Fire outbreaks are a common occurrence in Australia, and could be the worst kind of disaster to beset a home. Asides the extensive damage it causes to household items and structural materials, it also brings supplementary hazards in the form of possible water damage, harmful soot pollution, damage to electrical installations, and unhealthy smoke levels. Even if the fire is well-contained, its after-effects can continue to jeopardise the health of the inhabitants long after it has been extinguished.

Smoke odour is a typical example of the by-products of fire. If left untreated, it may remain in the home for years. Amongst other things, it compromises the indoor air quality in the affected home and poses health risks to the occupants. So, in the event, that fire affects your building, you’ll need to take quick measures to get rid of the hazardous smoke odours.

Effective Smoke Odour Removal Tips

Removing smoke odour can be a daunting task, especially if it’s from a big fire. Tiny smoke particles usually stick to household structures and items, including furniture, carpeting, books, and wall paint. Eliminating them often requires specialised training and equipment. If you need professional assistance, you can hire fire damage restoration experts to help you remove the unpleasant odour from your home.

Nevertheless, here are a few DIY practices that could help you remove some of the smoke particles from the burned home:

1. Air Out the Premises

The first thing to do in removing smoke odour from your premises is to air out and allow fresh air into the place. Open your doors and windows. Remove the window screens as well.

You can also use fans to Ventilate the rooms. When the fans are placed strategically to face doorways, windows, or room corners, they help blow air around and push the smoke odour outside.

2. Try Positive Pressure

If the smoke odour is powerful, airing out the premises alone won’t help. In this case, you need to draw the smell out with a powerful fan.

Here are the steps to follow:

1. Put a large fan (box fan or bigger) about 6 meters from an open door facing inwards
2. Turn on the fan to its highest power and close every other door and window, except one which will be the exit point for the smoke

• Blow out the room for about 15 minutes

1. Repeat the process for other affected areas until the entire premises has been properly aired out.

3. Clean Your Household Materials

Air Ventilation can only do so much to reduce smoke odour in your house, the most effective way to get it out completely is to deep clean every affected item or surface.

Here are the steps to follow:

1. Remove all rugs, blankets, carpets, curtains, decorative cushions, furniture covers, duvets, and other affected household fabrics to get them dry cleaned.
2. Wash the doors, window panes, shades, window screens, etc.

• Wash the solid surfaces with dish soap, warm water, and Vinegar.

1. Clean the carpets and upholstery.
2. Clean your Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system thoroughly.

4. Re-paint the Walls

Wall paint has been known to absorb household smells including smoke odour. If this is the case, you would need to re-paint your walls to get the smell out.

Here are the steps to follow:

1. Use ammonia or glycol-based cleaning products to neutralise the unpleasant odour.
2. Let it dry out thoroughly, then use a paint primer to seal in the smell

• Finally, apply latex paint to complete the job.

Use a Professional Smoke Odour Removal Service

If you find it challenging to implement these simple steps to remove smoke odour from your house, or you find the tasks too burdensome, you may need to engage fire damage restoration professionals. Such technicians have the training, skills, and advanced equipment (air scrubbers, nano filters, ozone generators, etc.) needed to eradicate the unpleasant smoke odour from your home after a fire.

One such reliable service is Disaster Restorations, which provides cleaning, decontamination, and restoration services in Australia for all kinds of fire, smoke, water, and storm damage.

Check the link below to book a free consultation with any of our representatives. For us, your satisfaction is our delight.