What Do I do To Get Rid Of Smoke Damage In Our Home?

You may get the smoke out of carpets and furniture, but it will be particularly difficult to also get it out of your walls. If your house has been through a fire and got smoke damage, your problem will be more than aesthetic, because you will find soon enough that it is hard to live in a place that smells like smoke all the time.

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A fire can leave behind black walls, clogged with smoke, and result in problems beyond the area where it occurred. Once the smoke penetrates the walls, it will be almost impossible to be removed by regular cleaning methods. In some cases, if you are lucky and the fire was not extensive, the residue and odor may be removed with cleaning substances, but in severe cases, removing the smoke from your walls requires special measures. In addition, sometimes in extreme cases, water damage occurs as well because water was used to put out the fire. So you are dealing with two different types  – fire and water damage – of remediation. Discover below the best course of action to permanently remove the problem!

Check the condition of the smoked walls

The walls can be affected in different degrees by exposure to smoke or the flames of a fire. In the situation where you have to deal with light and superficial stains, consider yourself lucky. In this case, the problem can be remedied, by simply washing the walls with white vinegar and ensure proper ventilation for a while. This way, you should be able to remove both the stains and the unpleasant smell.

On the other hand, if you are dealing with large, dark-colored spots, you will need to clean the walls with a stronger product and then start a re-painting process. If your walls have oily stains caused by exposure to smoke, you will find out that they cannot not be cleaned with water based products. In this case, you will need some alkaline substances, such as trisodium phosphate.

In a 5 liter bucket, add water and no more than 2 teaspoons of trisodium phosphate. Apply the cleaning solution on the smoked walls with a large sponge, not before making sure you protect your hands with plastic gloves and your eyes with a pair of working glasses (trisodium phosphate can cause severe irritations). Clean the smoked walls on small portions, rinsing each area with plenty of clean water. Repeat the process until your walls are completely cleaned from smoke stains. If you cannot find trisodium phosphate at specialty stores, you can replace it with ammonia or Borax.

Allow your walls to dry and then apply two layers of quality primer. The primer will effectively prepare the walls for painting and will remove any trace of smoke that may be still present. Apply the first layer of primer, allow it to dry and then apply the second layer.

Finally, when the primer is dry, you can paint your walls. Make sure you apply high quality washable paint. A semi-gloss paint could be an excellent choice, as removing different stains from it is easier than from regular paint. After applying a first layer of paint, allow it to dry completely, and then apply another one, for a uniform aspect.

For water damage, rely on water restoration Denver professionals to come in as soon as possible. It is imperative that the water damage is taken care of asap to minimize dangerous mold growth.