A fire will cause more damage than simply the obvious scorching or complete combustion that is plain to see after every fire. One of the challenges that confronts anyone coming in after the fire with the intention of cleaning up will be given the challenge of dealing with heat and smoke damage too.
Take, for instance, your CD player. It may look as if it has been completely spared by the fire, after all it is sitting in a part of the room that was not consumed by the flames. But a closer look, perhaps a look inside the casing of the CD player may reveal a different story. With tremendous heat being generated from close range it is very likely that considerable damage could have been done to the electrical components inside the player’s casing.
It will be necessary to disassemble just about all of your electrical devices in the house to check that they have not been melted or otherwise damaged during the blaze. Many of the working parts in these types of machines are actually made of plastic and it doesn’t take a particularly hot heat to melt or warp these pieces.
Another important consideration to make after a fire is the smoke damage that will have been done to food. Any food that was exposed to the fire will have to be removed and disposed of. Even though it looks like the food has survived the fire unscathed, the smoke generated by the fire will have penetrated deeply into the surface of any fresh fruit or vegetables as well as any container that was exposed to the elements. Don’t risk it – chuck it out.
Painted surfaces that have been damaged by smoke or heat will usually be noticeably affected with bubbling or discoloration. The smoke damage must be cleaned off the walls first and a very effective product to use to perform the cleaning is TSP which is available at paint or hardware stores. If necessary the old and damaged paint should be stripped from the walls. There are some sealing paint products available that can be used to paint over smoke damaged walls.
Fire smoke damage in the house structure and furnishings has been dealt with in much greater detail elsewhere at this site. You can read more about what steps to take when confronted with major smoke damage by hopping over to the page titled
Smoke Damage Restoration Steps
A Desiccant Dehumidifier To Repair Water Damage
When your home has been subject to significant water damage and you have a pressing need to dry it out quickly, one of the tools that will come in extremely useful is a desiccant dehumidifier. These dehumidifiers can be rather expensive to buy so the most usual course of action to take is to find a hire company to get one for some short term use. Alternatively you can find a water restoration company that uses a desiccant dehumidifier as part of their water cleanup.
A desiccant dehumidifier works by using a desiccant material to produce a dehumidifying effect. In other words the desiccant attracts high humidity air into the device and away from the room accelerating the drying process as a result. The moisture is retained in the dehumidifier and in the meantime a second level of air is created that is used to dry the desiccant material so that it can continue to work. This type of system is a cyclical dehumidifier with the desiccant moving around the machine, drying out as it completes a revolution.
The means of regenerating the desiccant allows the dehumidifier to operate continuously for long periods of time needing only to be paused to remove the trapped water when the well becomes full. Other dehumidifiers can be connected to a hose that deposits the water outside of the room that is being dried. Those dehumidifiers that operate with a well system can take from between 8-12 hours to fill before they need to be replaced.
To give you an idea of what is meant by a desiccative material, think of those sachets of silica gel that come with many products to ensure they are kept dry. The desiccative material used in your average dehumidifier is much the same.
A desiccative dehumidifier operates by means of important components that work together as a cohesive unit. The first is the desiccant holder, the next is some type of fan that will direct the air to be treated into the unit, a heater is then used to dry the used desiccant and finally a fan that drives the desiccant through the holder.
These desiccative dehumidifier units are important when removing moisture from a water damaged wood floor because they are extremely effective in removing air from the room quickly. Whether it’s a wooden floor that has to be dried out or soft furnishings, the dehumidifier will dry the moisture out in no time.
Although they can be integrated into an existing air conditioning system, there are smaller models that can be easily moved from room to room as required. Not all dehumidifiers run on electricity either. In some cases they are needed in disaster or flood areas where there is no power and for these situations you can use a gas powered dehumidifier.
For regions of very high humidity, a desiccant dehumidifier can be an extremely valuable asset to have in order to remain comfortable during the most humid of days. It is quite common that hardwood floors will have suffered from the high humidity and have buckled a little because they have absorbed some of the moisture. In this case you would need to operate one not only for your own comfort but also for your floors too.
As a means of solving water damage within the home and to reduce the risk of having mold taking root on the walls and ceiling, a desiccant dehumidifier is a great option. It is certainly worth looking into getting a unit of your own, particularly if you have found re-occurring mold and mildew problems.
More reading about dehumidifiers
A Whole House Dehumidifier
A desiccant dehumidifier works by using a desiccant material to produce a dehumidifying effect. In other words the desiccant attracts high humidity air into the device and away from the room accelerating the drying process as a result. The moisture is retained in the dehumidifier and in the meantime a second level of air is created that is used to dry the desiccant material so that it can continue to work. This type of system is a cyclical dehumidifier with the desiccant moving around the machine, drying out as it completes a revolution.
The means of regenerating the desiccant allows the dehumidifier to operate continuously for long periods of time needing only to be paused to remove the trapped water when the well becomes full. Other dehumidifiers can be connected to a hose that deposits the water outside of the room that is being dried. Those dehumidifiers that operate with a well system can take from between 8-12 hours to fill before they need to be replaced.
To give you an idea of what is meant by a desiccative material, think of those sachets of silica gel that come with many products to ensure they are kept dry. The desiccative material used in your average dehumidifier is much the same.
A desiccative dehumidifier operates by means of important components that work together as a cohesive unit. The first is the desiccant holder, the next is some type of fan that will direct the air to be treated into the unit, a heater is then used to dry the used desiccant and finally a fan that drives the desiccant through the holder.
These desiccative dehumidifier units are important when removing moisture from a water damaged wood floor because they are extremely effective in removing air from the room quickly. Whether it’s a wooden floor that has to be dried out or soft furnishings, the dehumidifier will dry the moisture out in no time.
Although they can be integrated into an existing air conditioning system, there are smaller models that can be easily moved from room to room as required. Not all dehumidifiers run on electricity either. In some cases they are needed in disaster or flood areas where there is no power and for these situations you can use a gas powered dehumidifier.
For regions of very high humidity, a desiccant dehumidifier can be an extremely valuable asset to have in order to remain comfortable during the most humid of days. It is quite common that hardwood floors will have suffered from the high humidity and have buckled a little because they have absorbed some of the moisture. In this case you would need to operate one not only for your own comfort but also for your floors too.
As a means of solving water damage within the home and to reduce the risk of having mold taking root on the walls and ceiling, a desiccant dehumidifier is a great option. It is certainly worth looking into getting a unit of your own, particularly if you have found re-occurring mold and mildew problems.
More reading about dehumidifiers
A Whole House Dehumidifier
Smoke Damage Cleaning Products
In order to perform an adequate cleaning job after fire has gone through the property, your restoration specialist requires proper cleaning products. Part of the restoration work that is required must address the smoke damage that has taken place.
Smoke is the result of partial combustion of the fuel that feeds the fire and forms as visible particles in the air during the fire. These particles are absorbed into just about everything they come in contact with and linger long after the fire has been extinguished in the form of stains or odor. It doesn’t matter whether the surface is a hard surface such as a floor, wall or ceiling or a soft surface such as clothes, carpets or blankets smoke will get into everything and must be dealt with for any hope that it will be removed again.
Smoke damage cleaning products will include chemical cleaners such as the ones that are available from Winsol . For soot stains that have accumulated on the walls and ceilings you would need a dry chemical sponge to begin the soot removal process.
Some chemical products are available as air neutralizers that help you to eliminate the smoke odor from hard surfaces and textiles, speeding up the restoration process. It won’t completely eliminate all smoke odors but it will give you a good start and reduce the time required to complete a thermal fogging of the home.
That brings us to thermal fogging itself. Just as the smoke particles penetrate deeply into the pores of hard surfaces and is then trapped, an effective way to remove the odors is to complete a thermal fogging. Thermal fog replicates the penetration process, only instead of smoke a deodorizing mist is sent into the surface. The fog then attacks the smoke particles and neutralizes them. One complaint with thermal fogging is that although the smoke odor is removed, it is replaced by the chemical odor sued in the thermal fogger. This will dissipate reasonably rapidly but until it does the strong smell may cause distress.
Another product that may be used as part of a smoke restoration is an ozone treatment using an ozone generator. The ozone treatment produces an oxidizing agent that creates an aroma similar to that of a rain storm. The process breaks up the smoke particles eliminating the smoke odor from the room. Clothing and household furniture can be put through this type of ozone treatment by placing them under a tent while the ozone generator is operating.
Removing smoke odor from clothing will be possible through laundering although the success you have will depend heavily on the amount of smoke damage that has been done to the fabric. The majority of clothes can most effectively be restored by using a warm water wash with either a non-built liquid detergent or a low phosphate powder detergent and a liquid chlorine bleach. Tests have shown that the best results can be achieved after the equivalent of 5 washes. One or two washes won’t be enough to give you the level of cleaning that you are seeking.
All of the smoke damage cleaning products needed for a proper smoke restoration can be found quite readily and don’t need a lot of training to use. However, for the best results in performing the restoration it is advisable to talk to the fire restoration experts before taking any action. In most cases, even then, leave it to the people who do that kind of work for a living.
For more reading on this subject:
Smoke Damage Restoration Steps
Smoke is the result of partial combustion of the fuel that feeds the fire and forms as visible particles in the air during the fire. These particles are absorbed into just about everything they come in contact with and linger long after the fire has been extinguished in the form of stains or odor. It doesn’t matter whether the surface is a hard surface such as a floor, wall or ceiling or a soft surface such as clothes, carpets or blankets smoke will get into everything and must be dealt with for any hope that it will be removed again.
Smoke damage cleaning products will include chemical cleaners such as the ones that are available from Winsol . For soot stains that have accumulated on the walls and ceilings you would need a dry chemical sponge to begin the soot removal process.
Some chemical products are available as air neutralizers that help you to eliminate the smoke odor from hard surfaces and textiles, speeding up the restoration process. It won’t completely eliminate all smoke odors but it will give you a good start and reduce the time required to complete a thermal fogging of the home.
That brings us to thermal fogging itself. Just as the smoke particles penetrate deeply into the pores of hard surfaces and is then trapped, an effective way to remove the odors is to complete a thermal fogging. Thermal fog replicates the penetration process, only instead of smoke a deodorizing mist is sent into the surface. The fog then attacks the smoke particles and neutralizes them. One complaint with thermal fogging is that although the smoke odor is removed, it is replaced by the chemical odor sued in the thermal fogger. This will dissipate reasonably rapidly but until it does the strong smell may cause distress.
Another product that may be used as part of a smoke restoration is an ozone treatment using an ozone generator. The ozone treatment produces an oxidizing agent that creates an aroma similar to that of a rain storm. The process breaks up the smoke particles eliminating the smoke odor from the room. Clothing and household furniture can be put through this type of ozone treatment by placing them under a tent while the ozone generator is operating.
Removing smoke odor from clothing will be possible through laundering although the success you have will depend heavily on the amount of smoke damage that has been done to the fabric. The majority of clothes can most effectively be restored by using a warm water wash with either a non-built liquid detergent or a low phosphate powder detergent and a liquid chlorine bleach. Tests have shown that the best results can be achieved after the equivalent of 5 washes. One or two washes won’t be enough to give you the level of cleaning that you are seeking.
All of the smoke damage cleaning products needed for a proper smoke restoration can be found quite readily and don’t need a lot of training to use. However, for the best results in performing the restoration it is advisable to talk to the fire restoration experts before taking any action. In most cases, even then, leave it to the people who do that kind of work for a living.
For more reading on this subject:
Smoke Damage Restoration Steps
A Whole House Dehumidifier
Humidity in the house can cause problems and high humidity can result in conditions that allows mold to take hold. This can then lead to respiratory problems stemming from mold allergies. Early and decisive steps should be taken to reduce the humidity throughout the house or business and the best way to do that is to install a whole house dehumidifier. These units will also be necessary if there has been major flood or water damage that has inundated the majority of the lower floors of the property.
You can set up a whole house dehumidifier in either the home or in an office and let it run quietly in the background. They can be bought either as stand-alone units or as an installed unit that is connected to the ducted air conditioning in the home.
The aim of a dehumidifier is to remove the moisture content from the air and a whole house dehumidifier is simply a larger scale unit that is capable of working over a larger area. The stand-alone models would be suitable for a large, open plan room that will allow the dehumidification to operate within one large room. The integrated units would be more suitable for humidity problems within a large number of rooms.
Although the smaller of the whole house dehumidifiers won’t have quite as large a coverage, although up to 2200 square feet is a large area in itself, the smaller units are usually mounted on wheels and can be moved easily from room to room.
An example of one of the smaller units is a Santa Fe RX Whole House Dehumidifier which is capable of removing up to 86 pints of moisture per day. It is a stand-alone unit and can be moved from room to room. It’s probably ideal for an area such as a library that might be experiencing problems with mold in books.
In comparison an integrated unit that gives you the option of being
professionally installed into a ducted air conditioning system or left as a stand alone unit would be something like the Comfort Plus 300 Desiccant Dehumidifier. This unit is designed to remove moisture over an area of 4000 square feet. If you’ve been beset with mold problems throughout a large house or a series of school classrooms or similar sized area, something like this is ideal. Units such as this one can be run independent of the temperature. With some units the temperature is too low for the dehumidifier to operate.
After a major disaster such as flood water damage that has left large levels of moisture in the home it is necessary to begin removing the moisture from the area as quickly as possible. A whole house dehumidifier, or even a group of them working in conjunction with each other, is the kind of unit that you will want to use. They can be hired from many reputable hire companies for any period you require them.
In many cases you won’t want to have to buy a whole house dehumidifier unless the dampness problem is something that can’t be solved simply. In the end it may be cheaper to buy the dehumidifier and have it operating quietly in the background than spend thousands more on a major repair job.
You can set up a whole house dehumidifier in either the home or in an office and let it run quietly in the background. They can be bought either as stand-alone units or as an installed unit that is connected to the ducted air conditioning in the home.
The aim of a dehumidifier is to remove the moisture content from the air and a whole house dehumidifier is simply a larger scale unit that is capable of working over a larger area. The stand-alone models would be suitable for a large, open plan room that will allow the dehumidification to operate within one large room. The integrated units would be more suitable for humidity problems within a large number of rooms.
Although the smaller of the whole house dehumidifiers won’t have quite as large a coverage, although up to 2200 square feet is a large area in itself, the smaller units are usually mounted on wheels and can be moved easily from room to room.An example of one of the smaller units is a Santa Fe RX Whole House Dehumidifier which is capable of removing up to 86 pints of moisture per day. It is a stand-alone unit and can be moved from room to room. It’s probably ideal for an area such as a library that might be experiencing problems with mold in books.
In comparison an integrated unit that gives you the option of being
professionally installed into a ducted air conditioning system or left as a stand alone unit would be something like the Comfort Plus 300 Desiccant Dehumidifier. This unit is designed to remove moisture over an area of 4000 square feet. If you’ve been beset with mold problems throughout a large house or a series of school classrooms or similar sized area, something like this is ideal. Units such as this one can be run independent of the temperature. With some units the temperature is too low for the dehumidifier to operate.After a major disaster such as flood water damage that has left large levels of moisture in the home it is necessary to begin removing the moisture from the area as quickly as possible. A whole house dehumidifier, or even a group of them working in conjunction with each other, is the kind of unit that you will want to use. They can be hired from many reputable hire companies for any period you require them.
In many cases you won’t want to have to buy a whole house dehumidifier unless the dampness problem is something that can’t be solved simply. In the end it may be cheaper to buy the dehumidifier and have it operating quietly in the background than spend thousands more on a major repair job.
More reading about dehumidifiers
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