How Media Blasting Works for Fire Restoration

If a fire breaks out in your home, the most important thing you can do is keep everyone in your home safe. And that’s rightfully the only thing you should be concerned about.

But once the fire is out and your home is deemed structurally okay, then what?

The lingering smoke smell, sooty residue, and char remains are even harder to remove than the fire was to put out, and they are a nasty reminder of what happened. You can’t live in a home with soot stains.

There is something you can do to clean it all up: Hire a professional to use media blasting.

At Clean ‘N Seal, our team specializes in all forms of media blasting, including using soda blasting to effectively and safely remove soot buildup from fire damage.

Here’s our guide on how it works and why it’s the best cleaning solution after a fire.

What Is Media Blasting aka Soda Blasting?

When people think of media blasting, they often think of high power blaster equipment used for graffiti removal or stripping paint from metal surfaces. While media blasting is used for those procedures and is highly effective at cleaning a variety of surfaces, with the right nozzle and the right lower pressure setting, similar equipment can be used for soda blasting.

Soda blasting is an environmentally friendly cleaning method that uses a form of sodium bicarbonate (or baking soda) to remove dirt, soot, and grime from surfaces. This type of sodium bicarbonate differs from the baking soda used in cooking in its size and shape.

Soda blasting media is larger and more crystal-like, with rough, jagged edges that give it special cleaning abilities. 

How Does Soda Blasting Clean Up Fire Damage?

First, a soda blaster sprays the sodium bicarbonate onto the soot covered surfaces. The baking soda crystals shatter due to the pressure of the blaster, and as they break up over the soot, they visibly clean it away.

The baking soda media also acts as a deodorizer. Fire and smoke smells often settle into surfaces and can be tough to eliminate. But as the baking soda breaks up the soot residue, it also absorbs and removes smoke smells left by the fire.

Since baking soda is water soluble, the clean up after blasting it is simple. Just wipe down surfaces with a damp cloth or spray gently with water, and your surface is clean.

For outdoor soda blasting treatments, specialized equipment and nozzles can combine spraying with baking soda and water, so the clean up after blasting is minimal, and very little dust builds up.

Is Soda Blasting Safe for Restoring Homes?

In short, yes! The sodium bicarbonate crystals are environmentally friendly and completely unlike the harsh chemicals that are sometimes used for cleaning. This media can be washed down drains and sewers and leaves no strong or toxic odors behind.

The crystals are also soft and turn to powder as they clean, which means no heat or high pressures are necessary to effectively clean a charred or sooty surface. This keeps both the user and the surfaces being cleaned safe from harm.

There is a misconception that soda blasting creates a lot of dust when being performed. However, when done by professionals with quality equipment, the dust factor is mitigated by using smaller, more controlled amounts of baking soda and by combining the spray with water.

The result is a clean surface with little dust and no clean up afterward!

Clean ‘N Seal: Experienced Soda Blasters in Minnesota

Our team is here for you whenever you need us, even when the unthinkable happens. Get your life back on track after a fire with professional soda blasting services from the experts at Clean ‘N Seal.

And let us restore all of your exterior surfaces when they could use a thorough cleaning. From house washing to concrete cleaning and paver restoration, our pros have the state of the art equipment and training to bring any of your exteriors back to their original glory!

See our work in the Twin Cities metro area or Brainerd Lakes area in our gallery. Then message us for a free estimate on your restoration project!