Cooking can turn dangerous fast when a fire breaks out, but even once the fire is put out, the danger doesn’t end. Fire inevitably leaves soot and overpowering odors everywhere. Generally, a professional fire remediation company will be needed to safely clean up, but with a very small kitchen fire, you may be able to clean up yourself. Here is how.
Wear Protective Equipment
Fire leaves behind a greasy residue called soot which can be extremely dangerous. It can penetrate the skin and lungs, posing a severe risk to your health. So, make sure to wear gloves, breathing protection, and goggles.
Circulate the Air
Open up windows and run fans on opposite corners of the kitchen to create a crosscurrent. The goal is to push odors out of your home with a strong air current. Remember to turn off your HVAC system while you are doing this to prevent trapping soot and odors inside of your ductwork. Also, if your system was running while the fire occurred, you will need to switch out its filter.
Clean Soot from Surfaces
Now it is time to thoroughly clean all the surfaces. Diluted tri-sodium phosphate can be a very effective cleaner for removing soot. However, it is very strong and caustic, so make sure to work with caution and wear safety gear at all times. You will need to scrub every surface with a sponge several times to remove the soot, and remember to wring out the sponge regularly. After going over everything once, rinse thoroughly and let everything dry before going over everything again. Likely this will take several complete passes to remove everything. You may wish to make a final pass with a diluted bleach mixture in order to prevent mold build-up, but test surfaces first to make sure it does not discolor them.
Clean Inside Cabinets and Appliances
Remember to include the inside of all cabinets and drawers during your cleaning. You can throw away all food both in cabinets and your refrigerator and thoroughly clean all of the dishes and silverware. Remember that appliances will need to be completely cleaned as well. This includes inside your refrigerator as well as the condenser coils on its back. You can also check for any damage that may have occurred to your appliances as a result of the fire.
Final Thoughts
Cleaning up after a kitchen fire is a big job, but it must be done right to ensure dangerous soot and odors do not linger, posing a threat to your home and the health of everyone who lives in it. Remember that if the job feels overwhelming, you can always call in the professionals for help.
Contact Us
If you need help with cleaning up after a kitchen fire, contact Restore Pro. Our fire remediation professionals have more than two decades of experience helping homeowners with getting their lives and homes back on track after fires. Call us at 1-800-847-0114 and connect with us on Facebook.