How to Naturally Get Rid of Smoke Smell After a Disaster
Fire and fire damage affect over a million properties every year, resulting in over twenty billion dollars of property losses. Damage does not stop once the fire is put out, however. Smoke sticks around, polluting the air you breath and attaching its smell onto your personal property. There’s no reason to go on living with such health hazards. With the following tips from Tidal Wave Response, you can get rid of that smoke and smoke smell from your home, clothes, and furniture. If you decide to have the professionals take care of your fire damage restoration instead, then call Tidal Wave Response today to speak with a friendly representative.
Air It Out
Even if you cannot see it, smoke lingers around your home long after the fire is gone. Surface cleaning only does so much. Small smoke particles stick to surfaces and set themselves in the nooks and crannies of furniture, carpets, clothing, and even the walls. So, it is important to act quickly to get rid of the smoke before it settles too deep.
You want to first start by airing out your rooms. Open all of the airs and windows to allow the smoke to escape outside. Employ fans by strategically placing them in corners of different rooms to improve airflow. These fans should push the smoke out. After about fifteen minutes of this, you should create some positive pressure by setting a large fan outside of the front door, facing inward. Close all windows except one to create a circuit in which air comes in through the door and out of the lone open window.
Clean, Wash, and Wipe
Airing out the house is only part of the solution to remove the smoke smell. While the fans are doing their work, you should get started on cleaning everything that was exposed to the smoke.
Urgently remove furniture covers, cushions, duvets, blankets, rugs, and curtains. In short, wash any fabrics that you can. Don’t forget to salvage any clean fabrics out of your house so that they do not end up absorbing the smell as well.
Create a solution of hot water and white vinegar to clean and wipe your windowpanes, window frames, windowsills, blinds, and window screens. Add dish soap solution to the mixture to wipe down walls, ceilings, doors, doorframes, baseboards, cabinets, shelves, light fixtures, and light switches.
Don’t forget the floors and carpets. Sprinkle some baking soda onto the carpet and allow it to absorb the smoke smell. After about a few hours, use a HEPA filtered vacuum to suck it all up.
If the walls really smell of smoke, then try using cleaning products with glycol or ammonia to wash the walls, rinse, then let the walls dry. Then, use a primer designed to lock in odors.
Finally, change the filters in your HVAC system. Consider hiring professionals to give your vents a thorough cleaning.
Call the Professionals
If you would like to leave this job to the experts, then call Tidal Wave Response to have water damage professionals dispatched to your location as soon as possible. Our friendly representatives are available to take you call no matter the time of the day.
