3 Ways to Remove Smoke Odor from Your Home

4/30/2020 (Permalink)

SERVPRO Ozone Generator

If you’ve experienced a fire in your Rochester, NY home, chances are you’ve already had quite a bit of damage to deal with. Unfortunately, odor from smoke damage can linger even after repairs have been made. If you are having trouble removing this unpleasant smell from your house, try the following methods.

1. Clean Hard Surfaces

When smoke travels through your house during a fire, it carries soot and other contaminants. These can cover your belongings as well as walls and floors. In order to remove the odor from these areas, you will need to include them in your smoke cleaning. If you have not already done so, scrub any hard surfaces that have been affected. This will likely include spaces outside the immediate area of the fire since smoke travels further than flames.

2. Wash Porous Materials

Because smoke carries contaminants, this easily allows smoke odor to become trapped inside porous materials. For smaller items, such as clothing and stuffed toys, a spin through the washing machine may remove any lingering smells. Items that are more difficult to clean, such as upholstered furniture, mattresses and dry-clean only materials, may need to be replaced.

3. Use Professional Equipment

Sometimes, after cleaning the surfaces of your home and washing or removing all affected belongings, there is still an unpleasant odor left inside the house. When this happens, you may need to try a different approach to smoke cleaning. Equipment such as ozone machines and other air filtration devices can help eliminate odors by cleaning the air itself. It removes any present smoke molecules and leaves you with clean air that smells fresher.
If you have tried to perform smoke cleaning on your own but have not had the desired results, hiring a fire damage restoration company may be the best choice. With their training, experience and equipment, they will be able to get your home looking, and smelling, like it did before the fire.