A house fire is never a good thing. It can destroy a small area of a home or burn an entire home to the ground. No matter what physical damage the fire causes it will also leave behind soot particles and an obnoxious odor. This smoke smell is very difficult to fully remove from a home. In order to deal with the lingering smoke odor it will help to have a basic understanding of how smoke happens.
Smoke is the result of incomplete combustion which becomes discernible by the tiny particles of carbon in the air. All the burnable substances involved in a fire cause odors. These could be burnt wood, curtains, plastic, meat, carpet, and other fabrics. As a fire dies down the smoke it has caused will disperse leaving behind a residue of quickly cooling particles which is generally referred to as soot. The soot covers everything it comes in contact with also causing odors to stick to everything as well.
The odors that smoke leaves behind can be protein, natural, or synthetic based. Protein odors are caused by burning meat or flesh. The soot from a protein fire will be greasy and yellowish brown in color. Natural smoke odors come from burnt wood, paper products, and cotton. The soot that accompanies the natural odors is black and grey and has a powdery texture. Synthetic based odors originate from burnt synthetic textiles such as carpets and plastic products. The soot from this smudges very easily.
The first step to eliminate smoke smell in a home is to open doors and windows. Vacuum all the soot and debris that you can, making sure that the vacuum hose does not touch the surface you are working on, as this can cause the soot to stick and smudge. Wipe the soot off of all chrome fixtures, countertops, and porcelain fixtures as it is acidic and will permanently damage these things if it sits on them too long. Then clean the soot off all the ceilings and walls using dry cleaning sponges for latex painted walls and regular sponges and pine based cleaners on oil base painted ceiling and walls.
Remove all the drapes, clothing, bedding, towels, and other fabrics out of the house and have them professionally cleaned to remove the smoke odors. Call a professional fire cleanup company to rid the rest of the house of the strong smoke smell. Any insulation in the attic should be removed as it will not be possible to rid it of the smoky odor.
There are two methods the fire restoration company will employ to rid the house of the stinky smell. The first method is ozone treatment. An ozone generator is used to break up the smoke molecule. It deodorizes the home by producing an oxidizing agent that creates the same smell as the air after a rainstorm. A tent can be used to house all the household belongings especially anything made of fabric so it can be given an ozone treatment before it is sent to be cleaned thus guaranteeing a better result at the cleaners.
Thermal fogging is the other method used to destroy smoke odors. This is used to eliminate odors which are trapped inside walls, air ducts, and other hard to reach areas. Thermal fogging opens pores in the walls and neutralizes the air. Make sure you make a claim with your insurance company and hire a professional to do these treatments to your home so the smoke odor can be destroyed.
