How To Clean Up Soot After A Fire

• What is soot?
• Why you must have soot cleaned up immediately after a fire
• How to clean up soot after fire damage
• What you should do after a house fire
• Contact us today

House fires don’t just damage properties, destroy belongings, and make your property unpleasant to live in. If the fire damage is not cleaned up, it can put your health and what is left of your home at risk.  

Here at ICE Cleaning, we offer rapid response fire damage cleaning services. Our technicians can remove all traces of soot and ash, and neutralise any lingering smoke odours, leaving behind a safe and clean environment.

Read on to find out how to remove soot from your property and belongings.

What is soot?

Soot is a powdery, flaky black substance consisting of carbon that is produced by the incomplete burning of organic material, like wood and coal. It leaves behind an odour that smells like charcoal or burning.

As soot particles are so small they can quickly spread around a property during a fire. They are also electrostatic so they cling to surfaces like walls and ceilings.

The presence of soot in a property is usually caused by a fire, but it can build up as a result of using candles, poorly ventilated fireplaces, and furnaces, as well.

Why you must have soot cleaned up immediately after a fire

Inhaling, ingesting, or touching soot enables the particles to enter your system and penetrate into your lungs. It can cause serious health problems including asthma, bronchitis, cancer, heart, attacks, and strokes.

Soot could cause more damage to your property, too. Not only is it flammable and therefore poses a fire risk, it is also acidic so it will corrode and discolour surfaces including metal, glass, and plastic.  

How to clean up soot after fire damage

Although you may be tempted to start cleaning after fire damage, it is much more difficult – and dangerous – than you would think.

It’s very hard to clean

As soot particles are very fine, they can settle deep into porous surfaces, like furniture and curtains, making removing all of it challenging. Soot is sticky and greasy, as well, and tends to smear when you try to clean it.

Or, if you do dislodge some particles, they may fall onto another surface. For example, when cleaning fire damaged walls, soot could then end up on furniture which will then need to be cleaned. Should you use the wrong cleaning method, you might even damage the surfaces more.

To remove all the soot, you will need specialist cleaning equipment such as soot sponges, HEPA vacuums, degreasers, and air scrubbers. Training and experience with these expensive products may also be required so you can use them efficiently.

It can harm your health

When you clean soot, you put yourself in much closer contact with it and are far more likely to touch, inhale, and ingest it. The particles may stick to you during cleaning, too, putting you at risk afterwards.  

You should always leave fire damage cleaning to professional cleaners. They will have the knowledge of how to clean up soot, and the specialist gear and personal protective equipment to remove all of it quickly and safely.

Although you might not be able to help with the fire restoration, there are lots of things you can do to speed up the process:

• Ventilate your home by opening windows and using fans to circulate fresh air and get rid of some of the soot particles. Wash fans and filters regularly.
• Move any furniture and belongings out of the affected rooms as soot can easily settle on surfaces when removed from another. Alternatively, cover up everything in the room.

What you should do after a house fire

Instead of cleaning up soot yourself, here is what you must do following a fire in your property:

1. Find somewhere else to stay to minimise exposure to the fire damage. Don’t forget to secure it against thieves and other potential criminal activity, as well as the weather.
2. Contact your insurance provider so you can make a claim to help with the restoration costs.
3. Take any pets to the vet in case they were affected by the fire and need medical treatment.
4. Have your utilities, such as gas, electricity, and water, checked to see if they are still working or require repair.
5. Bring in professional cleaners to restore your property to how it was before, or as close as possible to its original state.

Contact us today

Our technicians are available round the clock, 365 days a year, and can be on site in several hours in an emergency.

They have lots of experience providing a quick, stress-free service, and can provide a wide range of services that you may require, from smoke odour removal to water damage restoration.

Get in touch with our team on 0208 066 0360 or enquiries@icecleaning.co.uk to find out more about our fire damage cleaning services.