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Post by simplyparticular on Apr 14, 2021 13:54:50 GMT
Over an hour ago we had a microwave fire. Smoke detectors did their job. Everyone is fine. A surprising amount of smoke ensued for 3 small bagel bites.
Every window in the house is open and box fans are running at every door, but most of the smoke rose to the vaulted family room up to the loft where my craft supplies are in varying stages of unpacked.
I have not had luck getting smoke smell out of anything, really. I've tried the vinegar/charcoal suggestions over the years. Smoking parents, and my childhood memorabilia still reeks, 25 years later. Same with items that survived a childhood stovetop grease fire.
Our prior house had a ventilated indoor grill in the basement, and both times we used it, the smoke smell lingered in fabrics and papers permanently. I ended up tossing most of the scrapbook paper that was out - the papers in the Cropper Hopper folders were unscathed.
Anyone had luck with scrapbook supplies and fire smoke?
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Post by grammadee on Apr 14, 2021 14:20:35 GMT
Try half filling a bowl water, add about 1/4 cup lemon juice and stir in about a tablespoon of cinnamon. Set the bowl in the microwave and heat it enough to start boiling hard. Leave the bowl in the microwave to cool, then repeat the process a couple of times with it. I have found this is the quickest way to get rid of the residual smoke smell from microwave or oven mishaps. And it seems to get the smell out of other places in the home as well.
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Post by don on Apr 14, 2021 14:41:53 GMT
Call your insurance agent and file a claim. I spent over 20 years in the water and fire damage restoration business. You need to have a lot of work done; clean walls, windows, ceilings, floors and contents. If not you will smell the odor for a long time. The paper will be replaced. It's what insurance is for.
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Post by mikklynn on Apr 14, 2021 15:16:31 GMT
Oh, no. I don't think you will ever get the smell out of paper.
I bought paper from a small vendor last year. I should have returned it. It reeked of smoke and maybe perfume. I ended up throwing it away.
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Post by simplyparticular on Apr 14, 2021 15:45:03 GMT
Try half filling a bowl water, add about 1/4 cup lemon juice and stir in about a tablespoon of cinnamon. Set the bowl in the microwave and heat it enough to start boiling hard. Leave the bowl in the microwave to cool, then repeat the process a couple of times with it. I have found this is the quickest way to get rid of the residual smoke smell from microwave or oven mishaps. And it seems to get the smell out of other places in the home as well. Not even going to attempt to plug that microwave back in - it's done. It's cooling on the sidewalk out back and will have to go to the town drop-off for appliances. I've not heard of the cinnamon, but the smell of cinnamon makes my husband nauseous, as does cigar smoke. Call your insurance agent and file a claim. I spent over 20 years in the water and fire damage restoration business. You need to have a lot of work done; clean walls, windows, ceilings, floors and contents. If not you will smell the odor for a long time. The paper will be replaced. It's what insurance is for. Thank you - we will look into this. The house is smelling fine in the core area, but the family room and loft are definitely not normal yet. Oh, no. I don't think you will ever get the smell out of paper. I bought paper from a small vendor last year. I should have returned it. It reeked of smoke and maybe perfume. I ended up throwing it away. Yeah, I've stopped buying from places like eBay due to unpleasant scent surprises. So many people use essential oils and they permeate everything. |
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Post by joblackford on Apr 14, 2021 20:37:51 GMT
At the library we would put smoky/bad smelling books into a bag of kitty litter but I honestly don't know that it made much difference. Most of the time no one would know the book was in there and it would get scrubbed from the catalog as a lost book before we found it again, at which point it would be recycled or sold. If you have kitty litter or easy access to some it might be worth a try, but I'm not sure.
I feel like cigarette smoke might not be a perfect comparison since it seems to come along with oily nicotine residues, but idk.
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Post by joblackford on Apr 14, 2021 20:38:30 GMT
Over an hour ago we had a microwave fire. Smoke detectors did their job. Everyone is fine. A surprising amount of smoke ensued for 3 small bagel bites. I'm glad that it wasn't more serious. That sounds pretty scary. |
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Post by simplyparticular on Apr 14, 2021 20:58:53 GMT
Over an hour ago we had a microwave fire. Smoke detectors did their job. Everyone is fine. A surprising amount of smoke ensued for 3 small bagel bites. I'm glad that it wasn't more serious. That sounds pretty scary. It was definitely a few heart-stopping moments until we realized where it was coming from. We worried about people and pets first, and didn't check there immediately because it was the upstairs detectors that went off, and everyone was downstairs for remote work/school. The microwave had already finished and it wasn't immediately clear the smoke was coming from there because the fire itself had already burned out, all we found was two charred, heavily smoking bagel bites! We've aired the house out for 7 hours and it's a lot better. We're definitely going to have to replace the drywall and shelves in the microwave enclosure. The cookbooks and plastic storage containers on the shelves above and below are airing out in the sun. Still have to clean and sniff test the rest of the house, especially the section the smoke moved towards. |
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Post by hockeyfan06 on Apr 14, 2021 21:10:26 GMT
Just a thought, how about lightly spray Fabreeze? Test a sheet and see what happens?
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Post by auntiepeas on Apr 14, 2021 21:13:19 GMT
Sorry to hear about your microwave fire, thank goodness there were no injuries or serious damage.
Not exactly the same situation but I’ve had pretty good success with removing musty odour from an old family bible (rescued from a book sale) by liberally sprinkling baking soda between the pages and leaving it to sit in a warm, dry place for about a week or so before gently sweeping/blowing out.
If the paper is loose, I’d try separating them out and laying them out on a flat surface for an hour or so, preferably in an airy but shady spot outside (weather permitting) with a little baking soda sprinkled on top. Good luck!
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Deleted
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Nov 17, 2024 7:59:37 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2021 3:24:20 GMT
Glad you're and your home is OK. Hug.
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nicolep
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,197 
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Post by nicolep on Apr 15, 2021 13:26:46 GMT
Oh my. So glad everyone is ok!
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Post by don on Apr 20, 2021 1:30:31 GMT
simplyparticular So how did you come out of it?
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Post by simplyparticular on Apr 22, 2021 13:01:19 GMT
simplyparticular So how did you come out of it? We were very lucky in so many ways. I think because we caught it quick, and it was a whitish, sweet smelling smoke (the cream cheese in the bagel bits caught fire), it didn’t “stick” as much. After high fans and lots of cleaning last weekend, the casualties are: drywall and MDF shelves in the microwave alcove cookbooks - TBD as they are still airing out in garage, but not smelling good after several days outside 3 Avery mini binders for favorite recipes - page protectors are fine 5 fabric lunch bags - which weren’t being used much with remote work/school mini pot holders we used with microwave items We washed the curtains, walls and windows in the loft area, and steam cleaned the furniture, rug and floors in the family room, and I am going to steam clean the upstairs carpet this weekend. Worked with our agent, but haven’t filed a claim yet - bought a steam cleaner, new microwave, 2 new lunch bags for the kids, and still need 2 sheets of drywall and a few new mini binders to hold our recipes, so I think it’s going to be well under our $1,000 deductible. Craft supplies don’t smell at all. What was unpacked was on the non-window wall, so the smoke drifted away from it I guess. |
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Post by don on Apr 22, 2021 17:09:05 GMT
Smoke is just dirty warm air and your home has many air filters ... carpets, rugs, upholstered furniture, curtains and drapes, and anything else that is cold or porous. If you happen to have your furnace or air conditioner on the smoke gets an added propellant.
I'm glad things have worked out for you.
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Post by Frazzled Mom on Apr 23, 2021 21:02:47 GMT
(Raising my hand) Sadly, I know a little about this...
Ozium smoke products work well. That and getting an air purifier (or two or three). Almost our entire neighborhood burned down in the wildfires last August. Our house and the one next door are the only ones that survived on our street and we came back after 5 weeks of evacuation to all sorts of smoke damage.
Definitely file with insurance and there are professional companies that do smoke mitigation, but Ozium products helped. There are sprays and solid odor absorbers that you can seal in a plastic tub with your items.
Good luck and so glad it wasn't any worse for you.
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Post by simplyparticular on Apr 24, 2021 11:57:06 GMT
Smoke is just dirty warm air and your home has many air filters ... carpets, rugs, upholstered furniture, curtains and drapes, and anything else that is cold or porous. If you happen to have your furnace or air conditioner on the smoke gets an added propellant. I'm glad things have worked out for you. Another way we were lucky. Baseboard heat here and unseasonably warm week so we could leave the windows open all day without freezing - it was in the 50s that day (snowing/hailing the last two days...) The steam cleaning of the family room furniture went really well - we keep it covered with old sheets, and the water didn’t smell of smoke, just wet dog. Lots of tile and hardwood on the first floor. True test will be the carpet upstairs in the loft and hallway. It doesn’t smell to my nose, but wet may be a different story. I’ve also been meaning to clean it and see if it can be rescued - it’s original to the house and it shows, especially in front of the washer/dryer. I prefer hardwood but DH likes carpet upstairs for the soundproofing and warmth. |
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Deleted
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Nov 17, 2024 7:59:37 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2021 23:38:36 GMT
We had an issue with a microwave as well. Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. has a product called Zep in their cleaning area that you can spray on to take the smoke smell out of your walls/cabinets, etc. Worked well for us.
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Post by mikklynn on Apr 26, 2021 12:42:20 GMT
(Raising my hand) Sadly, I know a little about this... Ozium smoke products work well. That and getting an air purifier (or two or three). Almost our entire neighborhood burned down in the wildfires last August. Our house and the one next door are the only ones that survived on our street and we came back after 5 weeks of evacuation to all sorts of smoke damage. Definitely file with insurance and there are professional companies that do smoke mitigation, but Ozium products helped. There are sprays and solid odor absorbers that you can seal in a plastic tub with your items. Good luck and so glad it wasn't any worse for you. Oh my gosh. I am glad your home survived. It must be so strange to drive up to your home with so many others gone. |
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Post by Frazzled Mom on Apr 27, 2021 19:56:08 GMT
It must be so strange to drive up to your home with so many others gone. Thank you. It was surreal. Like footage you see of bombed out areas in war zones- nothing left but melted chunks of metal - appliances, burned out cars, metal roofs, crumbled concrete and stone chimneys, and so much rubble everywhere. Even the sunlight was a different color for awhile because of all the smoke and particulates in the air. We are 8 months out and official clean up has begun. Every burned out property is classified a hazardous waste site so they come in with backhoes and dump trucks and have to clear out everything to 6" below ground level. They did post clean-up testing at the sites and found the properties (at least in our neighborhood) were still NOT within acceptable toxicity levels so they have to come back and remove more soil and material until they get a safe reading. It is beyond strange to have all this happening in our little redwood forest community.  |
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