How to Get Rid of Soot After a Home Fire

2/17/2021 (Permalink)

House fires can cause a lot of damage, and not all of it comes from the flames. Even the smallest of fires in a kitchen can cause some serious damage. You may suffer from extensive soot damage, which can be a challenge to clean up. Here are a few tips on getting rid of soot after you experience a fire in your home.

What is soot?

Soot, also referred to as lampblack or carbon black, is a fine black powder that can be sticky and is a product of incomplete combustion. It can be messy and can leave a foul smell. During a fire, soot can spread to the whole house, attaching to several surfaces. The acidic properties of soot can damage your home and belongings if the soot is not removed immediately and effectively.

Do all fires result in soot?

Most of the materials used for the construction of your home can catch fire and allow it to spread throughout the structure. This means you will likely experience some level of soot in your home after a fire, regardless of how big or small the fire is. While you might be enticed to clean up the soot on your own, cleanup is best left to cleanup professionals, as it can be more difficult to completely clean than you might anticipate.

Call in fire clean-up specialists

Most often the sizable effects that stand out from a house fire of any kind are smoke and soot damages. This is common and can prove challenging to remove without the right equipment.  Fortunately, SERVPRO of Central Phoenix professionals have the tools and expertise to help you through soot damages throughout your household. While the most concentrated of this effect can get found around the fires originating point where it burned the longest debris and film from the combustion leaves a dark, often black residue on surfaces, furniture, flooring, and other materials in other places too. That is soot. Unless the fire didn’t spread at all and was quickly extinguished, it’s time to call fire clean-up specialists, or those skilled in fire damage remediation, to help with clean-up.

How is soot be removed? 
 

Removing soot residue requires various approaches. For wall surfaces, scrubbing with wet and dry sponges can often remove the bulk of the present film. Confined spaces like ductwork require high-powered vacuums to get used instead. SERVPRO can assist in cleaning ductwork. Smoke damage often presents itself in the form of a harsh odor remaining in fabrics, carpeting, and open spaces throughout affected areas of your house. Removal of this odor usually requires thermal fogging to break apart odor molecules and leave no noticeable scent behind. Our highly trained technicians will know exactly what to do to address the soot throughout your home and get it back to normal.

If you suffer a home fire, regardless of the extent of damage, it is a good idea to contact SERVPRO of Central Phoenix to help with all your fire damage remediation needs, including addressing soot. We can be reached 24/7 at 602-386-4268. We’re here to help 24/7 with your remediation needs!