How to Remove Smells and Odors After a Fire

Whether it’s a small fire contained in your kitchen or larger flames that spread through your home, going through a fire is a scary experience for everyone there at the time. Once the fire is out, you need to think about what steps to take next and how to clean the damage left behind. Fires of all types can leave behind a lingering smoke air that penetrates inside your walls and clings to your furniture and even the clothing hanging in your closets. Between doing some work yourself and hiring professionals, you can remove all those smoky odors.

Air Out

Airing out your home is the first step in getting rid of those odors. Make sure that you do this on a nice day when the temperature is high and the sun is out. If you air out your home on a cooler or rainy day, you risk a musty odor setting in around your home. Open each window to let the cross breezes move through the rooms. The fresh air can help eliminate some of the odors. If you worry about bugs getting in or your pets getting out, you can put screens in your windows.

Clean Fabric

You need to clean any of the fabric items in your home to completely remove the smells left behind by a fire. This includes the clothing in your drawers and closets, the drapes hanging on your windows and even the furniture in your living room. You can use a steam cleaner on upholstered furniture or hire a company that specializes in steam cleaning. Those companies can come in and steam clean your carpeted floors too. Using distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar in the wash can also help remove odors.

Paint

Fires can leave behind odors that cling to the walls and floors of your home. If you tried other remedies and found no relief, it may be time to use some paint. Companies now make paints that are free from odors that act as sealants. You can use these paints to trap the smoke odor inside your walls. The paint will leave your home smelling fresher and cleaner. Similar products are suitable for use on your floors.

Use Odor Eliminators

The best way to eliminate smoke odors is with the odor eliminating products available on the market today. Start with a neutralizer. This is a device that absorbs the air surrounding it, runs that air through several different layers of filters and then releases the fresh and clean air back out. The same baking soda that you use in your refrigerator to trap odors will work in your home too. Simply place the baking soda in small bowls that you arrange around your home to naturally trap odors. Disaster restoration companies often have access to chemicals and other cleaning supplies that you won’t find in stores. They will use these products to target specific areas of your home where the odors are the worst.

Cleaning up after a fire can be even more frustrating than going through a fire, which is why you’ll want to turn to the professionals for help cleaning your own home. Using odor eliminators, painting the walls and floors and airing out your home can help you eliminate the smoky odors you detect.

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