Odor Removal In Marlborough Homes
7/16/2018 (Permalink)
Many Causes of House Odors Are Neutralized with SERVPRO Expertise
Most malodors in Marlborough homes often come after a fire leaves smoke and odor residues throughout the structure. Eliminating them is often the final step to returning a home to its original condition after a fire. Other sources in our area usually come from an animal carcass under the home or in the attic, or an excess of animal feces in a crawlspace. Crime scene and hoarding can also require professional-grade efforts for odor removal.
For Marlborough odor removal, SERVPRO technicians follow four key steps to clean and protect area homes: Remove the source and debris, clean surface residues, recreate conditions to eliminate, and seal surfaces.
The first step is to remove the odor source whenever possible. Team specialists dispose of charred structural and personal property debris, or animal carcasses immediately. If an item has a layer of smoke residue on it, then our personnel remove it to an unaffected part of the house, another facility, or take it outside if the weather is good. Removal eliminates much of the odors, and if the source was in the removed debris or property, the home returns to its pre-odor condition quickly with a little help.
Next, SERVPRO technicians clean and wipe down every surface which contains an odor-causing residue. They can break down and remove most residues with a cleaning agent and a dry or wet sponge. If the residues came from a kitchen fire, then they may contain grease, which makes them much harder to remove. Team members may need to use scrubbing brushes and stronger cleaning agents depending on the surface of the property. An example would be removing odor-residues trapped in upholstered furniture.
If the odors penetrated the surface of an item, then technicians may need to recreate the condition. To do this, they distribute a deodorizing agent in the same way smoke got into the property during the fire. Often, they use a fogger machine to create a cloud of deodorizing or neutralizing agent and spray onto the surface. The cloud can penetrate to the same level as the smoke, blocking or eliminating the malodors. This option is not always available due to possible chemical reactions with plastics, vinyl, and rubber products within the house. Hydroxyl generators and HEPA filtered air scrubbers with activated charcoal filters are two more useful devices for bad odor neutralization.
The final step is to seal the surfaces. It is not used regularly but is effective for blocking mild odors that remain after cleaning if the homeowner does not want to remove structural property. Our technicians use paint with an odor-blocker to prevent odors from entering through the walls. This is useful also to contain previously mold infested elements.
Our goal at SERVPRO of Marlborough / Concord is to return your home to a clean-looking, and smelling condition. If you detect any malodor in your home, call us immediately at (978) 486-9868 to schedule a visit.
Local sites click here.