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Smoke Damage Restoration

By Luke Armstrong

Cleaning smoke damage is a complicated procedure. Whether the damage comes from cigarette smoke, nearby forest fire, or a house fire, careless or improper cleaning methods can cause additional property damage and health risks.

Cleaning ServicesStructural Assessment

The first step in smoke damage removal is assessing the structural integrity of the property. A professional smoke damage restoration service is trained to recognize and handle a wide variety of health and safety hazards. Once the structural assessment is complete, the smoke damage clean up process can begin.

Linens and Fabrics

Smoke permeates any porous surface, and clings to fabrics such as drapes, upholstery, clothing, and linens. Drapes, clothing and linens can be sent to a dry cleaners or laundry for cleaning and deodorizing. Professional cleaners may use chemicals that break up smoke molecules to eliminate odors and stains. Your smoke damage repair service may also suggest ozone treatments to break up smoke odors at a molecular level. In this case, the affected items must be sealed in a tent while the ozone generator is running.

Books

Books and documents are difficult to clean after a fire. Unless your books are rare, antique, or collectable, it may be more cost-effective to replace them. If you do own rare books or documents, they should be sent to a professional smoke damage repair service. These professionals use state of the art techniques such as dry ice sanding to remove smoke from the spines and pages of your books.

Furniture and Woodwork

Removing smoke damage from wood can be very difficult. As the fire is doused with water, the humidity level inside the building can rise, causing the wood to expand. As the wood expands, it absorbs smoke odors and soot. A professional smoke damage removal service has the tools and experience to clean this type of damage.

There are a few steps you can take to clean smoke damage before a professional restoration service arrives. After the fire marshal inspects the property and declares it safe, air out the building as much as possible. Remove small, moveable objects so the carpets and floors can be cleaned. Most importantly, choose a reputable, experienced smoke damage restoration service.