Safety Tips for Smoke and Odor Removal From Your Walls

Key findings in research on fire loss in the USA state that a home fire occurs every 89 seconds. What happens if you’re one of the statistics? How do you clean the fire damage off your walls?

If this sounds like your situation, keep reading as we explain how to remove smoke and odor from your walls safely.

What Is Soot and Why Is It Dangerous?

Technically speaking, soot is the carbon residue left over from burnt organic matter. Soot can be created by most burning items such as matches, candles, and fires.

Like with mold, you risk seriously compromising your health if you don’t remove smoke from your walls after a fire. This is because leftover carbon particles, or soot, are harmful to breathe in and could severely damage your body.

Safety Precautions and Warnings

Because of the acid nature of soot, to clean smoke-stained walls, you will need to use a strong solvent. While wearing eye protection, a dust mask, and gloves are your standard means of safety, always refer to the manufacturer’s instructions as precautions can differ by product.

How to Remove Smoke and Odor From Your Walls

It’s usually best to call in the professionals to do a proper job of cleaning smoke-stained walls, but if you’re asking how to clean smoke stains off walls, then it’s not necessarily a task you couldn’t undertake yourself. So below, we will briefly address a few ways on how to remove smoke stains from your walls.

Plaster Walls

If your walls are plaster, you don’t want to use water-based solutions when you’re undertaking the cleaning process. Doing so will cause the stain to bleed into the wall, creating a more permanent stain.

Instead, you want to use a solvent like paint thinner, rubbing alcohol, or even a chemical sponge to remove smoke from your walls.

Drywall Walls

For drywalls, you can use trisodium phosphate (TSP), diluting one tablespoon to one gallon of warm water. It’s essential to note that TSP is caustic, so take caution when using it.

Do not soak the wall, but rather take your time by washing one section at a time, rinsing well before drying.

Nicotine Stains

Nicotine stains are slightly easier to clean and can be cleaned with a solution of 1:1 water and vinegar. This solution is potent but gentle and will not damage paintwork while it works. The leftover smell of vinegar will dissipate within 24 hours.

Smoke and Odor Cleanup Tips

There are a few things to note before you start your cleanup process. Below we will offer some tips to make your projects more successful.

– Always use solvents in a well-ventilated space

– Always wear the correct safety gear

– Test your cleaning chemicals on a small piece of the wall on an area somewhere out of sight

– Contact your insurance before starting the cleaning process if you’re planning on submitting a claim

– If the fire damage was extensive wait for the safety report before beginning any cleaning

Call In the Professionals

While there is a fair amount of smoke damage that can be removed with a DIY method, sometimes the job is big enough to need professionals. Professionals will also be able to assist with smoke odor removal.

If you’re looking for professionals to remove smoke from your walls, contact us for a quote today.