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"Smoke" Defined

Smoke/soot is the product of incomplete combustion.  It is made visible through the presence of small particles of carbon.

The fire that causes smoke and soot is non-discriminatory in that it will burn anything which can be burned.  Besides the residue that is created through a fire, when there is a structure that has a variety of different flammable materials such as particle board, wood, plastic laminate, vinyl, etc., the combination of these substances can produce very complex odors.

Three Categories of Smoke Residue and Odors

Smoke odors can normally be classified into three categories.  These categories also need customized deodorization to restore them:

1. Protein Odors - These are produced from burned meat, flesh and poultry.  The residue is identifiable by a brownish or yellowish color and has a greasy texture. Odor removal and deodorization usually entails a complete cleaning of the affected surfaces.
2. Natural Substance Odors - Natural burned substances include paper, wood, jute, cork, feathers, and wool, anything that has a plant or an animal hair source.  Identification is made through a gray/black residue that has a dry, powdery consistency.
3. Synthetic Substance Odors - Synthetic (man-made) burned substances encompass burned plastics and textiles.  Residues from these substances are black in color and smudge easily since they come from petroleum-based sources. Burned synthetic residue can create smoke webs visible where walls and corners meet the ceiling and in streamers handing from curtain rods.  These smoke webs are called soot tags. NOTE: Soot tags are often misidentified as "spider webs" which supposedly became visible because of the smoke/soot residue.

Five Factors That Influence Smoke

There are five factors that influence smoke and can affect the related surfaces:

1. Heat - Warmed or heated air rises and migrates to cold areas such as outside walls and closets.  Heat causes pores in surfaces to expand which then readily accepts the smoke residue and odor.
2. Pressure - The energy created by the fire produces heat which enables the smoke to penetrate into the most minute cracks and crevices.
3. Impingement - Burned objects can hit another surface with sufficient velocity so that it will impinge (or splatter) and remain on the surface.  (Think of candle wax.)
4. Magnetism - Smoke is attracted to metal surfaces such as plumbing pipes, nail heads and metal coat hangers.
5. Ionization - Opposites attract so smoke webs may form on structural surfaces.  Plastic bags on clothing from dry cleaners retain electrical charges which attract smoke.  More smoke residue can be found on clothing inside plastic bags in a closet as opposed to unprotected clothing!!!

Got A Question? Call Duraclean Master Cleaners, Inc. in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  (719) 473-2703

On April 11, 2010 the EPA Lead Safety for Renovation, Repair, and Painting program will be enforced in Colorado Springs, Colorado. After that date anytime a  person disturbing a painted surface in a residential building, for pay, where any part of it was constructed prior to 1978 will need to be Certified as a Renovator by the EPA RRP program. The Certified Renovator will take steps to contain the working area and minimize the dust created anytime more that 6 square feet of material is involved. In the case of a water damage, certain exemptions apply and any contaminated materials may be removed and rebuilt using the containment procedures even if it exceeds 6 square feet.

All painters, drywallers, and their companies will need to comply with these regulations anytime more than 6 square feet of material is involved ,or face fines in excess of $30,000 per violation. The Colorado Springs Housing and Building Association as well as the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department are sponsoring the required training programs. While homeowners may sign a waiver so restoration or remodeling can be done without complying with these regulations, you may ask why would they do so.

The residential use of lead based paint has been banned since 1978 in the United States and for almost 100 years in Europe. The reason for the ban is the toxic effects on children under the age of 6. Children ingesting paint chips can have severe brain damage. See www.EPA.gov/lead for more information.

At Duraclean Master Cleaners, of Colorado Springs, we take the health of our clients and employees seriously. Duraclean, sets containment and air cleaning equipment, uses specialized cutting tools to minimize dust anytime contaminated materials need to be removed. Duraclean's Restoration and Cleaning Specialists, and Managers have completed the EPA Lead Safety Program and are Colorado and EPA Certified Renovators.

On August 7, 2009 Duraclean had the honor of supporting the Annual Thanks Troops Golf Tournament. This was the second year the tournament was held at Vally Hi Golf Course and the weather held out much better than it did last year.

With 2 Flights of 144 golfers, the course was filled with plenty of hungry and thirsty participants. Duraclean did its traditional "Shrimp and a Shot"- with straight off the grill shrimp and their choice of shots. This time we had blended margaritas, tequila and Crown Royal to choose from.

A very special thanks to Scott Grey of Cornerstone Realty for his work on this very worthwhile project and having us as a sponsor.

Duraclean Master Cleaners have been in a wide variety of situations. With each job we get in, we utilize creative problem solving to best address the current situation. As you will see from the stories below, these are some of the situaitons we have come across in the last two years.

If you have come on to our website to see if we are capable of handling your particular job, these articles will clear all doubt.

We were called by the homeowner based on a referral from a local plumbing company. This particular situation was a backed up sewer line into a basement of a very nice home in the Broadmoor area. The homeowner told Duraclean they had had a sewer backup and we were requested to come over and clean it up. We knew that the basment was finished, had 2 bathrooms, a living area, an office and was also used as a storage area. The affected area was 'disasterous' according to the owner, but we have heard that before. Anytime a home is hit by a sewer backup, the mental stress is usually much larger than the physical situation. In this case, the homeowner was very realistic of the situation.

When Duraclean first entered the home and went to the affected basement area. This was our first view. You can see the wet, damaged area, spreading from the bathroom entrance. Unfortunately, before Duraclean arrived, other persons had walked in and out of the bathroom and through the front entrance, tracking the sewage from the bathroom thoughout the main walking areas of the house.

If you want to see larger pictures, right click the picture and select "View Image".

This bathroom was one of three points in the basement that sewage came in. The drain in the boiler room and the other bathroom also allowed sewage to back into the house.

This particular situation was one of the more interesting scenes that we have walked into. The occupant had passed away and we were brought in to clean out the house so it could be sold for estate purposes. The occupant had apparently lived that last years of her life in the house and had decided that personally removing her own trash was not going to be possible. In this 5 room house, she began systematicly filling up her house with her own refuse including food containers, soiled adult diapers, general refuse, spoiled food, dirty clothes, unopened mail, newspapers, and anything else that would typically go into a trash can. Needless to say, the neighbors were complaining, the authorities had been involved prior to us being on scene and we had been asked to come out and clean this area and make the house presentable for sale. To view larger images, right click on picture and select View Image.

Here is what we were dealing with:

Here is the kitchen. Yes, that is all food, food containers, shopping bags, soda bottles, general refuse and trash.

You will see a picture down the page of what the sink looked like under all that rotting trash.

Through our use of antimicrobial solutions and elbow grease, the cabinets today look almost new and smell like nothing ever happened there.

You will see an employee on the left in full Personal Protection gear. The smell was unavoidable even under the masks and full suits.