Cleaning Up Homes Near the Marshall Fire in Louisville and Superior, CO
After the Marshall Fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes in Boulder County in 2021, the lucky people whose homes were spared from the fire but still suffered from smoke damage were left wondering, what is the next step for us? Weecycle Environmental has provided suggestions for the best cleaning protocol to make homes safe and healthy again.
What Must Be Cleaned?
When combustion occurs during a fire, not all materials burn cleanly, resulting in smoke and soot. These waste products – solids, liquids, and gases – may be composed of various chemicals which are harmful to your health. Today’s modern structures hold an array of chemicals not found in early homes, including plastics, foams, fabrics, carpets, wood products, synthetic fabrics, wool, and asbestos-containing materials, when burned they created particulates not visible to the naked eye. Char – or non-vegetation particulates.
Simple terms: the particulates found in the homes surrounding the fire are micro particulates of plastic, metals, carpet, electronics, etc. all the non-vegetation burned up in the fire that are not quickly biodegradable, they will take months if not years to disintegrate.
Why Is It Important to Clean?
If left in the property, toxic particulates exposure may occur via the skin and eyes, inhalation, and ingestion. Because airborne soot particulate is invisible, you may unknowingly be affected. Once soot enters your blood stream, it can cause a wide array of serious health issues, including respiratory issues, shortness of breath, bronchitis, asthma, stroke, heart attack, cancer, and premature death. In infants, even short-term exposure to soot has been shown to have lifelong health consequences, permanently altering developing respiratory systems.
Simple terms: these particulates that are a result of the fire are harmful to the health and need to be removed from the property. In short, they are not unlike the ones after 9/11, and we all know what they caused, granted this is not to the same degree, but the same non-vegetation particulates from manmade items that burned up.
How to Clean a Home Interior After a Nearby Urban Fire
Professional interior cleaning of ALL surfaces and furniture by a certified Fire Restoration Company. All walls, ceilings, window cavities and floors throughout the structure should be decontaminated. The particulate matter must be extracted using a HEPA vacuum. All walls, ceilings, floors, and belongings must be vacuumed and then wiped down with a disposable wipe.
All HVAC system vents and ducts must be cleaned with a roto brush. Replace filters. Check the seams of all HVAC ducts for proper seal.
Wash all clothing, bedding, towels, and fabrics in a washing machine. Mattresses and cloth furnishings should be tested for particulates after cleaning.
Vacuum all hard surfaces like countertops, above cabinetry, lighting fixtures, windowsills, appliances with HEPA-filtered vacuum and wipe with a warm water/disinfectant solution (bleach or Simple Green) using disposable wipes.
If you have a heavily contaminated interior you may wish to have the exterior soffit of the property inspected to determine if it needs to be decontaminated and investigate migration of soot, ash and char into the wall cavities.
Continue Cleanup Until the Neighborhood Dust Has Washed Away
Wildfire or burned vegetation particles, when found inside structures, are primarily composed of char and ash particles. Such contaminates are also present in the exterior, yard, neighborhood, and community and due to wind and other natural causes can produce an enduring issue until naturally degraded. It is important to continue with these follow-up process even after a thorough decontamination and cleaning has taken place in the residence.
Keep the Outside Out
To lessen the potential impact from ongoing contamination from exterior sources Weecycle recommends the following:
- Limit tracking outdoor residual contaminants into the house by removing shoes at the door or wearing disposable shoe covers when entering.
- Keep walkways and porches clear and as clean as possible
- Use a HEPA vacuum on all floors daily
- Clean all surfaces in entry ways with disposable wet wipes daily and perform wet wipe cleaning in other areas weekly
- Change the furnace filters weekly or biweekly while natural degrading is taking place in the outdoor environment