How to Get Rid of Smoke Damage
October 21, 2010
Smoke damage due to a fire breakout can be not only nauseating and sickening but it can also leave black, ugly, charred marks on your house ceiling, walls and other equipment. You can contact a fire damage restoration company to help you with cleaning your house after the fire breakout has been controlled. Having said that, here are some things that you can do yourself as well to clean up smoke damage:
To remove black, charred marks, you have to do the following:
1. Take some Trisodium Phosphate and two buckets of water. Wear sturdy rubber gloves and goggles. As the chemical can hurt your eyes and skin, you should wear this protective gear.
2. Fill the bucket with one gallon of warm water. Then add one tbsp of Trisodium Phosphate. Fill the second bucket with warm water as well.
3. Soak a large sponge in the Trisodium solution and then wring it out. Wipe down the areas that have black, charred marks.
4. Take a clean rag or thick cloth; dip it in the second bucket that contains clean water and the wipe the area that you have just sponged.
5. Keep doing the above steps till there are no black, charred marks remaining.
To get rid of nauseating, smoke odors, please do the following:
1. Wipe hard surfaces like walls, tabletops, floors with white vinegar.
2. Keep some bowls of white vinegar in the rooms or areas of rooms that have smoke damage. White vinegar has natural deodorizing properties. In a matter of two or three days, there will no smoke odor left in these rooms
3. You can spray baking soda on rug and furniture. Let it remain in this manner for three or four days, the smoky door will be absorbed by the baking soda. Then clean them with a vacuum cleaner.
4. Keep doors and windows open to allow fresh air in so that it can replace smoke odor.
5. Also, you can take curtains and drapes out, and leave them hanging outside for two or three days. The fresh air will remove the smoke odor on them.
If the smell of white vinegar does not agree with you, you can add a few drops of the essential oil, lavender to suppress the vinegar smell. Also note that Trisodium Phosphate can be so toxic for your skin and eyes, that some cities have even stopped selling them. In that case, you can also try Oxyclean. If you do not want to go through the hassle of cleaning your house off smoke odors yourself, you can ask a good fire damage restoration company that has environmentally friendly practices for everything including smoke removal. It has been seen that if the smoke infused black, charred marks are quite dark and intense, and then Trisodium Phosphate may not be effective. In that case, you may just have to repaint your house walls and ceiling.
Cleaning sewage damage in homes or businesses
October 11, 2010
The sewage system is the main depository of all liquid wastes in the household coming from the bathroom, toilet, kitchen sink, and laundry area. When the sewage gets clogged or leaked, overflow and damage can happen. This condition can be pretty annoying and inconvenient as it can affect the other parts and areas of the house. Moreover, it can pose health risks to the household members considering that liquid wastes are the sources of harmful bacteria and viruses. Sewage damage must not be left unattended even if it is a minor damage at home. The homeowner should take action in cleaning sewage damage at the onset of the situation.
There are two parts of sewage damage cleanup: (1) physical sewage damage cleanup and (2) chemical disinfection. The following factors should be considered in conducting a sewage damage cleanup:
• Extent of damage
• Type of affected household materials
• Duration of contamination and damage
• Amount of ventilation
The process in physical cleanup involves eliminating wastewater, liquid wastes, and debris. Depending on the size and scope of the damage, it may be a good idea to hire a water damage restoration and cleaning company. Before starting the cleanup, protective gears must be prepared such as rubber gloves, face mask or goggles, boots, and protective suit. During the cleanup, there should be sufficient ventilation by keeping windows open to keep the foul odor coming from the liquid wastes to circulate within the house.
The first step in cleaning sewage damage is removing water and liquid wastes from the floor or the wall. With a minor damage, the use of a mop to eliminate wastewater will suffice followed by rinsing using water containing ammonia and bleach for disinfecting bacteria on the contaminated areas. If the contamination occurs only on the cement or tiled flooring and walls, sink and lavatory, physical cleanup and disinfection can be easy.
However, if the damage affects the carpeted floor or areas brought about by flooding or sewage backup wherein wastewater stains are hard to remove, prolonged drying may be done. Yet, this process does not guarantee that the material will completely dry up since carpet is a highly absorbent material. With severe damage, it is time to contact cleaning services experts who know better how to address the issue.
After the cleaning process, observe proper hygiene by washing hands with an anti-bacterial soap or using high-grade alcohol to disinfect the hands.
Sewage damage cleanup is daunting especially since you will be dealing with unclean water waste. Instead of having to deal with cleaning sewage damage, taking preventive measures will avoid such instances to happen at home. Proper disposal of wastes can be done. So, waste that is not supposed to go down the drain must be thrown in the proper garbage container. Regular checking of the drainage can also prevent problems with the sewage system.
