Have you had a house fire where the smell of smoke permeated through your home? If so, you likely realize how the smoke smell can be overwhelming and very difficult to remove. Here is what you need to know about how odor is removed after a house fire.
Know Why Items Smell After A Fire
If you take an item that has been covered with smoke from a fire and seal it in a plastic bag, that item is still going to smell like smoke when you take it out of the sealed bag years later. This is because the item does not have the opportunity to have oxygen remove the particles in the item that are causing the odor, so the smell will remain with the item in its sealed environment. While a house is not sealed tightly, it does lack the flow of oxygen needed to remove odors, making them linger for a very long time unless additional steps are taken. That is where a restoration contractor comes in to help speed up the process. They can find ways to introduce oxygen to the construction materials in your home to help make that odor go away.
Know How An Ozone Generator Works
An ozone generator works by speeding up the oxidizing process, which causes the particles that contain the odor to decay at a fast rate and make the smell go away. The air contains O2, which means that there are two oxygen atoms inside every oxygen molecule. An ozone generator will create O3, which has three oxygen atoms inside every molecule. The O3 from the ozone generator reacts with O2 by causing it to oxidize, which is what causes the odor to go away.
If you have personal property that can be removed from a home, those items can have the smoke odor removed by putting them in a room with an ozone generator. You are not limited to smells from smoke either since it will remove musty smells from mold and mildew since they are organic and living molecules. Personal property items that are affected by smoke odors will need to be left inside an ozone chamber for a couple days before the smell is completely gone. As for construction material, it will need to be cleaned and disinfected so that all the soot has been removed from the surface. Portable ozone equipment can be used to remove the odor from a home, or construction material can be encapsulated to prevent the odor from coming out of the material.
Moving forward and repairing your home can be really difficult, especially if you aren't exactly a DIY enthusiast. However, the fact of the matter is that there are all kinds of repairs that you can take care of on your own, helping you to design a home that truly feels custom. From adding crown molding to your house to repairing an old water leak, restoring your home is as easy as taking a look around and knowing which projects to undertake. From repainting the interior of your home to knowing what to do about issues with your plumbing, taking the opportunity to completely transform your home is easier with a repair and restoration contractor.