How To Get Soot and Ash Out of Carpet

What a devastation. You find yourself caught up in a house fire. Or there is a neighborhood fire that has created a smokey havoc in your home. What is a homeowner to do? There are ways to get soot and ash out of your carpets. We have a plan for you. Read on and learn your options.

Step One:

Prepare the carpet. You will want to vacuum up the ash debris. Take the nozzle off and use the wand. You won’t want to spread the ash around by using the full vacuum. Be sure not to spread the ash. This may leave a permanent stain that will require an expensive cleaning job. Lift the vacuum nozzle up and down on the affected area. This will get the loose soot and ash particles up.

Step Two:

Grab some baking soda or cornstarch. You most likely have one of these in your kitchen cabinet. Spread the baking soda or cornstarch onto the affected area. Let it sit on the area for a full hour. The baking soda or cornstarch will act as an absorbent to the odor, moisture, and residue. Magic is about to happen.

Step Three:

Repeat step number one. Use the vacuum nozzle to vacuum up the loose debris along with the baking soda or cornstarch. Be careful not to rub it. Vacuum in an up-and-down motion to vacuum up the remainder of the baking soda or cornstarch.

Tip- You may want to repeat Step Three if you feel that you are still seeing a large amount of soot and ash. Once you have the baking soda or Cornstarch on the soiled area, rub it in a bit. The agitation may break up additional particles.

Step Four:

This is the final and very important step. Use a clean white lint-free cloth. Choosing the right cloth is very important. Using a colored cloth can cause more of a stain requiring an expensive repair. Pour some rubbing alcohol onto the cloth. Start dabbing up and down. Pressing into the carpet as you dab. If you see black residue on the white cloth, you are successfully cleaning your carpet. Pressing and applying pressure to the stain. Continue with the dabbing. Turn your cloth often so that a clean part of the cloth is being used.

Sit back and let the carpet dry. Give it a few hours until it is completely dry. Grab the vacuum cleaner and go over the entire affected area. First use the nozzle method again. This should pick up any remaining debris. Anything that may have been left.

If you are still not happy, you may want to have a professional cleaner.

At A1 Chimney Specialists, we are here to help you. We can make suggestions if you find that you need additional help with the cleaning process. Call us in Tennessee at 931-967-3595 or Alabama at 256-285-4895.

We provide chimney inspections, maintenance, repair, installation, custom chimney caps, masonry repair, flashing, and dryer vent cleaning. We serve the areas of Southern Middle Tennessee and the Tennessee Valley.