Smoke Cleaning

There are many things that can make your home seem especially dirty, but aren't necessarily easy to clean. Smoke is one substance that can cling to fibers, fabrics, and other surfaces in your home, leaving unsightly stains and bad smells all over your home's interior. Whether it is from cigarette smoke, a house fire, or the residue of an unfortunate cooking incident, removing the effects of smoke on your home can be a long and tedious task.

Even just a small amount of smoke can have an impact on your interior. The smell of smoke can stick to drapes, furniture, carpets, clothing, and other materials around the house. Smoke can also leave behind ugly stains that are not easy to get off various surfaces. In some cases, cleaning with typical household cleaners just isn't enough to get rid of a smoky smell or residue, and products that are formulated to cover up smells are only doing just that—covering up the scent, but not actually removing it.

To really get surfaces affected by smoke clean again, you will need to employ certain methods of cleaning. To remove smoky messes, the following ideas can be helpful:

• To get rid of that smoky smell on your clothes and household textiles, start by deodorizing. Soak fabric in a mixture of dish soap and water for several hours, then clean in the washing machine as normal. You may need to wash more than once to remove the smell.
• If you find soot on a surface, you will need to remove it before cleaning and deodorizing the surface. To do this, hold a vacuum up to the surface, taking care not to force the soot deeper in. This will lift away most of the soot so that you can continue the cleaning process.
• To clean soot from walls, try using rubbing alcohol or possibly paint thinner. Use caution during this process, however, and use the proper protection and ventilation.
• If possible, open windows and set up fans to ventilate the inside of your home and help remove the smell of smoke.
• Carpet can also retain a smoky smell. In most cases, a really persistent smell or soot stains will require at least one professional cleaning.

Using the right methods, you should be able to remove most of the appearance and smell of smoke that may linger in your home. In some cases, professional cleaning may be necessary to completely remove stains and smells.