If you have had a fire in your home, then no doubt you will be faced with smoke damage in Latham. Smoke damage shows as soot covering the walls, floors, ceilings and contents as well as blistering on the walls and a sickly odor permeating the house. There are professional cleaning companies that have the skill, material and equipment to clean up smoke damage in Latham, but, if your homeowners insurance does not cover the work, you will be faced with paying out of pocket or doing the clean-up yourself.
During a house fire, the drywall used for the ceilings and walls will actually absorb the smoke, the odor will remain long after the fire has been extinguished. The only practical way to eliminate smoke odor from drywall is to replace it. While the drywall has been stripped from the studs, this is an excellent opportunity to replace the insulation as well, as it no doubt will also have been affected by the odor.
If the blaze was not bad enough to cause serious smoke damage Latham, it may be possible to clean the soot film that will certainly have been formed. Walls which have been painted using gloss or semi-gloss paint is easily cleaned, however, walls that are painted with flat paint are considerably more difficult to clean properly. To clean the soot, a mixture of water and TSP, Trisodium Phosphate, can be used. The TSP is readily available at any hardware store. The mix should be one tablespoon to one gallon of mildly warm water. Scrub the sooty surfaces, making sure you wear protective gloves and goggles.
Blisters or what appear to be bubbles can also be the result of smoke damage, or more accurately, the heat of the fire. In many cases, the paint surface, which is what has been affected, can be scrapped with a putty knife and then sanding. When you scrape the surfaces, there is a good chance that you may mar the underlying drywall, simple use plaster sealer, which when dry, can be sanded smooth. Once the bubbles have been removed and any surface damage repaired, the walls can be repainted as normal.
Lots of fresh air is one of the keys to ridding your home of the odor of smoke damage Latham. Leave all the windows open whenever possible, obviously they need to be closed at night to thwart burglars. Clean all the furniture, either call for professional upholstery cleaner or you can rid the smoke odor with a treatment of baking soda and water. If the covers on your sofa, chairs, etc. are removable, they can be laundered in hot water and baking soda. To help remove the odor of smoke from the air, use activated charcoal, place it strategically throughout the house.
