Brief Guide to Fire and Smoke Damage

If you’re unlucky enough to suffer a fire in your home – or if your neighbor suffers one – smoke and ash in the air can easily affect rugs and carpets. Particulates are dangerous for humans – and any sort of natural fabric. Here’s Aladdin’s guide on how to tackle removing smoke and soot damage from rugs and carpets.

• If rugs smell like smoke, most standard washes will take care of it by washing away soot particulates. After this, the rugs should be vacuumed regularly.

• Heavily fire or smoke damaged rugs require both washing as well as professional deodorizing with specific odor removing solutions.

• Some rugs that suffer direct fire damage from burning rubble or embers should simply be disposed of, as sometimes this damage is simply to correct to reweave or repair.

• Wool has a high moisture content, which luckily causes it to self extinguish – which is why wool is used in so many hotel and airplane carpets.

• Small amounts of direct fire damage burns can be reknotted, so sometimes rugs damaged in a fire can be saved.

• Heavy ash and soot can be eliminated from rugs by professional rug washers, however should be removed as fast as possible, as it causes further damage over time.

• Thankfully, silk rugs additionally contain a large amount of moisture, making them self-extinguishing, and some of the only items that can be saved from a fire.Wash all carpet fibers to remove soot particles.