Smoke Stains (1417)

During a fire, heat drives smoke into every accessible opening. Smoke becomes deeply imbedded in any porous surface. Your homeowners insurance may cover the costs of having a professional smoke removal service come into your home to treat lingering smoke and stain. They may also cover the cost of dry-cleaning for clothing, curtains, upholstery and carpet.

If the smoke damage is minimal, try placing small dishes of vanilla extract (imitation won't work), wine vinegar or activated charcoal around the house. Any of these will help absorb odors.

Remove as much dirt (soot) as possible. Then combine one ounce of a detergent containing tri-sodium phosphate with a gallon of water. Wash surfaces thoroughly with this solution and rinse with clear water.

Other recommended solutions are:

- Mix one part soap jelly, ½ cup ammonia and ½ pound powdered pumice. Apply. Let stand 20-30 minutes and rinse well with clear water. These products are available at hardware stores already mixed.

- Scrub with a strong solution of tri-sodium phosphate and water. (Check label for directions.)

- For surfaces such as brick or stone, a more drastic treatment is oxalic acid. Follow directions on the container.

For smoke stains on metal, steel wool is usually recommended, although it takes hours of scrubbing.

For textiles you can try treating the severely discolored washables by the following method:

Dissolve one cup dishwasher detergent (the type used in automatic washers) in one gallon warm water. Completely submerge items and let them soak all night. The next day, drain and launder as usual. For those items that can be bleached, add 4–6 tablespoons tri-sodium phosphate, or 1 cup of Lysol, or 1 cup chlorine bleach. Do not mix any of these together. Soak 30 minutes and launder as usual.

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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