Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
It has been over 4 months since our house fire. There was heavy smoke damage. How do I get the smoke stains/smell out of trophies, tiaras, sashes, etc.?
Soak clothes in peroxide and baking soda over night, then rinse, put outside to dry.
Soak in a bucket, a mixture of peroxide and baking soda overnight. Next day rinse well with a tablespoon of vinegar in a gallon of water, rinse add softerner hang dry outside.
When we had our house fire, the fire restoration people cleaned everything with vinegar and lots of fresh air. It took awhile, somethings had to be cleaned several times and air out for several days in the fresh outside air.
The walls need to be wiped down with white vinegar, dawn dish detergent original dawn, and warm water. Let dry then paint on Kilz primer and a paint with Kilz primer in it . The Kilz will keep the sm
ell from breaking through
How do you get the soot and odor off of clothes, dishes, cookware?
By idairlene from Nelson, MO
I know the original post was years ago, but perhaps this will help someone else.
I had a fire many, many years ago. For the dishes and the cookware, vinegar will remove the soot and odor.
Some of my house plants survived a major fire. I literally washed them with FIT and removed all old dirt to wash away the fire retardant and ash, etc. I repotted them in new pots with new potting soil, but they still smell like smoke.
Any suggestions? They are temporarily in a new, smoke free location so it's not anything else, but the plants themselves that smell.Plants are living things, of course, and perhaps their tissues have absorbed the smoke smell. If they were mine, and the weather was good, I'd put them outside and let them grow there for awhile.
I acquired a brand new cuddle chair which had been stored in a warehouse that had a fire. It really smells of smoke! I've tried Febreze, and air fresheners to no avail. Does anyone have any tips to get rid of the smokey smell please?
By Linzi
Febreeze and air fresheners are only temporary fixes. If Febreeze did improve the chair, the company claims only a 30 day or so change. This limits any future liability.
I searched online and found many suggestions and companies offering their miracles. You may be lucky and find a good solution, however, most people give up after a few tries and dump the smokey item.
Caveat Emptor!
How do you get the smell of a house fire off of appliances and will it work on the inside? I have a refrigerator where the smell outside is bad and the inside is faint, but still there. Will whatever I use turn it back to white it is a little yellow?
By Deb
Wad up lots of newspaper and put inside the refrigerator for a couple of days it will pull out even that nasty spoiled chicken smell & onion. This works well on tupperware and ice chest also.
Is it safe to use cookware after being in a fire?
By Julia
My husband decided to boil the Easter eggs and fell asleep. Needless to say the eggs completely burned and burst all over my kitchen walls, oven, doors, ceiling, and created an enormous amount of smoke throughout my house and in every piece of furniture I own.
I was able to place the throw pillows into the dryer, add two dryer sheets and a few squirts of Febreze and let tumble dry. They turned out perfectly; the smell was completely gone. The problem is the furniture, Febreze helps a little. I can't take the covers off and put through the dryer. Any suggestions as to how I can get the smell out? Thanks.
By Katrina K.
After a fire, ridding your home of the smoke odor can be a daunting task. Books can easily harbor the lingering smoke smell for a long time. This is a page about cleaning smoke odor from house fire in books.
Water and smoke damage can lessen the value of collectibles. This is a page features advice about cleaning collectibles damaged in a house fire.