Can My Home Be Effectively Deodorized Following a Fire?

5/28/2020 (Permalink)

Fire damage leaves odors. SERVPRO has the tools to restore your home and remove the odors. Call us today!

Several Local Shreveport Cleaning and Restoration Companies, Like SERVPRO, can Deodorize Your Fire Damaged Home.

Recently, one Shreveport resident experienced a moderate house fire. The fire started in an upstairs bedroom and later spread into the attic, causing considerable fire damage on the second floor and in the loft. After the fire, black soot stains were omnipresent, and the entire house reeked of smoke. Structural elements, insulation, and the home’s contents were all affected by the fire’s effects. Not knowing what to do, the homeowner started researching local cleaning and remediation services that could return her residence to the preloss condition. Eventually, she came across SERVPRO and decided to give us a try.

What Innovative Tools Do Fire Damage Remediation Services Employ to Restore Your Shreveport Home?

There are numerous restoration companies, like SERVPRO, that handle fire damage in Shreveport. These services use several innovative tools to eliminate fire-related odors from your home. This gear includes:

• High-velocity box fans that rapidly exchange affected interior air for clean air, reduce smells, and dry areas impacted by firefighting efforts
• Air scrubbers to filter interior air, removing gases and odorous particles, and release the cleaned air back into your house
• Ozone machines that produce ozone, a gas that reacts with and neutralizes odor particles
• Vaportek units that use natural oils to impact and eliminate unwanted smells similarly
• Duct cleaning systems with agitation elements, a powerful vacuum, and an effective filtration network to clean HVAC systems thoroughly
• Pressure sprayers that deodorize charred structural elements
• Thermal foggers that vaporize deodorizers, so that their particles are as small as odor-causing molecules can effectively counteract bad smells
• Ultra-low volume (ULV) foggers to seal and deodorize ventilation systems, structural elements, and difficult-to-access areas
• Injection devices, which use a pump and needle, to treat upholstery and carpets with deodorants

Experienced technicians are often able to make your home smell like it never even experienced fire damage by using these advanced tools.

What Can SERVPRO Treat and Deodorize?

SERVPRO can treat and deodorize most structural elements and household items. We have successfully restored homes damaged by cigarette mishaps, cooking fires, forest fires, and other unfortunate occurrences in. In the case of the Shreveport resident previously described, our technicians were able to remediate effectively the: 

• Attic, including insulation and rafters
• HVAC system
• Ceilings, walls, and floors
• Home’s various fixtures
• Valuable personal property

After finishing work on her house, we had neutralized the fire-related smells and removed all of the ugly soot stains from affected surfaces.

How Does SERVPRO Eliminate Odors in Living Spaces?   

When deodorizing the fire damaged Shreveport resident’s home, our technicians employed a variety of advanced tools and techniques to remove odorous residues. Some of these novel tools and methods included:

• The use of dry cleaning sponges to remove non-grease residues
• Employing the peroxide active cleaning technique to clean heavily soiled textured ceilings
• Using duct cleaning systems to clean HVAC surfaces and ULV foggers to seal and deodorize them

These measures helped remove odor-causing substances from the home, while also preventing remaining airborne particles from circulating to other, unaffected parts of the residence. 

Are There Any Special Measures Taken to Remediate Attics?

There are two primary components of all attics, structural elements called “rafters” and the insulation. When attempting to restore these fire-damaged attic elements, there are a few unique things our technicians do. First, they ventilate the area with high-velocity box fans and air scrubbers. Workers may even leave an ozone machine in the attic overnight. Next, they might counteract odors with a ULV fogger treatment. Or, technicians may treat the attic with a thermal fogger. If needed, they place an additional insulation layer over the fire-damaged insulation to counteract any smoke damage. Workers may also seal in any persistent odors in structural elements by pressure spraying them with chemicals.

When your home suffers fire damage, it is traumatic for your entire family. Fires impact the functionality of your home and reduce the aesthetic beauty.  Additionally, structural elements may be compromised, precious personal possessions are often damaged, and you almost always face substantial repair costs. At this time, you need the help of trained and experienced professionals that might save your residence and most precious belongings. However, like most homeowners experiencing these difficulties, you are likely unsure of whom to call for help. Rest assured, though, that there are services in Shreveport that can clean and restore your home. They are often available whenever you need them.   

With all that said, if you ever need assistance handling residential fire damage, call SERVPRO of South Shreveport at (318) 865-4655.