First Steps For Cleaning Smoke Damage in Your Home

8/11/2020 (Permalink)

Fire can cause devastating damage to your home, but perhaps even more challenging than facing fire damage is the aftermath it leaves in its wake: smoke damage. 

Fire smoke consists of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and soot, which enters walls, paint, furniture, fabric, ductwork, and every other nook and cranny in your home. These harmful chemicals linger in the air as well as become absorbed by your belongings, forming residue on and within your belongings.

Without proper identification and removal, smoke damage and its lingering odor are nearly impossible to eliminate, but there are a few first steps that you can take to address the damage while waiting for cleanup professionals to arrive. Don’t let the impact of smoke damage get you down. Here’s what to do:

1. Assess what you can save and what you should discard. If the fire and smoke that occurred caused significant damage, there will most likely be some items that are beyond repair and are not worth trying to salvage. Try to identify these from the get-go and dispose of them as you can. 
2. Invest in appropriate supplies. In order to go about removing smoke damage, it’s important to have the right supplies to protect yourself from the harmful chemicals that smoke residue contains. Make sure to wear safety goggles and gloves while wiping down furniture and the walls to remove the surface residue. Terrycloth towels and Trisodium Phosphate (TSP) that you can buy at your local hardware store are two essentials to help you break down the grime that smoke has deposited throughout your home.
3. Dissolve TSP in warm water to wipe things down. It is generally recommended to dissolve one tablespoon of TSP per one gallon of warm water. Use this solution and a sponge to wipe down your property with protective gear on. 
4. Wait for the professionals to arrive. Although you can start taking care of smoke damage by following the three steps above, it’s always best to hire a professional for heavy soot or smoke damage as well as deodorization, which is a big, daunting task. It’ll save you time and stress to hire the professionals to take care of the most extensive damage.

If you ever have the misfortune of experiencing fire and smoke damage, contact the professionals at SERVPRO of Belle Meade/West Nashville by calling (615) 242-9391.  We’re trained and ready to help.