Chimney Fire - Sofa Smoke Damaged

[Trevor Clatworthy]

A family friend has had a chimney fire and has asked if i could do anything with their Sofa which is smelling smokey.

I haven't been to the property whilst my initial instinct is to stay clear. Is this kind of job approachable? If so what would be needed above the standard cleaning process if anything. Would you need an Ozone generator?

Thanks in advance.

Trevor

 

[David Deer]

Firstly you have to understand the nature of soot particles which cause the smell. They are very fine charged particles which are extremely sticky.
This means that they penetrate everything and stick to it. The usual method of treatment is firstly to vacuum and then dry sponge any surface. Application of a cleaning chemical which positively attracts the particles (i.e. a suspension of charged particles) is then used to suspend the soot. Combined with a degreaser this is then flushed out.
However the deep penetrative abilities of the particles allows them to move down into the cushioning material. Therefore some odour will remain.
The next phase is to neutralise the odour. This can be done in several ways and personally I would use all of them in turn.
1) Ozone treatment to the whole room takes bout 30 minutes. Put the generator on a ladder or surface higher than the sofa as ozone is denser than air and will drop. Wear face masks, remove pets and plants and close all doors and windows. after use ventilate the room thoroughly.
2) Room fogging with either bomb or ULV fogger unit using deodorising solution.
3) Spray deodouriser directly onto furniture and allow to air dry.
Bear in mind that the rest of the room will have been contaminated and unless restorative treatment of the smoke ingress to the rest of the room has taken place there will still be some residual odour apparent.

Or you could just wet clean it and apply some deodouriser and see how it goes, it won't do any harm as long as you don't overwet.
I am sure the experts at solutions have chemicals and equipment to tackle all of the above so I'll let them advise you on what to purchase.

 

[Trevor Clatworthy]

David, Many many thanks for your response. Its been greatly appreciated.

 

[Ken Wainwright]

Hi Trevor

Excellent advice from David

When it comes to the dry vaccing stage, it's a slow process, but try to vac without actually touching the fabric or the soot. Once you touch it, it bonds much more easily to the fabric.

Solution's Nitro and also M Power are both excellent products for this sort of restoration cleaning. However, any soils which have penetrated deeper into the structure of the furnishings will not be accessible to the cleaning process.

As for the dry sponges mentioned by David, these are not your normal, every day sponges. Have a word with Solution about this. If they don't have anything suitable, they'll be able to advise.

Safe and happy cleaning
Ken