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Did you know, in the year ending March 2022, there were 27,166 dwelling fires in the UK, making up 43% of all primary fires in the year (according to the Home Office)?
After a fire, it’s important to remove soot and smoke damage on walls, not only for aesthetic purposes, but also due to the negative health effects that smoke particles can cause, including respiratory and circulatory damage.
Here are our top tips for removing smoke damage on walls, so you can restore your home effectively and safely.
An important tip when starting the smoke removal process is to get all your PPE ready. Your checklist should include:
Protective equipment is vital because it will protect you from any harsh chemicals used during the cleaning process and also from free smoke and soot particles that will be in the atmosphere around you following a fire. Smoke can cause eye, respiratory and neurological issues, so make sure to wear good quality PPE throughout the process. An apron is handy too, as it will protect your clothing from soot damage.
Before getting straight into the cleaning process, it’s also a good idea to prepare and protect your room, just like you’ve protected yourself and your clothing before starting. This is as simple as putting down some large sheets over the floor and it will save you the hassle of cleaning up soot, debris and any spillages from your floors after removing smoke damage on walls.
Keep the room well ventilated too, and open up windows to help remove some of the odours.
A heavy-duty vacuum cleaner can help make removing smoke damage on walls a lot easier. It helps remove loose soot particles and you can even use the brush attachment to gently remove loose particles too. This will enable more effective soot and smoke removal when you begin to use a dry sponge or TSP.
Dry sponges are also known as chemical sponges and they’re made of vulcanized rubber. They’re great for removing soot, but make sure you’re using wiping motions instead of scrubbing.
Scrubbing can damage the wall and smear soot around, wasting your efforts and leading to greater repair and restoration cost. Use downward strokes and work your way along the way from left to right, overlapping slightly on each downward stroke.
To prevent smearing and smudging, use a new sponge once your current sponge is covered in soot.
Often, the best solution when it comes to removing smoke damage on walls is to get some expert advice from a professional fire and smoke damage cleanup and restoration company, such as CPL t/a Rainbow Restoration. With 20 years of experience in restoration and the removal of smoke damage on walls, our team can restore your property, leaving it clean and safe.
Soot and smoke damage on walls need to be removed as soon as possible, before moving back into your home. Soot is carcinogenic and the toxic compounds in smoke can be absorbed into the bloodstream, increasing the risk of cardiovascular issues like blood clots and stroke, according to the BHF. The earlier the soot and smoke damage is removed, the better and, for your own peace of mind, smoke and soot removal is best tackled by the professionals.
We also offer smoke odour removal services as part of our range of fire cleanup and restoration services. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team on freephone 0800 030 4360.