A fire in an apartment is a terrible natural disaster that forces you to experience a lot of negative emotions and unpleasant consequences. After such an event, the house is left with charred walls, floor and ceiling. Cleaning up after a fire is not an easy task, but you should not postpone the work. Next, we will consider methods of how to restore a burned-out room yourself.

The sooner you start the cleaning process, the better, because carbon monoxide is very quickly absorbed into walls and furniture. All damaged utensils and interior items will have to be thrown away, with the exception of wooden and leather furniture, which can be tried to restore.

Procedure after a fire in an apartment:

  1. Collect and remove garbage.
  2. Pieces of wallpaper may remain on the walls. Carefully remove everything together with plinths and cornices.
  3. Curtains and carpets can be left and cleaned with household chemicals.
  4. Burnt windows and doors cannot be restored, so they will have to be replaced.

Cleaning up after a fire

Dry cleaning

Room cleaning begins with dry cleaning.

  1. Cover the floor with a film.
  2. Carefully fix the joints.
  3. Use a vacuum cleaner to remove soot from the surface of the ceiling and walls.

It should be noted that the movements should be sharp and fast. If you smear the soot on the surface, it will be completely absorbed. Cleaning after a fire takes place in several stages.

Wall washing

After cleaning, the walls must be washed. For this you will need:

  • solution container;
  • clean rags;
  • dishwashing liquid.

Soda and soap clean the surface well.

Soap and soda paste

An effective means for cleaning burnt surfaces

  1. 100 grams of household soap must be finely grated.
  2. Dilute the resulting powder in two liters of water and heat.
  3. As soon as the water cools and the soap dissolves, add five tablespoons of soda and stir.
  4. The product will become pasty and will clean any surface well.

1% solution of soda and water

For this cleaning solution you need:

  1. Mix 100 grams of household soap in ten liters of water and add 100 grams of soda ash.
  2. For the entire time of cleaning, replace the old solution with a new one.
  3. Wash the soot in the direction from the floor to the ceiling.
  4. Use a stiff brush in difficult areas.

After wet cleaning, the surface of the walls is covered with a hermetic solution and primed for further cosmetic repairs.

Now move on to cleaning the air in the room.

Removing the smell of burning

Carbon monoxide is absorbed very quickly, you should not delay the air purification procedure. The easiest option is to use the services of a cleaning company, for which cleaning apartments after a fire is a professional job. Or rent an air ozonator. However, this service is not available to everyone. Folk methods will help:

  • Vinegar. Dissolve 500 grams of vinegar in 10 liters of boiled water. Leave the bucket with the solution in the room for one hour, having previously opened the windows. Vinegar absorbs the burning smell.
  • Rubbing alcohol and vinegar. Add one tablespoon each of ammonia and vinegar to five liters of water. Use this tool to thoroughly wipe the areas of ignition. After work, rags must be disposed of.

Cleaning up after a fire

  • Steam and vinegar. Turn on the stove and put a pot of water on it. The water will boil for several hours. Pre-hang towels soaked in vinegar solution in all rooms. Vinegar absorbs unpleasant odors, steam molecules set the air in motion.
  • Special chemical solution. Mix 40 grams of soda ash and 40 milliliters of ammonia in a bowl. Mix the composition and add 40 grams of hydrochloric acid. As a result of the reaction, ammonium chloride is formed, it is a white smoke that perfectly absorbs the smell of burning. Leave the solution in the apartment for one day, after which the room should be well ventilated.

Cleaning of surfaces made of glass, plastic, wood

Let’s consider a number of other methods of cleaning surfaces:

  • A paper napkin soaked in soapy water will help to wipe the glass from soot.
  • It is easy to wipe off soot from plastic and laminate, using technical alcohol or gasoline.
  • River sand or finely grated brick is used to clean metal and wood. It’s easy to renew a wooden surface using a sander.

Cleaning the premises after a fire is a very difficult event. However, it is easier to take all precautions against fire than to clean the apartment after a tragedy.

Cleaning up after a fire: what to do