Forbing's Fire Damage Specialists Discuss Soot Removal

8/22/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO Can Clean Up Soot in Forbing Properties After House Fires.

SERVPRO Uses Various Equipment, Products, and Methods for Fire Cleanup in the Forbing Area

Fires starting inside your Forbing home can not only be dangerous to you and your family but can also ruin the contents and building materials inside your house. The flames and heat, which come from the blaze, burn materials starting from the source and further depending on how long it goes before it gets extinguished. Smoke travels from the source to areas all over the structure, causing additional damage.

When smoke flows through a building, it leaves behind soot residues and foul odors. Cleaning and removing these residues are a significant part of restoring fire damage in Forbing. The first step to removing burnt odors is to remove their source, including soils left from the smoke. 

Soot residues contain different substances depending upon what fuels were burned in the fire. Cleaning methods vary based on many factors, including the type of soot and the surface of cleaned materials. Some blazes get put out with excessive water, which can cause the soot cleaning process to change. Water damage restoration is often follows a house fire.

Some soot films are easy to clean while others adhere to surfaces well, making removal more difficult. When extracting soils proves to be a strenuous process, our SERVPRO technicians utilize various mechanical action cleaning methods. The amount of soot present and how well it sticks to materials dictates how much agitation is needed for removal. 

Some soils can get removed with mild agitation methods if they are not dense. Mild agitation methods include feather dusters, compressed air, brushes, and vacuums. For carpets, upholstery, and drapes vacuuming dry smoke residue is always the first step in cleaning. Compressed air gets used to blow soot out off the casings of electronics.

If the soot is dense and adheres firmly to surfaces, then medium agitation methods can be implemented during the restoration process. Practices that fall into this category include dry sponges, crumbly cleaners, dust cloths, and cleaning towels. Crumbly cleaners work well when removing dry soot from flat painted surfaces. 

When soot removal is difficult, heavy agitation methods get used. Abrasive powders, sandpaper, and blast cleaning are all examples of heavy agitation cleaning. Roto pads and brushes can also agitate, buff, or polish flooring surfaces. Our SERVPRO technicians attempt to clean smoke and soot-stained surfaces without tearing them out for replacement. Often a primer can be applied before a finished coat of paint is needed.

Removing different kinds of soot can be easy in some areas while challenging in others. For help cleaning soils created by smoke, call SERVPRO of South Shreveport at (318) 865-4655 24/7.