Odors Abound After A Fire, And SERVPRO Can Help

9/28/2020 (Permalink)

One of the lasting impacts of a fire in your property is the odor. Evacuating your property in the dead of night is stressful enough; however, taking a comprehensive approach to odor control can be even more challenging. Odor causing particles can suspend in the air, enter surfaces as well as fabrics, and your heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Numerous areas can cause the offending odor while locating and neutralizing each one can be unnecessarily time-consuming.

Our technicians specialize in fire damage and odor control here in Monroe. Since odors come from numerous sources, our approach is to use various methods to neutralize them. We may never fully understand which way is effective at controlling odor. However, by following SERVPRO best practices and industry-leading training, we can ensure that the scent no longer remains a problem for you.

Odor control tends to be the last aspect of restoration service. There is little point in applying methods or chemicals to an area that contains odor-causing materials. Charring on contents or structure produces unpleasant smells. Similarly, moisture that we use during the restoration process can make smells more noticeable to the human nose. By prioritizing cleaning, removing debris, and drying the structure, SERVPRO takes the first step toward bringing unpleasant odors back under control.

Our approach to lingering smells is to try and replicate the dispersal of the odor. In a fire, smells typically come from smoke, which billows out from the source of combustion at high pressure and enters small cracks or crevices, like light fittings, in the home. To combat this, SERVPRO can use water-based misting equipment, which produces a smoke-like vapor. These vapors behave in a similar way to smoke, reaching, and neutralizing areas where smoke resides.

Sometimes fabrics or furnishings can absorb soots as well as smoke. To replicate this effect, we can lightly spray furnishing using a hand-held pressure pump. These ensure an equal dispersal of deodorant solvents which absorb into fabrics and other porous materials. By testing on a small area first, we can ensure that these chemicals do not harm the color or fabric of your furnishings.

So give us a call! We are faster to any disaster and are here to help get you back to "Like it never even happened."