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Cleaning up after a house fire might look like a daunting task, but it can be an almost painless experience if you take it step by step.

One of the first things that you need to do is find any food items that have had their seals broken and throw them away, since they may have been contaminated with soot in some way.  Any open containers of pet food should also go.  You should also go into the bathroom and remove anything there such as toothpaste, cosmetics, and etcetera that have had their seals broken.  These items are not safe to use and should be thrown away. 

Clearing the air of the home comes next.  The air filter on your furnace might need to be changed out and the filter on your air conditioner should also be changed.  Open the doors and windows of the home to allow the home to completely air out.  Use fans to help with this if there is no wind to do the job for you.

Vacuuming furniture, carpets, and anything else that has collected soot should be the next thing to do.  Try to avoid walking on carpet if you can, since this will set the soot particles deeper into the fabric and this logic also applies to vacuum cleaners that brush the carpet as you run them.  

If you have house plants, wipe these clean of soot, since these kind of particles can kill them.

Some items in your home will tarnish and etch if they are not cleaned quickly after the soot falls on them.  These can include marble, porcelain, stainless steel, formica, and chrome.  Wooden surfaces need to be cleaned with wood soap and removing odors with a cleaning chemical that contains an orange smell should help. 

Cleaning wallpaper and paint with soot on them can be a tricky business.  Call a local paint or wallpaper store for advice on how to clean these, if possible.  Try to clean it in an inconspicuous area first.  Sometimes trying to clean it will only smear it around and re-painting the wall is the only option.  Wallpaper will have to be taken out most of the time, since it will absorb odors when it becomes dirtied with smoke.

Anything that smells like smoke should be cleaned thoroughly.  Putting out a few bowls of vinegar around the house will help to absorb some of the odor out of the home.  Vacuuming does not typically remove the smoky odor from the home.  Most appliances can be wiped off with a vinegar and water solution (ratio of 1 cup vinegar to one gallon of water) to help remove the smell.

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If you are planning on doing a mold remediation project by yourself instead of hiring a professional to do it for you, then odds are you are wondering how to go about doing this safely.  It is important to take safety into account when you are dealing with mold, considering all the health effects that can be caused by mold.  Respiratory infections, aggravation of asthma and emphysema, skin rashes, eye infections, and etcetera are not the only things that can be caused by the existence of mold in your house.  Death can also result.

What exactly are you going to need if you are removing mold from your house?  Well, this answer depends on just how much mold you need to remove.  If you find mold growing on the walls of your home, then simply washing it off with mold killing chemicals may not do the whole job.  Taking out the drywall and replacing it is probably the only thing that you can do to completely remove the infection.  If it has not seeped down into the drywall and contaminated the entire depth of the board, you may be alright. 

Some heavy duty mold killing chemicals will be needed.  Shop around and read some product reviews before committing to buying one particular cleaner.

Heavy duty trash bags should be on hand to put any mold contaminated materials into.  Try not to touch these contaminated materials to anything else in the home to avoid cross-contamination. 

A respirator of some kind should be used when you are dealing with mold remediation of any level.  If you are going to be removing drywall or any other building materials from your home, a half or full face mask respirator with a HEPA filter cartridge may be necessary.  A full face mask can be bought for around $130.  Disposable protective clothing can also be bought and is fairly inexpensive considering the protection you will be provided.  Since the shoes seem to only be sold in bulk, consider buying a pair of rubber boots instead and pull the body suit down over it.  Breathable gloves should also be bought.  If you cannot find them outside of a bulk quantity, consider a rubber glove alternative.  Pull the body suit over them and seal with duct tape.

A vacuum with a HEPA filter on it is something you will want to use if you are planning on removing any drywall.  Stirring up mold spores is inevitable when you do this, especially if the infection is larger inside the wall that you could see from the outside.  These vacuums will collect all the mold spores that have settled onto the floor and anything else that you vacuum with it and not redistribute them into the air.

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The names of diseases that are caused by mold typically end in the suffix “mycosis” and while you might not think that such diseases are that dangerous, but think again. These are serious illnesses that can lead to irreparable damage to different organs in your body and can even result in death in some extreme cases. Those at risk to contract them are generally those who have a weakened immune system, small children, the elderly, and anyone whose body is weak, such as a person who is undergoing chemotherapy or is recovering from a recent surgery. Mold contaminated surgical instruments can also transmit these diseases if they are not properly sterilized

Most of the diseases that are caused by mold begin with some flu-like symptoms like coughing, pain in the joints and muscles, fever, and chills. The medications used to treat these conditions can cause the very same symptoms that the disease does and can also end up causing some kidney, liver, skin, and eye damage if their usage is not monitored. Any doctor that prescribes such antifungal medication will probably require frequent lab work to be done on the patient to catch these side effects before they get out of hand.

Aspergillosis is a disease that are caused by molds belonging to the genus of Aspergillus and these molds are typically found not only outdoors, but can also be found indoors, as well. They have been known to produce what are called “aspergilloma” in any pre-existing cavity in the body such as those arising from cancer, cystic fibrosis, tuberculosis, or similar conditions. Aspergilloma often have no symptoms for quite a while, but when they do finally show themselves, they can include coughing up blood, weight loss, fever, and shortness of breath.

Another condition that commonly affects our pets (but can also affect humans) is called Blastomycosis. This disease can cause pneumonia and other kinds of respiratory infections in humans and animals and can spread to the rest of the body. When the mold spores enter the body, they become yeast and since yeast itself is not contagious, you should not worry about your pet giving it to you if they are showing signs of it. The cutaneous form of the disease shows itself as lesions on the skin of the body and if they are left moist and untreated, it can cause much damage to the surrounding bone and tissue.

These are only two of the diseases that can be caused by mold. There are others that are just as serious. If you suspect a mold infestation in your home, perform some do-it-yourself mold tests and have the results determined by a laboratory specializing in mold.

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