A fire can devastate your life and destroy your belongings. Even if the fire didn’t reach all your property, smoke damage could cause an overwhelming mess to clean up.

If you’ve experienced a fire at your home or business, read on to discover how you can clean up after smoke damage has done a number on your stuff:

Hit Every Surface

The first thing to realize about smoke damage after a fire is that it’s likely affected nearly every nearby surface within the property so no room should be left without a good cleaning.

Soot on the surface of furniture or table tops will appear dust-like, but it’s oily, so take care not to smear it around. The best method is to start with a vacuum and then follow up with cleaners that are appropriate for the particular surface.

Taking Care of The Indoor Air Pollution

Many people don’t realize that one of the biggest consequences of a fire is the air pollution that follows. After a fire, rooms become covered in soot and smoke that pollutes the air and can trouble your breathing. Make sure to properly ventilate the house to get all of the polluted air out.

Start by running fans that direct the air outwards through open windows and position them in such a way to keep a steady air current flowing. If you have any rooms that haven’t experienced smoke damage, shut the doors to these areas, so soot and smoke don’t spread.

Take one room at a time and set up the fans to direct the polluted air out through the windows. You may have to arrange several fans in different ways to hit all the areas of the space.

Change All Your Filters

It’s also important to change out all the filters on your air conditioner, furnace, kitchen, and bathroom vents and fans which have probably been coated in soot and smoke.

Use a vacuum with a strong suction to clean around window and door frames where soot has likely gathered and then follow it up with a thorough wipe down with soapy water.

Cleaning Your Kitchen After Smoke Damage Has Occurred

Many fires start in kitchens where stovetops and ovens often catch food ablaze. This can be making cleaning especially inconvenient since smoke damage on all of your eating utensils and dishes is particularly unpleasant. You can experience serious health problems if you ingest food contaminated by soot and smoke so cleaning the kitchen after a fire is crucial.

Wash most of your kitchen counters and cabinets with dish detergent, which is good for cutting through the grease in soot. Rinse each area twice, first with bleach, and then with water. Use a high powered vacuum to run along the walls, baseboards, ceilings, countertops, and inside all drawers and cabinets.

Cleaning Smoke Damaged Clothing

Clothing that has been damaged by smoke should be dry cleaned when possible since smoke can penetrate deeply into fabrics and make it hard to get them cleaned.

Don’t continue wearing clothes that haven’t been thoroughly cleaned after smoke damage has taken place. The soot can be hazardous to your health and to the health of those around you. If you have to wash the clothing yourself, start by shaking off all the clothes well before you run them in the wash. You may have to wash each piece more than once to get them clean.

Let Us Help

There’s nothing easy about cleaning up after a disaster has taken place, and the smoke damage resulting in a fire is no different. Getting furniture, walls, vents, and clothing fully cleaned is a big job.

We’re here to help with the cleanup. Allow our professional cleaning staff to restore your belongings and treat them with care in the process. Learn more about our services and contact us for more information.