r/Firefighting • u/anouka-m • 1d ago
General Discussion Cleaning clothing & other items after a flat fire
Hiya, my apartment building burnt for 14 hours last week and I was only just able to access my flat to recover valuables. My apartment itself wasn't damaged by fire but it was affected by the flooding / smoke and now everything smells like BBQ.
I understand that the smell & smoke particles are incredibly difficult to get out and I'm planning on getting rid of most of my clothes and items. However, for the sentimental pieces (like my hand-knit, 100% wool jumpers, or my childhood stuffed animal) does anyone have an idea of how much professional (ozone?) treatment would cost? I'm worried about carcinogens and the smell of burnt beef following me forever. Also, are beauty products like moisturizers safe to use?
I did not have contents insurance as I had only moved in the week before the fire and hadn't gotten round to finishing the insurance application. I'm based in the UK.
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u/ItsDaPickle 10h ago
You'll want to talk to a property restoration company. They'll be able to talk you through what can be fixed/treated and what the costs are. I'm not sure about what companies specifically are available in the UK, but here in Canada, Winmar, Belfor, Service Master, PuroClean, etc. are quite common in most major cities. Just look for one with good reviews. They shouldn't charge you anything to assess your situation.
The cost is really going to depend on how much and what is affected, and to be frank, it gets very expensive very quickly, but there's no cheap way to do it.
As far as whether or not products like moisturizers are safe to use, I'd say it's probably pretty low risk with the way they're typically packaged, but me, personally, I'd just toss them and buy a fresh bottle/tube/whatever unless they're particularly expensive. If the product itself doesn't smell like smoke, I'd say it's unaffected, and I can't imagine you'd want to use it if it smells like smoke, anyway.
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u/Strict-Canary-4175 1d ago
This isn’t really a fireman’s area but I love cleaning. I would try hypochlourus acid. It comes in a spray, pretty inexpensive and it kills bacteria and eliminates odor. I use it around my house and car because I have a dog, but jt works SO well. That would be my first recommendation.
But also if you can just lay these things out in the sun for a while, it would help a lot!
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u/yungingr 1d ago
Problem with your spray is OP's odor concern is not bacterial in nature
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u/Strict-Canary-4175 1d ago
Well, it’s a deodorizer…. So I think it will work. Helpful though thanks!
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u/yungingr 1d ago
Sorry for your situation - but for the most part, we deal with your building while it's on fire. We're not experts on the cleanup and restoration afterwards.
Best advice would be to call around to restoration companies in your area (I'm in the US, so basically of no helpful use to you with recommendations).
That being said, I went through a house fire in December of 2000. There are odor absorbers that can help; it took several years but eventually my soft-side guitar case stopped smelling like smoke.