Do you have a lingering smoke smell in your furniture after a fire? Stubborn smoke smells can linger in your furniture for weeks or even months. While you can just throw it out, furniture is expensive to replace. If you have fire damage, we explain how to clean smoke damaged furniture.
How To Remove Smoke Smell From Furniture
The best way to get smoke smells out of furniture after a fire is by sprinkling it with baking soda. Let it sit for a few hours or even overnight before vacuuming it up. For extreme smells, you may need to do this a few times. While this will get smoke smells out of furniture, it works best on fabric and upholstered items.
You can also air out smoke smells by moving the furniture outside. A light breeze will help release the smoke smell, but direct sunlight can fade some materials. It is best to air furniture out in the mornings or evenings when the sun is less intense. Also, keep an eye out for storm clouds.
Take off slipcovers and soak them in cold water with two cups of vinegar. Wait a few hours and then wash them normally. You can take them to a dry cleaner as well.
Unfortunately, plastics are extremely susceptible to smoke and soot damage, and it is nearly impossible to clean them after a fire. Particleboard often has a plasticized coating that is also difficult to clean. While you can try cleaning plastics with a mixture of vinegar and baking soda, getting rid of smoke smells in plastics is hard.
Glass and metal resist smells pretty well, but you may still need to clean them after a fire. Wipe them down with equal parts of vinegar and water and dry them immediately. Then put them out in the fresh air for a few hours to make sure all the fire smells are gone.
How To Get Smoke Smell Out of Wood Furniture
Wood furniture is very resilient to fire damage. As long as it’s not burned, you can clean smoke smells out of wood furniture with oil soap. Add a quarter cup of oil soap to a gallon of water and gently scrub the wood with a soft rag. Then wipe the furniture dry and air it out in your yard for a few hours.
For more severe damage, you may need to sand and restain the wood. Start by cleaning with the oil soap, then sand the wood in the direction of the wood grain to remove the finish. Let the wood air out overnight to make sure the smoke is gone.
Then apply a fresh coat of stain. While you can choose any color you like, darker stains are best at hiding light burn marks. Once the stain is set, use a wood sealer for added protection and durability.
Do you have smoke damage after a fire? Call 1-888-443-3110 now for a free quote on expert smoke damage cleanup.
