How to remove the smell of burning in an apartment

The smell of burning from the apartment must be removed as quickly as possible. Otherwise, all furniture, curtains and wallpaper will be soaked in smoke, and it will be very difficult to remove it, especially from the wallpaper. Special things should not be allowed to impregnate the walls, so you need to know how to get rid of the smell of burning in an apartment, even if there is no such problem at the moment.

What is the smell of burning

Burns are formed by products of incomplete combustion of substances. They can accumulate in the air and household items, subsequently harming the human body. The respiratory tract is most affected.

A burning smell can occur in an apartment for the following reasons:

• Short circuit. It is not necessary for the wiring or appliance to catch fire for the odor to occur. Therefore, you need to check the serviceability of the wiring regularly, as well as take care of high-quality grounding.
• Operation of faulty household appliances.
• Burnt food on the stove.
• Burning dishes on the stove (kettle, saucepan).
• Fire.

Burn is also dangerous in that a person stops feeling its weak smell over time, while the negative influence continues. Therefore, you need to get rid of the consequences of trouble as soon as possible.

How to remove the smell of burning in an apartment

There are many ways to remove the smell of smoke and burning. The choice primarily depends on the degree of smoke, as well as on how much time has elapsed since the incident. But you need to start with the main thing - to eliminate the source of burning, otherwise other actions will not lead to a positive result.

Eliminate the source of burning

Actions depend on the scale of the incident.

1. If a burnt wiring or a faulty household appliance has led to an unpleasant smell in the room, it is enough to throw away the equipment, replace the sockets and wires.

   Important! Don't forget to check the wiring for damage.

2. It is enough to clean the escaped food from the stove and ventilate the kitchen.
3. In a fire of moderate severity, where only one room or part of it was damaged, attention should be paid to cleaning the fire site. Throw away the furniture, re-glue the wallpaper in this place. Thoroughly wash the rest of the room with the use of special agents that remove odors, ventilate well, spray with air fresheners.
4. If there was a global fire, actions will be aimed at clearing the premises to zero - returning the apartment to the state of bare walls.

In any case, the first action aimed at destroying the smell should be to remove its source - to throw out burnt furniture, faulty household appliances, clean the stove from burnt food. Then you can proceed to a complete cleaning of the room.

Airing

Now about the methods that will help to cope in cases where the incident was not large-scale: food burned, a short circuit happened, a household appliance burned out, etc.

The first thing to do is airing. In general, doctors recommend ventilating the room every day before bed. And if there is a burning smell in the room, ventilation is mandatory.

Open windows and balcony, doors if possible (if it is a private house) to create a draft. Thus, getting rid of the smell will be faster. Doors and windows should be left open until the smell disappears.

Important! At this time, it is advisable not to be indoors.

Wet cleaning

After the apartment is ventilated and the main unpleasant smell has disappeared, you need to start wet cleaning. The first step is to wash the area where the source of the smell was. This must be done several times: with vinegar or odor-killing chemicals, then with water.

Next, you need to wet clean the whole house:

1. If possible, wipe the walls with a damp cloth, adding a refreshing gel to the water, if the wallpaper is not washable, slightly moisten the cloth.
2. Wipe the ceiling, use a mop for convenience.
3. Wash curtains and textiles.
4. Finally, wash the floor with a special refreshing agent.

After wet cleaning, it is worth taking action to aromatize the apartment.

Air freshener

Artificial air fresheners will quickly restore freshness and fill your home with a pleasant scent. You can periodically spray a spray from a freshener with a spray bottle, also spray surfaces. This is the easiest and cheapest way.

But the frequency of spraying such a freshener should be quite frequent, once every 1-2 hours. In order not to worry about this, purchase a special installation that automatically injects a certain amount of air freshener at a frequency that can be set on the device.

On a note! Most air fresheners contain solvents and should not be overused.

Gel freshener works well. It is a gel ball soaked in a small amount of liquid. They are located in a special container, which has a lid with holes through which the liquid constantly evaporates. Due to the gel balls, evaporation occurs constantly, but slowly, so this freshener lasts for a long time, and it works every minute.

Bamboo stick vaporizers work the same way. This option is more expensive, but it will last longer and is less hazardous to health.

Vinegar

If the incident was quite large-scale, and even after wet cleaning, the smell of burning is mixed with the freshener, do another wet cleaning using vinegar.

Stir in 5 liters of water 2 tbsp. l. vinegar and wipe down all surfaces. To handle wooden objects, try to squeeze the rag as hard as possible, because wood tends to absorb odors strongly, and then you will have to get rid of the strong smell of vinegar.

Natural coffe

Coffee is an excellent natural absorbent. Roasted natural coffee perfectly absorbs odors. Moreover, it has a persistent odor and can act as a freshener.

To get the desired result:

1. Take 2 tablespoons of coffee beans (as many as possible, the amount depends on the area of ​​the room).
2. Put them in a preheated skillet and cook for a few minutes.

   Important! The pan must be dry. Coffee beans contain oils that are released during heating, so you do not need to use additional oil for frying.

3. Spoon the beans into ceramic saucers and arrange them around the room.
4. After a few hours, when the grains stop emitting a strong aroma, you can ventilate the room.

This natural freshener can be used in the future. Place the coffee beans in a sealed glass container and cover with a perforated lid. Add a small amount of beans there and change them periodically.

The coffee does not need to be pan-roasted before use, however, the smell will be weaker.

Herbs

Burn from the apartment does not leave as quickly as we would like, and sometimes it can remind of itself. Therefore, for some time after the incident, it is worth keeping air fresheners in the room. If you don't trust artificial chemical fresheners, use natural ones.

Coffee has a bright aroma and strong absorbent properties. After several uses, it can be replaced with a weaker freshener.

One of the best options would be to use herbs. In addition to the refreshing effect, they have medicinal properties, and will have a beneficial effect on the respiratory system of the inhabitants of the apartment.

It is enough just to spread out around the house or hang bunches of dry or fresh grass. Choose plants with a strong scent:

• lavender;
• mint or lemon balm;
• thyme;
• sage;
• tarragon;
• oregano;
• lemongrass or lemon verbena;
• basil.

But some of these herbs release essential oils and can have a very bright scent, so dose the amount of the herb in the bunch.

Citruses

You can go beyond lemon verbena or lemongrass and use citrus fruits to combat odor.

On a note! Lemons are used to combat unpleasant odors in the refrigerator, cupboards, and even shoes.

Take 2 liters of water, squeeze the juice of a medium lemon into it. Wipe down all surfaces in the house with the solution. Also wipe down the ceiling and walls. There is no need to be afraid that the wooden surfaces will absorb the smell, so there is no need to make the cloth semi-dry.

You can also cut the lemon into wedges and spread them around the room. To make the smell stronger and last longer, rub the wooden blocks with lemon, after soaking them in warm water.

To keep the smell in the house longer, take a few slices of lemon, put them in a small amount of water, and put them on fire. When the water comes to a boil, reduce heat and leave the saucepan over low heat. Make sure that the water does not completely boil away, otherwise you will have to deal with the consequences of a new fire.

What to do after a fire in a house

It is more difficult to figure out how to remove the smell after a fire in an apartment. In this case, the actions should be deeper.

1. Remove trim. All surfaces must be cleaned down to the concrete base. Remove the remnants of wallpaper and plaster from the walls and ceiling, remove carpets, linoleum or other covering to concrete from the floors. As a result, bare slabs should remain.
2. Dismantle wooden and plastic structures. Doors, door frames, skirting boards, window frames and double-glazed windows - all to remove.
3. Throw the furniture away. Even if it has not been badly damaged and is amenable to restoration, it is better to throw it away or send it to the country house, where it will be on the street. During a fire, any furniture and textiles are saturated with smoke and fumes, becoming a source of smell.

In general, you need to remove everything from the apartment or house, and remove all the finishing to the bare concrete walls.Then, thoroughly treat these walls with special disinfectants, leave them to weather for a while, and proceed with a new finish.

How to get rid of odors on other objects in the house

After a fire, even a small one, the room needs a thorough cleaning. Because all objects have the ability to absorb the smell of burning, especially wooden furniture and textiles. Plastic can also absorb this odor and release it into a room when heated. Therefore, you need to wash all the objects in the room, without missing anything.

There are unique recipes for eliminating unpleasant odors, but for each element in the apartment you need to choose the right one for it. You will not wash the curtains with a floor cleaner, and the oven or microwave with a fabric softener?

Tile cleaning

The actions depend on where the fire occurred. If food is burnt on the stove, it is enough to wash the tiles on the floor with a special detergent for cleaning floors, and then wipe with clean water.

Important! Pay particular attention to the seams on the tiles.

Wash the tiles on the kitchen backsplash with vinegar or special grease removers. Then wipe with clean water.

If the bathroom washing machine burns out, the tiles will have to be additionally cleaned of soot.

1. Eliminate the source of burning by throwing out the washing machine.
2. Wash the tiles in this area with warm clean water.
3. Soot is usually greasy, so a grease remover or lemon juice can help get rid of it. Spray the walls and tiles on the floor with a grease remover on the fire, and leave for a while. Then wash the tiles with a sponge, trying to scrub away the soot.
4. Take warm water and squeeze the juice of a whole lemon into it. Wipe the tiles with this solution. It can be applied to all walls and floors, not limited to the fire site.
5. Wash walls, ceilings and appliances in the usual way.

The tile does not have the ability to strongly absorb odors, so one cleaning will help get rid of the smell. Then you can leave the bathroom door open or turn on the cooker hood.

Window

Both plastic and wood frames absorb odor well and can then spread it around the room. Therefore, the windows must be washed completely: double-glazed windows, frames, window sills.

Important! You need to wash the windows from top to bottom.

If the glass is soot, spray it with a grease remover and leave it on for a while. Then wash with a sponge, cleaning the frames along the way.

If the glass is not stained with soot, it is enough to wash them with a special detergent for cleaning windows and mirrors. Wash the frames with water and dishwashing detergent. Lastly, clean the sill with the same solution.

After removing soot and dirt, it makes sense to wash the windows with water and lemon juice or vinegar.

On a note! Lemon juice will help clean the glass better.

Finally, wipe the windows dry with a clean, lint-free cloth.

Washing curtains

Curtains, like other textiles, absorb odors very strongly. Therefore, before washing, it is better to soak them in water with soda or vinegar with the calculation of 2 tbsp. l. for 5 liters of water. Leave the curtains in this solution for 30-60 minutes, rinse and send to the machine. You can add a little more powder than usual, be sure to use a rinse aid.

Important! Remember to wash your curtains on a delicate cycle.

Most curtains can be hung on a baguette rather than ironed.Under their own weight, they straighten out and gradually dry out.

If the curtains have been in a room saturated with smoke for a long time, then they need to be washed several times and dried in the fresh air.

Carpets and upholstered furniture

The most difficult thing is to get rid of the burning smell on upholstered furniture, because it should not be heavily saturated with water.

The actions depend on how long the furniture and carpets have been in the room after the fire:

1. If they were there for a short time or the fire was not large-scale, then you need to wash the carpet and furniture with a special carpet washing detergent. Dissolve the required amount of the product in water, beat the foam and clean the surface with it, being careful not to wet it too much. Then clean the surface with a vacuum cleaner. If the smell remains after washing, wash the carpets and furniture with a brush dipped in water and vinegar. Then again with detergent.
2. If the items have managed to become heavily soaked in smoke, take the carpets to the sink, where they will be thoroughly cleaned with a Karcher and allowed to be well ventilated. In this case, it is better to throw the furniture away. You can try to change the upholstery, but there is a risk that the wood has absorbed the smell, and replacing the upholstery will not work, since the smell remains in the frame. In some cases, buying new furniture will be cheaper.

In the case of carpets and furniture, it is better to take drastic measures. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to get rid of the smell.

Oven or microwave

A burnt-out home appliance can also become a source of burning. If the damage is severe, you should think about buying a new one. It is especially difficult to clean the plastic case of the microwave oven from soot and burning.

If not the entire device is damaged, then the burnt part becomes a source of burning. In this case, it is enough to replace it, and wash the oven or microwave with detergent.

Effectively removes the smell from the microwave and oven lemon and vinegar. Put in water with lemon or vinegar and turn on the appliance. Let the water boil and boil a little to allow the steam to enter the air ducts. Leave the appliance closed for half an hour and then ventilate.

Blinds

To clean the blinds properly, they must be removed. It is better to wash them in the bathroom using a shower head and detergent with a spray bottle.

1. Lower the blinds into the bathroom and dampen with water.
2. Spray thoroughly with the product and leave for a while.
3. Rinse them with water, and rinse hard-to-reach places with a brush soaked in detergent.
4. Wipe them with a dry cloth and leave to dry on a horizontal or vertical surface.

After hanging dry blinds on clean windows, you can spray them with air freshener.

Odor prevention

• As a preventive measure, it is enough to do wet cleaning and regularly ventilate the room.
• Also, monitor the health of electrical wiring and household appliances to avoid fire.
• Wash your stove immediately after burning food. Use a range hood.

Video: how to get rid of the smell of burning in the house