Clean up soot after a fire

 

Post-fire clean-up is currently considered a form of emergency clean-up. The latter is necessary after severe combustion or risky outbursts.

Fire is one of the most serious and destructive elements. Its impact can destroy any property within minutes.

Fire damage is most often irreversible thermal damage and heavy and difficult soot contamination.

Cleaning after fire

Most of our environments, which are sources of fire, are made of plastics or materials impregnated with chemicals such as varnishes, paints, adhesives, or thermal insulators.

The side effects of combustion are enormous amounts of chemical contaminants dangerous to health, compounds of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (responsible for cancer formation), dioxins and furans, and hydrochloric acid compounds. The gases given off in smoke aggressively destroy metal parts, electronic devices, and building materials.

Prolonged exposure to fire can permanently discolor window coverings, machine housings, and equipment.

To stop the negative impact of pollution on the environment, it is necessary to quickly eliminate and neutralize the resulting contamination.

Premier janitorial is the best cleaning company in Tukwila, and their experts will help you a lot.

Our expertise at your disposal

There is nothing worse than a fire in a house or business premises. Not only are your home and belongings damaged, but there is often a risk to you, your family, or your employees. Even after the flames are extinguished, you have to deal with the consequences of the fire.

The most common problems are smells of smoke, soot, cleaning water, and firefighters' chemicals. The damage to your home is directly visible on your burnt and blackened walls and ceilings.

What is soot?

Soot is the residue left behind by items burnt in a fire. They contain many carbon-based impurities and are mainly produced when the material does not burn completely. The texture of soot is petroleum-based because plastic objects in every house and burning them causes the release of petroleum molecules into the air, which can be very harmful to health.

The health risks associated with soot

This can wreak havoc when it enters a person's respiratory system and is, therefore, a serious health hazard. They are released into the circulation when the soot particles join the alveoli, and with it, impurities penetrate different areas of the body. If the impurities build-up, a person's health could suffer.

However, soot's worst possible effect is its tendency to cause cancer and cause severe congenital disabilities in the newborn. Soot produces polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a gaseous state. These hydrocarbons are responsible for the genetic mutation of particular groups of genes and can cause congenital disabilities in children and increase cancer risk.

It is therefore important to get professionals to clean up the soot after fire thoroughly using advanced techniques.

Our techniques for cleaning soot after a fire

Leaching

It is very useful on walls and ceilings that do not tolerate water contact, and washing is done by hand or at high pressure. We use it to fight sticky soot, degrease, and passivate the building.

The scrub

For substrates that cannot be in contact with water and for removing volatile soot. This technique is carried out using a dry sponge following a rigorous working method.

The peeling

The peeling consists of applying a film-forming cleaning paste to remove soot from walls, stucco, natural stones, ceilings, and marble. This acknowledges the assistance to be washed and can be mobilized both indoors and outdoors without the need for water or solvent. The pasta absorbs all the dirt and soot embedded in the material.

This is a formidable soot cleaning technique for delicate surfaces.

Encapsulating paint

After decontamination, it is common to observe that the surfaces take on a yellowish and unattractive appearance. In this case, encapsulating paint is necessary after washing or high-pressure cleaning.

Its application is done with a spray gun or roller. Depending on the coating type (concrete, plaster, woodwork, metal frames, metal siding, brick), there are different products.

Soot fixers

This technique durably encapsulates soot and dust. It is used in difficult areas to access (ventilation ducts, air conditioning, plenums, etc.). The soot fixings come in the form of varnish or resin.

Dry ice blasting

This is the most effective and modern technique for cleaning up soot after a fire. It is based on the principle of sublimation consisting of projecting dry carbon dioxide ice at –79 °. This ice will eventually break, and the impurities will be rejected. It is also a very useful process for removing soot in hard-to-reach places and treating mechanical or electronic devices.