Our column this month is Part 2 with Get Right Mitigation owner Mitch Zembik.
Sandy: Well, we are back with this month’s sponsor and member of YCCA, Mitch Zembik with Get Right Mitigation and Restoration. Welcome back, Mitch. I understand you have a topic you would like to educate our readers about this month.
Mitch: Hi, Sandy and Tom, good to be back and yes, I do want to talk about something that can, unfortunately, be a real concern in this area: how smoke damages your home from wildfire or even a home fire.
Tom: Hey, Mitch. Great topic. I presume you are talking about a home exposed to fire but not actually burned.
Mitch: Yes. If your home is encased in a smoke-filled area for a long period of time by wildfire smoke, there will be smoke infiltration into the home.
Sandy: Even though the home is locked with doors and windows closed, the smoke finds its way in and will leave lasting smells and soot; is that correct, Mitch?
Mitch: Yes, it sure does. None of our homes are airtight. As you know we have actually come to find out that it is not healthy from an air quality standpoint.
Tom: Very true. There are multiple forms of cracks and small gaps in weatherstripping, roof vents and construction seams that allow air to flow, so why not smoke?
Mitch: Exactly. The particulates in the smoke are the real culprits that can damage your home. The smoke permeates all the nooks and crannies inside your home and either settles on surfaces or embeds into them.
Sandy: Mitch, give our readers some examples of those different surfaces and tell us all how they differ.
Mitch: The simple answer, Sandy, is that smoke particulates land on hard surfaces and get absorbed into porous surfaces.
Tom: Relay some of the types of hard and some examples of porous materials you would encounter in a typical home.
Sandy: Good direction, Tom. I think some folks will be surprised.
Mitch: The obvious materials are the ones that absorb water such as linens, clothes, furniture, including leather couches, carpets and window coverings.
Tom: These are the items you need to haul off correct – are you saying they are not salvageable if they have smoke damage?
Mitch: Yes and No. Some materials that might be difficult or risky to reuse would be upholstered furniture and mattresses: Smoke can deeply penetrate and is hard to fully remove; they may retain odors or toxins.
Insulation: Nearly always needs to be replaced because of its porous nature.
Drywall and ceiling tiles: Easily absorb smoke and odors; often need removal.
Electronics: Smoke can damage internal components – inspection by a specialist is recommended before reuse.
Textiles (curtains, carpets): Can sometimes be cleaned professionally, but heavy damage or odor may render them unusable.
Cabinets, particularly wood cabinets, are rarely salvageable, and neither are unsealed stone or stone counter and decorative products.
Tom: So that nice stone facing on my fireplace may have to go?
Mitch: Unless the stone is sealed well, probably.
Sandy: Bummer. What about tile?
Mitch: Again, it depends on how well sealed it is, particularly the grout joints. Typically, we will have to remove most tub and shower wall surrounds as the smoke gets embedded there where it cannot be cleaned.
Sandy: Mitch, would you give us a rundown on how you determine what a restoration process will look like?
Mitch: Sure. Step one is to get on site and look at the damage from smoke, heat or both. With some testing to assist us, we need to determine the health risks involved with each project. They are all different.
Tom: OK, you assess the damage in detail. That gives you the information you need to formulate your approach to a resolution.
Mitch: Tom, that is exactly right.
Sandy: Do you ever walk away from just smoke damage as unrestorable?
Mitch: Rarely. When a total loss from smoke damage is determined, it is usually by the owner or insurance company – or both – making the call.
Let’s get onto Step Two. That is creating a plan to move forward. From our assessment, we create a detailed plan on the steps we will take to mitigate the damage. This is a step-by-step process to detail what we will remove and what we can clean. This includes a safety plan for the crew.
Sandy: Sounds like a lot of work leading up to the work. Planning is important and a good plan leads to a good project.
Mitch: Each project we do is so different from the last one that we have to get a detailed written plan, not just for our clients and the insurance companies, but for our crews to follow as well.
Tom: An action plan. I love that. Tell us the next step, which I presume is the actual work.
Mitch: Yes. Step Three is the work. We start by creating a negative pressure seal throughout the building we will be working in. This prevents any air contamination from leaving the space.
Sandy: Are there filters the contaminated air passes through?
Mitch: Yes, all the air passes through “scrubbers,” which maintain the negative air pressure.
Tom: For some of our readers, negative air pressure means the air pressure in the building is less than the exterior atmospheric air pressure.
Sandy: So you remove those porous materials you can’t clean and then clean the surfaces that remain. What do you clean with and how?
Mitch: Our cleaning process is not what you might expect. We start at the bottom and work our way up.
Sandy: Interesting, why?
Mitch: The heaviest damage and smoke particulate accumulation is at the lower part on a wall let’s say. As we clean, those particulates get released to some extent and if we started at the top of a wall, we would re-contaminate that and have to clean it again.
Tom: That makes sense. The restoration process is quite involved. Once you clean a home, is all trace of smoke smell gone?
Mitch: Typically, yes. The reconstruction process begins after the cleaning and folks get their home back.
Sandy: How do you handle “callbacks” when you get them?
Mitch: We rarely do. There is a phenomenon known as “phantom smell.” Phantom smoke smell after a fire – also known as phantosmia or olfactory hallucination – is the perception of smoke odor when there is no actual smoke present. It can happen for a few reasons: residual smoke particles, even after cleaning, microscopic soot or smoke particles can remain in HVAC systems, carpeting, drapes and upholstery, wall cavities, porous surfaces like wood, drywall or concrete. Heat and humidity can reactivate these particles, releasing lingering odors intermittently.
Sandy: I read that prolonged smoke exposure can irritate your nasal passages and alter your sense of smell. Is that true, Mitch?
Mitch: Yes, the brain may continue to register a smoke scent even when the source is gone. This is especially common among those with sensitive sinuses or respiratory conditions.
Sany: To end our column with Mitch, here is why smoke is notoriously difficult to remove: it is more than just a smell; it’s a complex chemical residue that penetrates materials deeply and lingers long after a fire is out. Here’s why it’s so stubborn to remove: Smoke is made of microscopic particles (soot, ash, oils) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and these compounds cling to surfaces and embed into porous materials, releasing odors for weeks or even months. Smoke penetrates deeply into materials and the porous items in a home absorb smoke like a sponge.
Not all smoke is the same. Different types of fires produce different residues.
Wood smoke: Dry, dusty soot, relatively easier to clean.
Plastic or synthetic smoke: Greasy, sticky, and toxic, much harder to remove.
Protein fires (like burnt food): Leave an almost invisible, foul-smelling film that coats everything.
Consult with a professional restoration company such as Get Right Mitigation if you have experienced fire damage.
To our readers, thanks for stopping in to read At Home With Tom and Sandy. You are in good company, and we love sharing educational, fun and important information with you. See you next month. QCBN
Tom Reilly, Architect, 928-925-5692
Sandy Griffis, Executive Director, Yavapai County Contractors Association. 928-778-0040
Leave a Reply