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    How to address Fire Place smoke damage

By Robert Carper

Last weekend I decided I would start a fire in the fire place. I did what I thought was proper when it comes to doing this type of thing. One major thing I failed to do was open the Flue. I always remember to does this but forgot this time and paid the price. Smoke was everywhere and my wife was not happy. What to do? What follows is what I learned and what is important and tips on what to do to address smoke damage in your home.

 

Open the damper. I made the mistake of not opening the damper the first time I made a fire in a fireplace. I got the fire going, but it filled the entire house with smoke. Don’t be like me. Make sure to open the damper all the.

Prime the flue. If your chimney is built on the outside of your house, the chimney flue is probably cold. When you open the damper, the cold air in the flue will sink and come into your warm house. If you try to light a fire during this air sink, you’re going to end up with smoke coming into the house instead of up the chimney. To counteract the air sink, you need to prime the flue by warming it up. This is done by lighting a roll of newspaper and holding it up the damper opening for a few minutes. When you feel the draft reverse, you know the flue is primed, and you’re ready to start your fire. If you have a fireplace that has a gas pipe to supplement your wood burning, turn on the gas and light the pilot light without any wood in the fireplace. Your flue will warm up in a matter of minutes

How to Get Fireplace Ash Smell Out of the Room

by Amanda Bell, Demand Media

A fireplace grate keeps ash contained, making cleaning easier.

A fireplace creates an inviting feeling, and a smoldering fire imparts warmth and coziness. Yet the resulting smell of ash makes a room feel stuffy and unpleasant. After a thorough cleaning of the entire space, including the fireplace and room, remove ash from the fireplace weekly to prevent the problem. If offensive scents persist even with adequate cleaning, consult a professional chimney sweeper.

Start at the Source

Leftover ash in the fireplace permeates a room with its scent, and removing it is the first step to deodorizing your space. At least four days after your last fire, take a stiff brush along the interior walls of your fireplace and brush down the sides, dislodging creosote and ash. Sweep out the bottom of the fireplace with the same brush, pushing the ash into a dustpan. Dump this in a leftover plastic grocery bag or trash bag and take it outside to your bin immediately. Sprinkle wet coffee grounds over the ash before sweeping to prevent it from blowing around, or use a vacuum cleaner. Creosote, a build-up resembling tar, forms as a fire smolders and cools down. This substance is highly combustible, especially when build-up exceeds 1/8-inch. Take care when cleaning, and consult a professional if there is a thick layer of creosote in the fireplace.

Clean Out the Fireplace

Wipe down the interior of the fireplace with diluted ammonia or white distilled vinegar. This removes any remaining offensive odors resulting from lingering ash. Dilute 2 cups of white distilled vinegar in 1 gallon of water. Dip a scrub brush in the bucket and scrub down the sides and bottom of the fireplace. Rinse the brush often to remove build-up. As an alternative, dilute all-purpose cleaner in place of the vinegar. Scrub down the grate as well to dislodge ash.

Deodorize Carpets

Even when the ash is gone and the fireplace is clean, the smell can linger in the carpet. Sprinkle baking soda or an odor-neutralizing carpet powder over carpeting and rugs and let this sit for as long as possible, or at least one hour. Vacuum the product thoroughly, making several passes over each section, to eliminate scents. A light spritzing of an odor-neutralizing fabric spray freshens the newly clean carpet further, eliminating the scent of ash.

Clean Upholstery and Window Treatments

Just as offensive odors cling to carpet, they also stick to other soft surfaces, including upholstery and window treatments. Sprinkle baking soda or carpet powder over chairs, sofas and covered ottomans and let this sit for at least one hour before vacuuming with a bristle attachment. An upholstery shampooer filled with odor-neutralizing shampoo eliminates hard-to-clean scents. Launder window treatments at home or take dry-clean only products to a professional. Soak blinds in warm water and a few drops of dishwashing detergent before wiping them down and rinsing them off. The bathtub is ideal for this.

Wipe Down Hard Surfaces

Remove any lingering odors by wiping down the hard surfaces in the room. Oil soap or heavily diluted dishwashing detergent can be used to clean walls. All-purpose cleaner, oil soap or diluted white distilled vinegar works on most furniture, while a steam mop or diluted vinegar neutralizes odors on hardwood floors and tile. Always follow-up cleaning by wiping down the area with a damp rag to remove cleaner residue and drying with a soft, lint-free cloth.

Soot and Charring

Smoke damage causes black marks and discoloration to your walls and ceiling. Soot is the residue left by smoke. Charring is the actual burning of the paint. You should first assess the extent of the damage and determine whether cleaning is a reasonable option. It may be impossible to clean heavy soot and charring from flat-painted walls, and priming and re-painting may be your only option. There is more hope for satin or semi-gloss finishes, if the charring hasn’t gone too deep.

What You Will Need:

   •            Trisodium Phosphate (TSP) cleaner*

   •            Large Sponge (such as the type you’d use to wash a car)

   •            2 Buckets

   •            Warm water

   •            Heavy duty rubber cleaning gloves

   •            Goggles

   •            Clean rags

TSP is a harsh cleaner, and if you do not wear gloves, you run the risk of severe skin irritation. Also, it can cause severe eye irritation, the risk of which can be significantly lessened by wearing goggles or other appropriate eyewear.

The Cleaning Process:

1.     Fill the bucket with 1 gallon of warm water and add 1 generous tablespoon of TSP.

2.     Wearing rubber gloves and goggles, wet the sponge in the TSP solution. Working one section a time, wipe wall/ceiling vigorously with the sponge, then rinse thoroughly with a rag dipped in clean water. Continue until entire area has been washed and rinsed.

3.      You may have to repeat the wash/rinse several times, depending upon the severity of the soot buildup and charring. Be careful not to over saturate your walls, or let the water seep between your walls and baseboards, or you may cause damage to the drywall.

If the smoke damage is not entirely removed by this process, you will most likely need to prime your walls/ceilings and repaint or hire a professional.