Dry & Wet Cleaning Methods

From varied grades of carpet, upholstery and fabric to the fine yarns used in the creation of oriental rugs and clothing, the recovery of textiles affected by fire and fire based residues is a complex, specialist task.

A number of factors can affect the nature and extent of the contamination, including the distance of the item from the fire, the type of fire and its resulting residues. Contamination can be made worse in high pressure situations where microbes causing the odours are driven deep into the fabric or fibers concerned.

Remediation could be made more complex by difficult-to-detect structural damage caused to the fibers making up the fabric.

Oily soot has the potential to leave unsightly stains on textiles – it is essential that it be carefully removed before any attempt at dry or wet cleaning or the removal of odours is made.

Dry cleaning methods in this instance involve the use of ‘counteractants’ that may vary depending on the type of fire. They can be applied to upholstery and other textiles and could also be used in the laundering of clothes in the cleaning process.

Wet cleaning methods require the application and extraction of water-based detergent solutions. The results of these cleaning methods cannot be guaranteed due to the number of variables in the process.