Dealing With Soot Damage Removal

Restoring a home from fire damage is a difficult task and soot damage is one of the hardest problems to have to deal with. However it is a crucial part of the fire damage clean up process and it is necessary to begin the process of soot removal as soon as you can. Soot residue is an oily substance that can ingrain itself into every surface that it comes in contact with. The worst part of trying to clean it up if you don’t know what you’re doing is that rather than removing it, touching the soot will simply push it further into the surface it is sitting on making the clean up even more difficult.

There are some basic tips that you should keep in mind when attempting to tackle any soot damage restoration. The first step to consider is to find a good soot and smoke damage restoration service to come out and provide their expert assistance. A good fire damage contractor can save further heartache later.

There will have to be an initial inspection to decide what pieces are worth restoring and what has sustained little enough damage to be able to be restored. Taking photos of the damage is a necessary step in the process to document for insurance purposes what the state of the home was immediately following the fire.

Soot damage comes from more than simply the blackness of the material that gives everything a dirty appearance. The fine particles of acidic soot and smoke that have fanned out from the fire can penetrate even the tightest windows and doors to coat walls, carpets, curtains and all the home's contents. Damage can be from the insulation in the attic to the inside of a computer.

Soot damage begins its degradation of surfaces almost immediately. Studies have shown that soot begins to discolor materials such as plastics, marble surfaces, appliances and furniture within hours. The longer the soot is allowed to sit in place the more damage that can be done with walls and carpets stained yellow permanently.

Light layers of soot can be vacuumed up by the home owner, making sure not to drag the vacuum nozzle over the surface but to hover it above the soot to suck it up. An oil-based detergent may be used to wipe surfaces although this should be done with great care. Anything more heavily coated with soot should be left for the experts to deal with. While waiting for the experts to arrive, take a further added precautionary step of closing the doors on affected areas to localize the smoke odor as much as possible to a single room.

A thorough fire damage restoration can set you back at least $5,000 with larger jobs costing significantly more. The majority of this cost will be picked up by your insurance company but expect a process that will take a long time before all trace of sight and smell is removed. Some homeowners may also qualify to receive Federal Emergency Management Agency funding so as well as contacting your insurance company you will also need to contact a FEMA representative.

Remember that it won’t just be the surfaces that you can see that will be affected by soot damage. Soot is a fine particulate and it can penetrate into the smallest surfaces before settling. The components inside televisions, computers and sound systems can be coated with the stuff as can air ducts and all of them will have to be professionally restored.

Soot removal is a process that should be carried out quickly, carefully and efficiently. The sooner you get it done the more chance you will save your valuables from permanent damage.

Soot Removal From Brick

You will want to avoid removing soot residue from bricks with a liquid based cleaning agent for as long into the process as possible. This means that you should use dry methods to clean away as much of the soot as you possibly can. As with cleaning other surfaces the first stage should begin with the vacuum cleaner, sucking away as much of the surface soot as possible. After this you can use a wire brush to dislodge any soot that is further embedded into the brick. The brushing should be done in short, quick flicks.

Next, you can use a product that is known as a soot sponge. This is a sponge that has been designed to be used dry. It has been chemically treated so that it absorbs soot and other dirt into its pores. It can be cleaned, once it is completely dirty, by shaving off the outer layer of the sponge revealing a clean surface to continue the soot removal. The sponge is meant to be used by blotting at the soot. Remember, never rub the soot as it will only spread it and make things worse.

When the soot removal has cleaned up all of the loose soot and it is no longer possible to continue effectively with the dry methods, it is time to move to a liquid cleaning method. An effective way to complete the soot removal from bricks is to make up a weak solution of citrus cleaner mixed with water and scrub with a stiff scrubbing brush. The bricks should be scrubbed vigorously to remove all of the residual soot. When this scrubbing is completed the bricks should then be wiped dry with a clean cloth.

All of the soot removal should be done after laying down some newspaper or drop cloths to protect the floor.