After The Fire: Dealing With Smoke Damage In Your Home

Whether you’ve had a large destructive fire in your home or are dealing with the aftermath of a small grease or oven fire, smoke damage needs to be addressed quickly!

Smoke Damage From Small Fires

Even small fires that don’t need involvement from the fire department cause smoke damage to your home.

Smoke causes long-lasting damage and health risks the longer it lingers in your home.

These tips can help you safely clear up smoke damage when you’ve burned something in your oven or on the stovetop.

Protect Yourself

Wearing safety equipment is essential. Smoke inhalation can cause serious health problems and long-lasting damage to your lungs. Be sure to wear a mask, goggles, and protective gloves in addition to clothing that completely covers your arms and legs.

Use Proper Ventilation

Once the fire is out, turn off your HVAC system and open all of your doors and windows.

By switching off your HVAC system you prevent smoke from being circulated to other areas of your home or contaminating the air ducts.

If you have any fans, position them to blow the smoky air outside, facing the open doors and windows.

Sweep Up Soot

If you have a shop vac or can rent an industrial vacuum cleaner, use it to sweep up any loose soot or ash that was produced by the small fire. We highly suggest you use a HEPA-certified vacuum cleaner.

Remember, don’t press the vacuum cleaner into the soot, just gently aim it at the soot to remove it from your floors and surfaces.

Clean Your Home’s Surfaces

This can include kitchen counters, tables, and furniture. Most small fires in the home take place in the kitchen, where surfaces are easy to access and clean.

Don’t forget to also clean your walls and ceilings! Using a mild soap or household cleaner should be enough to get your surfaces clean again.

Change Air Filters

Change all the air filters in your home, including the HVAC system, furnace, kitchen, and bathroom vents. This is an important step in the process to avoid having soot and smoke odors continue to circulate in your home.

Smoke Damage From Large Fires

If your home has sustained damage from a fire large enough to necessitate a call to the fire department, cleaning smoke damage yourself isn’t safe or practical. 

You need to trust professionals to safely treat your furniture, carpets, and other surfaces and remove the smoke from your home.

Smoke damage can be severe and often affects your home beyond the surface. Our restoration experts have years of experience handling smoke damage and making homes healthy to live in after a fire.

We can handle everything from cleaning your home after a fire to replacing drywall and insulation that has been soaked by fire hoses.

Some of our fire and smoke damage services are:

• 24/7 Emergency Services
• Smoke Odor Removal
• Air Sanitation & Purification
• Industrial Water Extraction
• Reconstruction & Rebuilding

If your home has been damaged by a fire, call Lake City Restoration so we can help!