Lingering Odors an Unexpected Challenge After a House Fire

4/20/2022 (Permalink)

Experiencing a fire in your home is devastating. Dealing with the aftermath can sometimes be even more traumatizing, from the restoration of materials to the removal of soot that seems to attach to every surface. Even when the flames are out, leaving considerable damage, there now permeates an odor throughout your home you’re certain you’ll never get out of. You need to get professional help with odors caused by fire damage When your home becomes inundated with these odors, it’s time to call SERVPRO of Phoenix.

Odors linger long after the fire is out

Once your home sustains fire damage, the smell of smoke can linger indefinitely. While these odors slightly improve when the air becomes drier or when the temperature decreases, they never truly disappear without professional intervention. Try as you may use air fresheners, the odor won’t go away because the cause of the odor has permeated into the materials of your home. Structural mitigation and restoration do little to alleviate an odor problem. Odors from soot particles left behind by burning plastics and other synthetics can make food taste bad, your clothing smell, and even cause health effects in some individuals. SERVPRO's Odor Control Technician (OCT) can help eliminate the odors you’re experiencing and do it quickly. The sooner you get a professional in to deal with the unwanted odors, the sooner they can be eliminated.

Next steps after fire restoration

Through our fire damage mitigation efforts, we eliminate most of the smoke residue in your home. Keep in mind that soot could have found its way inside and into adjacent areas which in turn traps odors. Areas behind cabinets, above ceilings, and inside walls hide soot particles as well, but our professionals know how to seek these areas out and get to the root of the odors. The science of eliminating odors can be challenging, so it’s best to leave the restoration and odor remediation to experts. SERVPRO uses a technique to get to these particles wherever they might hide. Instead of removing them manually, thermal fogging eliminates odor’s ability to return to your home's air. The forced mist spreads out in the same way the smoke did and chemically bonds with any loose soot particles. The added weight makes it impossible for the soot to get lifted back into the air currents that travel through your home, thus eliminating the potential of odors arising again in the future. Other areas that might hold onto odors include carpeting and drapes. While soot can remain trapped here and thermal fogging might not reach all the residue hiding in the backing and pad underneath carpeting, our technicians can still treat the area with potent liquid deodorizers. We can infuse these directly into the absorbent padding. Other areas that continue to harbor odor sources often respond well to hidden gel packs, of which we have several different scents. These also last a significant amount of time. Our technicians have an arsenal of options to address odor issues!

Proper training in odor removal

We have the training and equipment to identify and eliminate offensive odors. By identifying the cause of the odor, and determining the conditions where it contacts surfaces, the odor can often be removed over time without a trace. Our technicians have access to several odor removal products capable of penetrating surfaces to neutralize an unpleasant odor thoroughly. Call SERVPRO of Phoenix at (480) 503-2090 to make sure that every aspect of your home's fire damage mitigation, including the elimination of odors, is handled professionally and by skilled specialists. We are here to help!