Smoke and soot damage cleanup, restoration and removal services for Mercer County

2/9/2020 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of East Windsor can handle the entire fire cleanup process—from assessing the smoke and fire damage to rebuilding your home or business

Fire leaves different kinds of soot on surfaces depending on what burned in your Mercer County residential or commercial property. Even a small blaze produces acidic smoke and soot that needs to be cleaned up. During your initial fire damage inspection, SERVPRO of East Windsor will test the soot to determine which type of smoke damage occurred. The cleaning procedures will then be based on the information identified during pretesting. Depending on how much smoke damage there is, there are various methods we can use to clean up the surrounding walls and ceiling.

When cleaning up soot damage, our SERVPRO teams have a few different options available:

Dry Clean the Soot
If you primarily have dry soot in your home, you can use dry cleaning methods to pick up most of the soot. These methods are essentially the same methods you would use for removing dust. A dry cloth can remove soot from tables and furniture, while a vacuum can pick it up off of carpets, upholstery, and flooring. Dry-cleaning will ensure that powdery soot does not smear into a blackened grime.

This method is a little tedious, so it is normally only recommended for smaller areas of soot. It can be helpful for doing a basic clean up and ensuring the soot does not spread before you can get more help. Keep in mind that if you try a dry-cleaning method and the soot begins to smear, you may need to try a wet cleaning method.

Wet Clean the Soot
A wet cleaning method can be effective if you have wet or oily soot. To use this method, combine soap with water to lightly scrub an area with soot. Try testing it in a small area to ensure that it can actually pick up soot without making the mess worse or damage the underlying surface.

Wet cleaning soot does have some benefits because it can pick up soot that is mixed in with oil or moisture. However, it is quite time-consuming and requires a lot of effort. Another downside of wet cleaning soot methods is that they are only feasible on tile or other waterproof surfaces. Using water to clean drywall, wood, or electronics is not advisable.

Soot composition can vary quite a bit depending on the underlying causes. All types of soot cause at least some darkening, and in severe cases, any type of soot can look completely black.

• Dry Soot - Dry soot is left from very hot fires burning natural ingredients quickly. It has a dry, dusty texture and almost no smell. Dry soot is often easier to manage than mold or storm damage. In many cases, removing it is as simple as using a vacuum with a HEPA filter on all surfaces. 
• Wet Soot - If a fire smolders for a while on low heat and burns high moisture items, wet soot may be created. This is essentially dry soot that has mingled with steam to create a sort of soggy, sooty mess. Cleaning up wet soot requires a combination of fire damage and water damage strategies.
• Oily Soot  - When plastics, rubbers, and other products containing oil are burned, soot can turn into a sticky, greasy substance. If you try to wipe it up, it will just smear instead of going away.  Also, because it contains oil, it will be resistant to water-based cleaning products. Unlike dry soot, oily soot will cling to any surface, even vertical areas.
• Protein Soot - Protein-based soot is a particular type of greasy soot that tends to occur as the buildup in kitchens or the product of a kitchen fire. It involves overcooked proteins that turn to soot, and it has a very pungent odor. This type of soot is quite hard to get rid of, and the odor may linger if it is not cleaned up properly.

Each type of soot gets a different cleaning method. Our technicians check out all damage and match the best cleaning method to soiling. Once damage does happen, our technicians are fully trained and certified under the guidelines of The Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) to restore your home to its original state. Local teams learn the latest procedures to clean carpets, furniture and surfaces of soot and to remove the smoke odor that can linger for weeks in an untreated home. One fire site can need a variety of cleaning methods, our fire disaster restoration professionals can handle it all.

Our Fire Damage Restoration Specialists use commercial grade vacuums to remove soot and other residue. Our blowers and exhaust fans can be adapted to work from a large family room to a small laundry closet. We use a wide-variety of cleaning products specialized for every surface in a home from marble countertop cleaners to soaps and dry sponges that gently remove soot and not the paint underneath. We can use HEPA grade filtration systems, air scrubbers, and ozone machines to help improve the Indoor Air Quality.

We're Here To Help You

If you do experience a fire, professional fire restoration services like SERVPRO of East Windsor can handle the entire fire cleanup process—from assessing the smoke and fire damage to rebuilding your home or business—“Like it never even happened.”