Protein Based Soot Requires Specialized Fire Damage Cleanup

Soots deposited on surfaces after a household fire and their most effective cleaning methods vary depending on the materials that fueled the blaze and the conditions during the fire and aftermath. Dry and wet soot are typical after a household fire. AdvantaClean of Fort Lauderdale restoration professionals are familiar with effective methods to clear them from surfaces.

  • Dry Soot 

Recognizable as a variant of the debris found in a fireplace, dry soot is fueled by wood and paper. Although you do not want to smear dry soot, removal with brushes, feather dusters, dry chemical sponges, or a combination of compressed air to loosen and a vacuum to collect is relatively straightforward.  

  • Wet Soot

The residue left after heating and burning rubber, plastics, and other synthetics commonly found in modern construction is thick and sticky, wet and tar-like because of the petroleum base of its components. Spraying with oil-based cleaning solutions that break the bond between soot and surface, followed by wiping with clean towels or cloths after a bit of dwell time, dislodging the coatings, which also respond to immersion and ultrasonic cleaning. 

  • Protein-Based Soot

Cooking or kitchen fires create a particularly adhesive third type of residue composed of dehydrated food ingredients and greases or oils. This soot is protein-based and usually a brownish yet transparent color. It sticks tenaciously onto counters, walls, floors, and appliances. Unlike pliable wet soot, protein-based soot acts like a varnish or lacquer, hardening into a smooth shell impervious to simple wipedowns. Because it occurs after superheating food and grease past their "smoke points," the residues emit a foul smell reminiscent of the rancid aroma of spoiled oil and rotten ingredients.

Appearance of Protein-Based Soot

If you hand wash cooking vessels, protein-based residues have likely thwarted you. Frequently used sauce, frying, roasting, and baking pans or cookie sheets often have dark brown to black coatings that seem impossible to remove even with considerable "elbow grease." These "patinas" are similar to cooking fire protein-based residues. You are not alone if you allow some of the cooked or baked-on bits to remain. In fact, when called "seasoning," residues are often considered desirable on cast iron or steel utensils.

However, kitchen fires create "seasoning" that is not desirable on building materials. It is corrosive, causing discoloration and deterioration, and attracts dirt and dust. Appliances, counters, walls, and floors coated with this residue look grimy, feel tacky, and smell awful.  

Protein-Based Soot Removal

AdvantaClean of Fort Lauderdale's IICRC-certified Fire and Smoke Damage Technicians (FSRT) have various options to loosen, emulsify, and remove protein-based soot and accompanying odors. Expect our crew to choose effective products and methodology after testing strategies in unobtrusive areas of the damage. As we sort through approaches to ascertain the most viable, we consider:

  • Chemical Agents

We choose among proprietary oil-based solvents or detergents to break down the bond between the residues and affected surfaces.

  • Temperature Variants 

Chemical agents can accelerate residue release and emulsification with temperature increases.

  • Dwell Time

Permitting extended contact between the cleaning agent and the soiled surface (soaking or spreading a layer across the surface) helps loosen the soot.

  • Agitation

Agitation and its partner abrasion can eliminate the hold protein-based soot has on surfaces. The durability of underlying surfaces is part of the equation. Our experienced and skilled technicians exercise extreme care to ensure scrubbing and scraping are not so aggressive that they damage appliances or building material finishes. We adjust the agitation and abrasive levels using tools like fine-grade steel wool or adding powdered grit to paste cleansers.

Have confidence that the skilled fire damage crew at AdvantaClean of Fort Lauderdale can handle all aspects of a household blaze aftermath, including the demands of removing protein-based residues and odors after a kitchen mishap. Call us at (954) 994-2947 for an assessment and development of a practical and effective cleanup plan.

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