Cleaning Soot Off of a Wall

After and during a fire, soot will settle on all surfaces, including the walls. Your initial impulse might be to clean it off just as you might dust or dirt---using a damp sponge or cloth. But, using a plain sponge at first will just smear the soot; then add to your process of clean up. 

Obtainable at most hardware stores, special sponges are designed for cleansing soot off the walls and many additional surfaces. They’re utilized dry and will remove most of your surface smoke damage prior to you using a liquid cleansing agent.

1)Place a face mask on, old clothes, safety glasses or protective clothes, then ventilate your room well. (Ventilating will be critical for getting rid of all remaining airborne soot substances which would ultimately end up on walls and additional surfaces).

2) Wipe down the walls from top to bottom with a chemical dry sponge. Utilize one solid swiping motion instead of rubbing. 

3) Wipe the painted wall down one more time with a dry, clean chemical sponge. It will get rid of remaining soot that, although not as visible, will probably still be in existence on your wall. 

4) Combine 4 oz. of soot cleaning agent to a gallon of water within a plastic bucket. Fill up another bucket using plain water. Dampen the regular sponges inside the agent then wipe down the wall. Frequently rinse your sponge in plain water to get rid of excessive soot.

5) Dry the walls well using towels. Wipe the walls dry with the same downward motion as used with your sponges. 

Other Considerations 

Frequently change sponges for optimal soot removal. For high spaces, avoid utilizing a ladder by connecting one of the dry sponges to one sponge mop handle. The cloth baby diapers will work well as an alternative to a towel for the drying and wet cleaning of walls. If this method doesn’t work, you can call in the professionals.

Contact ServiceMaster of Greater Bridgeport for a soot removal inspection in Stratford, Norwalk, Danbury and the surrounding Connecticut area.