“Honey, I’m reheating that turkey in a pan in the oven. I have to go out for a while, so be sure to check it in a half hour and turn it off.” You can guess what will happen next. “Honey” falls asleep in the recliner while the turkey burns to a crisp. The whole house has a terrible burnt odor. What’s worse, a week or so later, that odor changes to the smell of rotting meat as bacteria break down the microscopic food particles on surfaces. At that point it’s time for serious odor remediation.
It would be much better to prevent the damage in the first place, but sometimes bad things happen even when we are paying attention. A pot or pan of food may catch fire while we are cooking, and smoke begins to fill the house. What should you do? The first obvious step is to remove the burnt item from the heat source to stop it from getting any worse. While the first instinct may be to throw it in the sink and run water on it, do not do that! The hot pan will cause the water to turn to steam and the burnt particles in the water vapor will help spread more of the food residue throughout the home. As an added drawback, if the burnt item is cooking in any sort of grease or oil, putting water on it will cause an oily residue to settle on everything the smoke touches in the home, not just in the kitchen. Cover the pot or pan to smother the fire, but do not put water on it until it has cooled enough to be handled safely. Burnt material then can be scraped out and the container can be wiped down to remove excess grease and oil.
When it is safe to do so, remove the burnt items from the home entirely. Ideally, they can be sealed in a trash bag or other container and placed for disposal in an outdoor receptacle. Wash out the pan if it is salvageable. If the container is not salvageable, remove that from the home as well. After cleaning, remove any trash generated from this process and place in the same bin as the burnt food. This includes scrapings from the pan, paper towels used to wipe out the pan and anything else that may have burnt food on it. Removing the source of the odor is the best way to start eliminating bad smells in the home.
The next step is to start venting the home. If possible, be sure to open any windows or doors to allow the smoke and odor to escape to the outdoors. Even if you can’t open doors and windows, use exhaust fans at full speed to help pull the bad air out and replace it with fresh air from outside. If there is a lot of smoke, close doors of unaffected rooms and place a towel at the foot to limit air flow to areas that are not contaminated. The goal is to flush the odor out of the home, not into more areas that will then also have to be cleaned later.
If you have an air purifier, use it. The filters help remove some odor in addition to the dust and germs that were the reason you bought them in the first place. In this case, place them where you sleep because you breathe openly and deeply during sleep, so you want air in these areas to be as clean as possible. Once the filters have done their work you will need to replace them, but it is worthwhile to get the smoke and odor out of the air. While you are replacing filters, remember the filters in your HVAC system as well because they also helped filter the air and will retain some of the odor.
Check upholstery and linens (sheets, towels, etc.) and anything else made of fabric. They absorb odors quickly and can hold on to them for a LONG time. Be sure to wash anything that has odor trapped in it. Cleaning porous surfaces is a fast way to make the area smell clean and fresh. After the wash cycle, check for residual odor before drying the fabric. If it still smells, wash it again. Repeat this process until you can’t smell the odor before using the dryer on any fabrics with odor from smoke damage. The high heat settings will bond the smell with the material making it extremely difficult to get it out even with additional washes. For mild smoke damage and odor, the washing machine can do the job. In actual house fires where there is a lot of smoke and any soot damage, have a restoration service clean your textiles because the soot will damage your washer and clog your dryer vents.
Have your upholstery, rugs, and carpets cleaned. Just like clothing, carpets and rugs can absorb odors. Hire a professional, and make sure the technician knows that there is a smoke odor you are trying to remove. Using the wrong cleaner or wrong cleaning process can set the smell in the material, making it harder or even impossible to get out completely. ServiceMaster has multiple different cleaning systems to ensure that your carpets, rugs, and upholstery are cleaned safely and thoroughly to remove dirt and odors without damage to your home or possessions.
Since some of these measures may take a little time to remove the odor completely, use deodorizers to help minimize the smell. Great natural deodorizers that can offer temporary relief include bowls of vinegar placed near the source of the smell. You can use baking soda in a lot of ways to help manage odor. It can be added to the wash to help absorb odor from the clothing. It can be sprinkled on the rugs, carpet and upholstery then vacuumed off after an hour to get the surface smell off those materials. This does not replace a full cleaning because odors that are deeper in the cushions or padding will remerge later if not properly cleaned, but it does offer a temporary relief. Leaving baking soda in dishes around the home will help absorb odor out of the air in much the same way that putting an open box in your refrigerator will help control odors there. Fresh coffee grounds also help absorb odors. The added benefit here is that most people love the smell of the grounds as much as they love that it helps remove odor from the air. Coffee is especially useful for pungent or acrid smells.
Of course, all these measures are helpful for burnt food making a minor amount of smoke and odor in your home. If you experience an actual fire in your home, whether grease, electrical or some other sort of fire, you need to have a professional fire and smoke damage restoration performed on your home. Cleaning your home incorrectly after it has been coated in soot can cause more harm to your home or business. You need trained professionals such as the technicians at ServiceMaster to guide you through the process and do the cleaning with proper safety tools and procedures to protect your home and everyone living in it.
If you have questions about an odor problem, call ServiceMaster of Gwinnett at (770) 962-0110 or ServiceMaster 5 Points Athens at (706) 543-3333.
