How Does Fuller’s Earth Help with Smells after Fire Damage?

10/8/2020 (Permalink)

Smoke damage lingers long after the fire has been extinguished. We have the equipment to restore your home. We are always available to take your call.

Morris Plains Homeowners are Concerned About Smoke Odors After Fire Damage  

Most homeowners around the country, including Morris Plains, worry about a blaze breaking out in their house. The thought of the damage and the costly repairs is terrible. However, if a disaster occurs, SERVPRO is on hand to help. 

Our customers often let us know that one of their main concerns after fire damage to their Morris Plains home is the smell. Anyone unfortunate enough to suffer a house fire knows that the smoke odor can stay around for a long time.

Our customers often let us know that one of their main concerns after fire damage to their Morris Plains home is the smell. Anyone unfortunate enough to suffer a house fire knows that the smoke odor can stay around for a long time. 

Why are smoke odors so hard to eliminate? 

When organic materials burn, they create soot, the sticky black substance that covers surfaces after a fire. Soot gets absorbed into porous materials such as: 

• Organic textiles like cotton and wool
• Wooden furniture
• Fire-damaged plastic that bubbles and becomes porous 

Because soot penetrates the material, getting rid of the smell is challenging. Deodorization is an integral part of SERVPRO’s work because we know your home will not feel like your own while it stinks of smoke. 

What is Fuller’s earth, and how does it help?  

Fuller’s earth is a clay material, usually palygorskite or bentonite, which has deodorizing properties. It has a variety of uses in everything from the military to the film industry. For the restoration industry, it is the active ingredient in Instant Odor Counteractant Pellets, which we use to deodorize homes after fire damage. Counteractant pellets can be used in different ways: 

• A small amount placed in a remote area like a closet
• Placed in shallow pans in larger rooms to deodorize the entire space
• In the intake of furnaces or air conditioners to deodorize the whole home 

Fuller’s earth is a potent deodorizer – two ounces of pellets is enough to remove smells from 160 square feet of floor space.  

We can also use counteractant pellets in conjunction with other deodorizers such as charcoal filters, air scrubbers, thermal fogging, or ULV misting. 

If you are worried about smells after a fire, call SERVPRO of East Central Morris County at (973) 887-9100.