the baseboards and then work upward to avoid dripping, with the ceiling area being last to clean.
- Step One: Ventilate: Open windows and doors and turn on a fan. Do not use the HVAC as it will spread smoke to non-affected areas.
- Step Two: Put on your protective wear equipment to avoid inhaling smoke or chemicals.
- Step Three: Set aside the items that will require thorough cleaning.
- Step Four: Use the shop-vac to suction all the soot and smoke present.
- Step Five: Use the dry-cleaning chemical sponge to remove the smoke and soot. Gently wipe down each wall while being careful not to let the soot build-up on the sponge. Use a soft-bristled brush to further dislodge the particles from the walls.
- Step Six: Spray the wall with your DIY cleaning solution. Use a rag or sponge to wipe down each area while working your way upward. It may require several applications. Grab a bucket of warm water so that it is handy to clean your sponges accordingly.
- Step Seven: Use dry rags to wipe down each surface area. Let it dry completely. Use the fan or natural ventilation methods to quicken this step. You can paint it after this step.
To find out more about professional fire damage restoration or schedule smoke damage cleanup, call us at 1-800-847-0114 or send us a message on https://www.facebook.com/RestorePro911/.
