How to Restore Furniture from Smoke Damage

Fire smoke

Fire damage can destroy furniture reducing it to a pile of soot. Smoke damage might not destroy furniture, but it can ruin the beauty by scorching it with ugly surface soot and rendering furniture toxic. This is due to the carbons emitted from the smoke. All may not be lost when it comes to restoring furniture from smoke damage. By restoring or thoroughly cleaning the surface layer of furniture, harmful toxins due to smoke damage can be removed, and furniture can be restored.

Things You'll Need

• Solvent
• Mask
• Tarp
• Old newspaper
• Brush
• Alcohol
• Paint thinner
• Cloth
• Towel
• Electric sander
• 220-grit sandpaper
• Wood sealant
• 150-grit sandpaper
• Color safe bleach
• Bucket
• Safety goggles
• Bristle brush
• Laundry detergent
• Fabric softener sheets
• Iron
• New foam cushions
• Febreze

Instructions

1. Use a solvent to clean furniture affected by smoke damage. Make sure the furniture is not on fire still, that there are no burning embers and that the furniture is completely cool. Put on disposable plastic gloves and a chemical fumes mask. Open up all the windows and spread a tarp or old newspaper around the furniture. Take the furniture outside if transportable and weather permitting.

2. Take a medium-sized house paint brush, and dip it into denatured alcohol or paint thinner. Apply to the sections of the furniture with smoke stains. Rub the spot with a strong cloth or small towel thoroughly.

3. Strip and sand the furniture if it is wood. Some wood furniture survives fires and may be only partially damaged. Go over the damaged sections with an electric sander, or 220-grit sandpaper. Re-sand the entire piece to match any new sanded sections. Remove wood dust with a clean paint brush.

4. Examine the furniture for any splits in the wood or nicks. Take wood sealant to fill in any gaps, and let dry. Take 150-grit sandpaper and sand delicately over the newly glued section to even it out. Use wood glue to re-glue veneer or any parts of the wood that have lifted. After everything is dry, make sure the wood does not have a smoky smell. If it does, take a few cap-fulls of bleach to a half a bucket of water. Put on safety goggles and disposable plastic gloves, and with a bristle brush, scrub the furniture. The bleach will lift out the smell. Let dry and repeat if necessary. Make sure to use bleach in a well-ventilated area.

5. Remove smoky furniture upholstery. Mix 1 cup of color-safe bleach to 1 gallon of water. Soak upholstery overnight in the bleach solution. Make sure the upholstery is completely submerged. Add more water if needed. Put on protective gloves, drain the water and bleach from the tub, and ring out excess water from upholstery.

6. Put the upholstery in the washing machine and wash it on a gentle cycle. Add a cap-full of color safe bleach, mix with a perfumed detergent and wash again. Check to see if the smoke smell is gone. If not, repeat using the detergent only until you can no longer smell smoke. Dry upholstery in the dryer on a low heat cycle with a perfumed fabric softer sheet. Iron the upholstery. Place clean and dry upholstery on new cushions. Old foam cushions are hard to rid of smoke smells and toxins. Steam vacuum non-removable upholstery. Repeat several times. Use a spray-on fabric freshener and odor remover.

References

• FEMA: Tips On Smoke Removal And Fire Cleanup