Beyond the flames of a fire, smoke can do some serious damage to your home. Here are some tips for dealing with smoke damage. ©iStockphoto.com/Kileman
The flames of a fire aren’t the only thing that can damage your home – the smoke of a fire can result in damage as well. the following are a few tips to help you clean up smoke damage:
- Soot and charring – Soot results in discoloration due to residue left by the smoke, while charring is the burning of paint. Heavy soot and charring may require re-painting, but light soot and charring could be cleaned – especially off of satin and semi-gloss finishes. Add a tablespoon of trisodium phosphate to a bucket of warm water and use a sponge to wipe the affected area.
- Bubbling and blistering – This can occur due to the heat that accompanies smoke and fire. Scrape it away using a putty knife, sand down the affected area and then spackle the area before re-painting.
- Smoke odor – In addition to visually damaging your walls, smoke can also leave a nasty odor. You can wipe the affected areas down with vinegar, sprinkle baking soda on the areas, leave your windows open or use activated charcoal, which is a natural odor absorbent.
Use these smoke damage cleaning tips and contact us at Parker Young for information about damaged home reconstruction today.