After a fire, your floors might not be your greatest concern. However, walking on soot and smoke stains will cause them to set in permanently. From using the right cleaners to knowing when to replace the flooring, we look at how to clean floors after a fire.
How To Clean Floors After a Fire
While you should start cleaning up as soon as possible, always wait for the fire department to clear the scene first. Also, make sure you wear the right protective gear as well.
This includes thick boots, pants, long sleeves, work gloves, goggles, and a ventilator. Although not necessary, knee and elbow pads can make cleanup more comfortable as well.
If you didn’t use a fire extinguisher or call the fire department to put out the fire, you can skip steps one and two.
1. Remove Water
If your floor is wet from firefighting efforts, you need to deal with that before you can clean the floor. In most cases, you can use towels or blankets to soak up the water. If there is more than an inch of water, use either a shop vacuum or a pump to get rid of it.
If you use towels or blankets, avoid rubbing them around during cleanup. This can push soot into your flood, causing stains. Instead, just lay them across the water and let them soak it up naturally. Then carefully lift them up and wring them out. Repeat until the water is almost gone.
2. Dry the Floor
After the water is gone, you need to dry the flooring. For the fastest drying time, use high-volume fans and drying dehumidifiers. They are available at more equipment rental companies. Not only will they dry your floor faster than household fans, but they also limit the risk of mold.
Two to three fans and one dehumidifier will dry smaller areas in about one day, while larger areas may need as many as four or five fans. The equipment rental company can help you decide how much gear you need based on the size of the damage.
3. Remove Soot and Debris
Once the area is dry, you can start cleaning your floors after a fire by removing the soot and debris with a shop vacuum. However, avoid pressing the hose directly against the floor. This will only grind in the stain, making it harder to clean.
Also, you should start at the edge of the room and slowly work towards the center. This will help keep the stain from setting in as you move across the flooring.
Don’t forget to check under appliances and furniture for fire stains as well. Whenever possible, empty out the room before you start cleaning floors after a fire.
If large sections of your floor are burned, charred or melted, you might think about replacing them instead. If you plan on replacing or completely refinishing your floors, you can skip ahead to step six.
4. Clean Fire Stained Floors
Next, you need to clean the fire stains. Add four tablespoons of liquid dish soap to a gallon of warm water. Then use a soft sponge or rag to gently scrub the floor.
For hardwood floors or flooring with a wood-grain texture, scrub with the grain to avoid streaks or scratches. When cleaning vinyl flooring or tile, work in small circles. This will help clean small crevices and grout.
Soot can leave a thick residue on hardwood floors, so you may need to clean it a few times. Always start with liquid dish soap but you may need to clean it with an oil soap as well.
In addition to cleaning vinyl flooring, look for burned or melted sections that will need to be replaced. It’s much easier to replace damaged vinyl tile than rolled vinyl flooring, however.
Sealed or glazed tiles are resistant to soot stains, so you can clean them easily with liquid dish soap. However, unglazed tiles absorb stains easily.
To clean them, use a soft scrub brush instead of a sponge or rag. Scrub in small circles to get deep into the grain of the tiles. Wipe the soap suds away with a clean, damp rag to see if the stains are gone before moving on.
5. Rinse Floors With Clean Water
After cleaning the fire stains, you need to rinse your floors with clean water. For this, you should use a bucket of clean water and either a fresh rag or a mop.
Move across the floor, cleaning away all of the soap and soot. Remember to wring out the rag or mop frequently and change the water any time it gets murky.
6. Repair or Replace Damaged Flooring
If the fire damaged vinyl or laminate flooring, you might be able to replace damaged sections. With laminate flooring, you can pop out and replace fire stained boards. For vinyl flooring, you can remove and replace damaged tiles.
To repair hardwood floors, you need to sand the surface to remove charring or stains. Although you can sand individual sections, it’s best to refinish the entire floor for the best results.
With tile floors, you can try to replace individual tiles. However, it’s not always possible to remove them. You may need to replace sections or even the entire floor.
7. Polish or Refinish Floors
Finally, you should polish or refinish your floors. For vinyl or tile floors, use a general-purpose floor polish to help restore their luster.
If you have hardwood floors, clean them again with oil soap and let them dry. Then use a tack cloth to remove dirt and dust before using a hardwood polish on them.
Whether you need help cleaning floors after a fire or have extensive damage, we are here to clean and repair your home. With restoration specialists across the country, we offer 24-hour service and 30 minute response time to limit the damage and keep repair costs down. Call 1-888-443-3110 now for a risk-free estimate for fire restoration services near you.
