How to Clean Up After a Fire
Most homeowners do not want to think about the possibility of disaster striking. However, to keep your family safe and to protect your property, you need to think ahead and consider what you would do if your property caught on fire. Once you make sure everyone in your household is safe and the fire is put out, your next step will be cleaning up after the fire. This is a multistage process that requires different cleaning techniques for different areas and items. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Carpet shampooer
- Laundry soap
- Bleach
- Water
- Trisodium phosphate
- Dishwashing liquid
- Vacuum freezer
Instructions
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1
Remove linoleum and carpeting in your home that was saturated when the fire was put out or that has fire damage. It will need to be replaced. Shampoo any carpeting or rugs that were not soaked or damaged.
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2
Launder all of your clothes that have been exposed to fire or smoke. If the clothes can be bleached, wash them in a solution made up of 1 cup bleach, 1 gallon water and six tbsps. of trisodium phosphate. Rinse the clothing thoroughly.
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3
Use the same bleach cleaning solution you used for your clothing to wipe down walls, floors and furniture. This cleaning solution will remove soot. Rinse all areas thoroughly after cleaning.
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4
Wash all of the dishes and other cooking utensils that were exposed to smoke or soot. Wash them with normal dishwashing liquid, and polish metals with a fine-powered cleaner.
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5
Clean your canned goods and jarred food in the same type of cleaning solution you used to clean your dishes.
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6
Throw out mattresses and pillows that were exposed to smoke. You will need to replace them.
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7
Place any books that got wet when the fire was put out into your freezer. As soon as you can, get a vacuum freezer to place them in. A vacuum freezer will dry the books and save them from further damage.
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References
- Photo Credit Michael Blann/Digital Vision/Getty Images
