Help required getting rid of smoke smell after fire

sonic

Woke up this morning to find smoke billowing through the block of flats where I live. Turned out to be an electrical fire downstairs which was attended by no less than 5 fire engines.
No casualties thankfully, and nothing lost to fire, but everything absolutely reeks of smoke. Will be claiming on the landlord's insurance to get the walls washed, carpets cleaned etc, but will have to sort out our property ourselves.
I'm presuming it will have penetrated wooden furniture, leather sofa, mattress on bed, and many other things that can't be thrown in the washing machine. Any general ideas for getting rid of the smell, and does anyone know of any way of submitting a bulk claim for cleaning costs on the contents insurance. Not sure how I would calculate the cost of cleaning all the small items individually. Worst thing is the time it will take to clean everything and get rid of the smell.

Nile

Hello sonic


I'm pleased that you're safe and sound. You haven't mentioned what woke you up. Was it a smoke alarm in your home? If not, please install smoke alarms.

Regarding your question about the smoke smell, what about contacting your local fire brigade (but don't ring 999) for their advice? They are the experts in putting fires out and might have useful advice about the aftermath and clean up too.

Kind Regards

Nile

Loretta

If you have contents insurance phone your insurance company and make a claim, they will either arrange for a professional clean or advise you to ask a company to do it for you. There are firms that do disaster cleaning, it would be difficult to do it yourself because you cannot clean it all at once and you will just keep spreading the smell and mess around. There are specials fluids etc for this sort of work and you need it done professionally especially if you don't have to pay for it yourself!

sonic

Was lucky to smell the smoke before it came right into the flat. No smoke alarms on communal landing as the estate director said it wasn't a legal requirement so didn't put them in. He also thought that more harm than good could be done if someone used the wrong type of fire extinguisher on the wrong type of fire, so didn't provide any. We obviously can't be trusted to read a fire extinguisher before using it. Words will be had.

I have been on to the insurance company who will be getting a cleaning company to contact me. Mrs Sonic is down the launderette with curtains, clothes, cushions, duvets, etc. Fingers crossed they can get rid of the smell, as well as the black film over everything.

ka7e

I remember seeing a TV series earlier this year about the clean-up firms employed after house fires. The general concensus was that all smoke damaged textiles should be removed and destroyed, also internal wiring on electrical goods could be compromised by the"black film".
I believe the film is actually a residue of the plastics and other man-made materials destroyed in the original fire. It will be in all sorts of places where it can't be detected ie inside mattresses, in carpet underlay, coating electrical wiring.
Belfor, a professional cleaning company recommend -
"It may be necessary to remove sensitive items, i.e. antiques, electrical goods etc. to an atmospherically controlled environment to prevent further deterioration. Please let our technician and /or the loss adjuster know about valuable items as soon as possible. Heat pressure forces smoke into unsealed surfaces. Therefore, heavily smoked logged areas should be chemically cleaned and sealed prior to redecorating.

Do not use items that have been smoke damaged until they have been assessed, cleaned, and checked for safety. This includes soft furnishings and items of clothing.

Do not switch electrical items on to 'see if they work' you may seriously endanger yourself! These items should be tested by a qualified electrician before reconnecting them to the power supply."

sonic

Thought I would post an update in case anyone is interested. May be worth knowing in case anyone is unfortunate enough to suffer the same problem in the future.

Had the cleaning company assessor round today. 3 days to clean the whole flat, and that's with what I would consider very minor smoke damage. All electrical items to be removed and checked (takes about a week).

One of the biggest pains is that my PC has died. Tries to start up, then complains and powers down again, hence I am posting from work. I was running it with the side panel off as it was overheating in the summer, so I imagine all components are caked in smoky gunk.