Stages of cleaning an apartment after a fire on your own

The fire in the room leads to devastating consequences: it destroys valuable things, leaves traces of soot and the pungent smell of burning. More than half of the victims of the fire try to clean the apartment after a fire on their own. Of course, it is easier and more reliable to entrust the work to specialists from cleaning organizations, but their services are not cheap.

What things will be needed for cleaning?

Being indoors after a fire is unsafe for health. Caustic particles of soot and synthetic resins are floating in the air, which can settle in the lungs and irritate the mucous membranes of the eyes and internal organs. Therefore, self-cleaning of the apartment will require you to prepare protective equipment.

You will need the following things:

• old closed clothing made of dense fabric (after cleaning it will have to be thrown away);
• respiratory mask;
• protective glasses;
• gloves
• kerchief;
• thick-soled shoes.

Now you need to prepare cleaning products and tools. Cleaning after fires is different than usual. You will have to process not only floors, but also walls, ceilings, furniture.

The minimum cleaning kit includes:

• broom;
• scoop;
• garbage bags;
• tray;
• a vacuum cleaner;
• film;
• dry rags - from 10 pieces;
• a metal brush;
• putty knife;
• roller;
• impregnated sponges (Coral, Spiro Pads, Svinto) - from 5 pieces;

Sponge impregnation includes anionic and amphoteric surfactants and glycerin. During cleaning after a fire, you can not use a lot of water so as not to smear soot on the walls and furniture. Impregnated sponges need to be slightly moistened before cleaning.

Another option for cleaning traces of soot is a melamine sponge (made from melamine resin). It erases dirt like an eraser and does not require the use of water.

You can find impregnated sponges and melamine sponges in household chemical stores, building hypermarkets or on the Internet.

Cleaning things

To begin an event to restore housing should be the liberation of the premises from things that were damaged during the fire.

1. Discard items that cannot be recovered. Most likely, you will have to get rid of books, because they retain the smell of burning for several years.
2. Take out upholstered furniture, carpets.
3. Send curtains, curtains, bedding, clothes to the washing machine. If the laundry smells on your clothes after washing, take them dry cleaned.
4. Use a broom to scrape pieces and pieces of spoiled items off the floor and send them to the trash bag.
5. Carefully remove cracked glass from the window frames and doorways.
6. Throw food out of the refrigerator, unplug the appliance and leave it open.
7. Remove the surviving plants from the room and wipe their leaves with a damp cloth.
8. Change the ventilation filter and put two layers of gauze on the outlet grilles.

If some things were soldered to the floor, you can’t do without the help of professionals. Also, do not try to clean the lighting yourself.

Dry cleaning

Many fire victims make a gross mistake - they start cleaning by wiping the contaminated surfaces with wet rags with a soapy raster. After a fire, tiny particles settle on the walls, floor and furniture. Exposure to moisture leads to enlargement of pores. As a result, the soot is "sealed" by several millimeters in various surfaces.

Never wet before dry. Otherwise, subsequently washing the soot will be impossible.

Dry cleaning includes the following steps:

1. Open all windows and doors to create a draft in the room, or turn on the air conditioning system.
2. Using a broom, remove soot and soot from the floor. Then use a vacuum cleaner.
3. Cover the floor with tape, fixing it with tape.
4. Take a spatula and remove the charred wallpaper.
5. Vacuum the walls and ceiling. Remove soot residues with a hard metal brush. Do not smear the soot on the surface, but knock it down from above with sharp movements.
6. Wipe the walls and furniture with impregnated sponges or melamine sponges.

Wet cleaning

Now it's time to clean the floor, ceiling and walls. If you have the opportunity, first walk along the surfaces with a steam generator or a washing vacuum cleaner.

Rags should be wet, not wet. Soot is cleaned from the walls with sudden movements from top to bottom. Severe dirt can be removed with a metal brush dipped in water. Wooden furniture is wiped only with rags or sponges.

Suitable aqueous solutions for cleaning:

• a half of laundry soap for 3 liters of water;
• a solution with the addition of dishwashing liquid;
• 4 tablespoons of baking soda per liter of water.

You can also purchase in the store of household chemicals or order through the Internet special cleaning products after a fire.

• Sanaklin Asset 302

Cleans soot and soot from the walls, disinfects. Suitable for use in a steam generator. The active ingredient is chlorine. To clean the walls after a fire, 10 ml of water are diluted in 10 liters of water.

• Bars P

Designed for cleaning hard surfaces from soot, smoke resins. Does not contain chlorine. In 10 liters of water, 500-1000 ml of the drug is diluted. “Bars P” is used in its work by specialists from cleaning organizations, but it can also be ordered on the manufacturer’s website - the company “Khimiteks”.

• Syntilor fuoco

An alkaline product that not only cleans contaminated surfaces, but also eliminates the smell of burning. It is applied to the burnt area for 5 minutes, and then washed off with water.

Air purification

Poisonous fumes in the room - the biggest problem for fire victims. If cleaning up after a fire allows you to somehow bring the house into a presentable appearance and prepare it for repair, then the smell of burning usually remains for 6-12 months.

Wet cleaning gives a short-term effect, and soon the stench returns. The fact is that soot and resin particles are introduced into the structure of the flooring and furniture, and then gradually released.

There are several ways to get rid of the smell of burning, and all of them are desirable to use in combination.

• Airing the room

In summer, windows should remain open around the clock. However, they need to be closed during rain.

• Condensate

Fill the bathtub and all sinks in the house with hot water. After an hour, return to the apartment and wipe the droplets from the walls and furniture with dry rags.

• Vinegar solution

This product absorbs unpleasant odors. Pour 0.5 liter of 9% vinegar into a 5 liter pan with boiling water. You can also add 1 tablespoon of ammonia. Leave the apartment for an hour. Then go back and drain the solution into the sink.

• Aromas of plants and flowers

They only help to kill the smell of burning, but do not completely eliminate it. Herbs of mint, sage and wormwood, as well as essential oils of lemon, bergamot, tea tree, eucalyptus, geranium, lavender, have the most vivid and harsh aromas.

These products also disinfect indoor air and prevent mold and mildew, which often appear in the apartment after extinguishing a fire with water.

• Steam cleaner

Walk the appliance on the walls and furniture. This will help get rid of the smell of burning for 1-2 days.

When you can’t do without cleaning services

Unfortunately, sometimes a fire focus covers the entire apartment. The walls are black and charred, electrical appliances are damaged, and the smell of burning is such that it is impossible to be in the home. In this case, it is better to find money and seek help from cleaning specialists.

The cost of services depends on the following factors:

• the area of ​​the contaminated territory (the price per 1 square meter is an average of 500 rubles);
• region of residence (the services of metropolitan specialists are more expensive);
• the need for special equipment and chemicals.

Dry cleaning and restoration of damaged things, dismantling of window frames and doors are paid separately.

Methods of "soft blasting" and ozonation can completely rid the room of the smell of burning. You can resort to such services of cleaning organizations a little later if the stench persists for more than 12 months.

Conclusion

Thus, cleaning apartments after a fire is a responsible and difficult event. Dry cleaning should be carried out as soon as possible, otherwise caustic particles will remain in the surfaces for a long time and will exude a burning smell. During wet cleaning, care must be taken not to smear soot on the walls. The presence of large-scale pollution and destruction requires the help of specialists.