Best method for cleaning a house with fire/smoke damage?

Question

Hey BP!  I'm currently under contract to purchase a house with fire damage (limited to a couple of bedrooms) and smoke damage throughout.  What tips do you have for this type of property?  What is the best way to clean the smoke?

I'll be scraping the popcorn ceilings and repriming/painting them.  I'm curious about what to do with the walls and cabinets though.  What materials should I use?

Eliott Elias · Answer

Hire a fire remediation company to handle this. This level of rehab is heavily regulated.

Jeremy VanDelinder · Answer

@Eliott Elias Is right. This is a pretty specialized field.

I flip fire-damaged properties and own a restoration company which specializes in fire damage. It can be a big undertaking, although there can be profit in it IF the numbers are right and IF you have done your homework to know what you are getting into (both big “IFs”). Unless you are rather experienced with this type of damage, it may be hard for your to tell the extent of damage. The challenge with fire damaged properties is that there is more than meets the eye. For example, often fire damage is water damage--they put the red stuff out with wet stuff. Unmitigated water damage becomes mold damage and and there is the potential of extensive smoke damage in the same airspace. So even elements that don’t appear damaged can be contaminated. Also, ODOR is a huge issue. If the odor is not properly mitigated that will cause ongoing problems. I would recommend you find a fire restoration company/contractor to work with you. Companies will use certified techs and appropriate materials. Most companies will also be able to offer some sort of a warranty of their work. There are many things that could be overlooked as part of the renovation on fire-damaged properties.

Romney Salanoa · Answer

Hey Billy,

If you don't want to call a service company I recommend using a dry stain remover sponge first then some soap, detergent, or a mix of both and a lot of scrubbing. Then I used a cup of household cleaner for every gallon of warm water and of course more scrubbing.

Hope this helps

Romney

Best method for cleaning a house with fire/smoke damage?

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