Repairs To Smoke Damage You Should Perform Right After The Fire If You're In A Hurry
Having a fire is an upsetting enough event all on its own. It can be doubly difficult, then, to worry about how to fix up your house afterwards. Many people don't realize that some of the worst damage is going to be from smoke. Even if the fire was caught fairly early and little damage from flames occurs, the fire damage from smoke can be a major issue. Here are some tips on handling the worst aspects of smoke damage so you can recover and set up fire sprinklers to prevent a next time. The key is to get it done early.
Smoke Odor
One of the biggest issues with smoke is that it's hard to get the smell out once it's been driven into a material. You can smell that burning odor for a long time after an actual fire has happened. The important thing is to handle it all as quickly as possible. One heavy duty approach you can take is using activated charcoal. This can be left around your house as a pure powder. It will absorb the odor.
Other tools you can use include something called "odor reducing fogs," which fill up your home and absorb more of the odor in the air. This is advantageous because it goes to where the odor actually is--namely, in the particles in the air. If you're in a hurry, you can use a device called an ozone generator. These are higher end, but they are effective at absorbing odors.
If you don't catch the odor early and quickly, it can linger in a house for much longer than you might think. Some people report such odors lasting for years. You can also try more natural methods such as white vinegar and baking soda. The white vinegar has a scent that will help blot out the scent of smoke.
Soot
Soot can also get deeply into everything if you aren't careful. You need to get a vacuum cleaner to clean it all up first. Preferably, you'll use something that's HEPA certified. High-efficiency particulate air filters are effective at removing odors as well as contaminants like pollen. You're going to want to vacuum it out before it becomes too much of a problem.
Trisodium phosphate is also effective as a cleaner for soaking up smoke products like soot. It's important to make sure that you use heavy duty rubber gloves while cleaning, and you'll also want an air mask and goggles. You can get HEPA certified masks as well.
Having proper fire sprinklers is ultimately the most important approach to keep smoke damage from occurring in the first place. There are many that can respond to smoke, heat, and many other factors to prevent smoke from becoming a problem even before the fire damage does. Learn more about this topic by contacting a local fire sprinkler supplier, or check it out here.