How to Get Smoke Smell Out of Your House

Home fires can happen to anyone. They may be the result of a cooking accident, something getting too close to a flame, or even a wiring issue. Whatever the cause, the good news is that the blaze was brought under control quickly. You will be able to recover from what happened. 

Part of what must be addressed is the smell of smoke that seems to cling to everything. Fortunately, there are ways to deal with the issue and ensure the fire odor removal is complete. Here are some tips that you can put to good use. 

Right now, you're not sure where to begin. That's because the smell of smoke seems to be everywhere. In order to provide some structure to the cleaning effort, it makes sense to call in a professional who can assess the situation and determine how to get smoke smell out of house effectively. 

The benefit of this approach is an expert knows how to check areas of the home that you may not consider. It's the ability to look beyond the obvious that will ensure the smell is removed from tiny niches that you would think were not affected at all. Rest assured that once the assessment is made, it will be a lot easier to come up with a plan for removing the smoke smell permanently. 

One of the things that the expert is likely to determine is to identify any furnishings or belongings that cannot be cleaned and deodorized. This is likely to include some upholstered pieces, but it can also involve household accessories made using materials that were ruined during the fire. Even if the flames never touched those items, the exposure to smoke may leave some things beyond salvaging. 

Here's what you should know about this part of the smoke remediation strategy: what you think maybe a total loss might be nothing more than a challenge to the expert. At the same time, things that you believe can be salvaged will be impossible to clean and deodorize. This expert's help can save you a lot of hours of frustration and help you begin the process of dealing with what has taken place. 

If the expert thinks there is any chance of being able to clean and deodorize furnishings and other belongings that you think are a complete loss, step back and let the professional try. This is not an area where you have much in the way of expertise or ability. By contrast, the professional has dealt with similar or worse situations before, and has a good idea of what to do. 

The worst-case scenario is that you turn out to be right, and those pieces cannot be restored. A more likely case is that the professional turns out to be right, and treasured pieces that you thought were lost forever can be deep cleaned and returned to your home. 

While waiting for the professional to arrive, there are some things you can do to begin getting rid of the scent of fire smoke. One of them is to get fresh air flowing through the home. This is best accomplished by opening all of the windows, once the fire marshal or other local authority is sure the fire is completely out. 

Keep in mind that it's not just about opening the windows in the area where the fire broke out. Smoke travels into all areas of the home, leaving behind the scent. Even the room that's on the other side of the house is likely to have some smoke smell within it. Your goal is to open all the windows and let the cross-breeze remove as much of the odor as possible. 

While a professional will concentrate on the furnishings, carpeting, and the proper structure, there are some things that you can start cleaning at once. One of them happens to be all of your clothing. Even if the closets are far from the fire site, there's a chance that some of the odor has seeped into the material. Laundering all of your washables will take care of that. 

Remember that anything needing dry cleaning should be addressed at the same time. When you take the items to the cleaners, mention what has happened. This will help the cleaners know what to do in order to make sure the fire odor removal takes care of any scent that has settled into the garments. 

Don't forget other items that need attention. That includes window treatments, kitchen towels, and all of the towels and washcloths in the bathroom. Even the sheets on the beds and the other linens in the closet need attention. To make things easier on yourself, do consider taking the washables to a drop-off laundry and let someone else handle this chore. 

You can bet that soot left from the smoke will be found all over the walls and floors. The task of removing soot is more involved than most people think. It's also the type of job that requires using personal safety equipment along with the right cleaning agents. 

This is another task that you should leave in the hands of professionals. Doing so means avoiding the risk of inhaling soot as the cleaning is done or exposing yourself to other health hazards that may be present. A professional will know what to do in order to get rid of the soot, disinfect and deodorize the surfaces, and do it all while remaining safe. 

It's not just the walls and floors that need attention. Built-in cabinetry will need to be cleaned inside and out. That can be a time-consuming job that requires a lot of muscle. In other words, this is the type of thing that you should leave to a professional. 

Experts will know how to thoroughly clean the cabinets, including the interior areas. This involves knowing what cleaning agents to use on all sorts of materials, including painted or varnished surfaces. When completed, you can rest assured that no scent continues to linger in or on the cabinets. The effort will go a long way toward completing the task to remove smoke smell from house in general. 

If you have glass doors on some of the cabinetry, don't worry. An expert will know how to clean the glass without allowing the soot to scratch or otherwise mar the glass. When the cleaning is done, there will be no lingering scent, and no signs of any damage. 

Another tip on how to clear smoke from house is to make use of vinegar. There are several ways to use this common product, ranging from adding some to the washer when you do a load of laundry to spraying it on window glass before you wipe down those surfaces. What you may not realize is that you can use it to help remove some of the smell of the smoke. 

Use small dishes or even jar lids that will hold a small amount of undiluted vinegar. Place them in strategic places around the house. Vinegar has a way of killing the scent of smoke, and will make the place more tolerable as you wait for the professionals to arrive. Remember to change out the vinegar after a few days. 

If you find the scent of undiluted vinegar to be a bit much, it's possible to add something to it. For example, adding a small amount of lavender oil to each dish will not prevent the vinegar from aiding in odor removal. What it will do is make it easier for you to be in the room and not feel as if your sitting in the midst of a tossed salad.

With minor fires that cause very little damage, you may be able to manage the cleanup and the deodorizing on your own. If the fire did extensive damage in one room, you can bet that smoke spread to other parts of the house. Attempting to deal with a cleanup on that scale is likely more than you're able to handle. 

With this scenario, don't hesitate to call a local disaster cleanup company and arrange to have a professional visit the home. Along with getting an idea of what it will take to restore the place and get rid of the smoke smell, professionals can provide information that you can use to file any insurance claim that may be appropriate. 

You don't have to know how to get rid of fire smoke smell in house when there are professional around. Call the team at Best Option Restoration today, and ask for someone to come out and take a look. In no time at all, an expert will evaluate the scope of the damage, identify what it will take to clean and deodorize the place, and provide you with an estimate. Once that estimate is accepted, the team will get to work and take care of it all.