A small kitchen fire can be a frightening experience and one that you might not know how to handle. There are many things that you can do, so we want to help by providing some tips for what homeowners should do after a small kitchen fire in their home. This blog post will share some basic things you can do to keep yourself and your family safe, as well as help prevent damage from the fire. 

If you are a homeowner who has experienced a fire in your home, hopefully these tips will be helpful as you begin to restore your kitchen and get back on course with life after the kitchen fire. 

Before we begin, we want to say that no matter how big or small your fire is, it’s important to always call the local fire department. While many kitchen fires can be handled by homeowners with relative ease, there are still a few things that you will need professional help with. 

While most of these tips are helpful for all types of fires in your home, there is one tip below for those with a grease fire in their kitchen. If this is what you experienced, it’s important to let a professional clean up the area and get rid of any remaining smoke or soot left behind from the burn.

What Not To Do After A Small Kitchen Fire: Don’t Ignore The Smoke

One thing that is crucial to do after a fire in your home is to remove the smoke and soot from the area right away. A lot of people don’t know this, but it’s possible for an odorless gas called “smoke residue” to linger behind if you don’t clean up properly after a small kitchen fire. This can cause some serious symptoms that are related to breathing issues, illness and even death. 

The longer you wait before cleaning up, the more likely you are to have symptoms develop from breathing in the smoke residue. When there has been little or no damage done during a fire, spend 30 minutes removing all smoke and soot. If there has been major damage, it may be a good idea to call professional help as soon as you can. 

What To Do After A Small Kitchen Fire: Keep Everyone Safe

While it’s important to clean up the area after a small kitchen fire, it’s also essential that you check on everyone who was in the kitchen when the fire started. There are many symptoms of smoke inhalation (including chest pain, coughing and shortness of breath) that may occur because of breathing in too much secondhand smoke/soot. If someone has experienced serious symptoms like this right after being around a small kitchen fire, it may be a good idea to call 911 right away.  

It’s also important that you begin the fire restoration process by making sure everyone is safe . If there are any family members who were in the kitchen when the fire started, make sure they aren’t harmed and then check on them periodically over the next few days. Most symptoms of smoke inhalation will go away on their own within a few days of being exposed to soot (the time period varies depending on age). However, sometimes more serious health complications can occur if one has been around so much smoke during or after a small kitchen fire in your home. In these cases, it’s important to contact a doctor immediately.

How to Prevent Cooking Fires.

 While the tips below are geared to small kitchen fires, they can be helpful for preventing a lot of types of home fires.

•  Keep all space heaters at least 3 feet (1 meter) away from anything that can burn, like curtains, clothes and furniture. Do not leave space heaters on while you sleep or go away from your house for an extended period of time.
•   Never leave cooking unattended . This means that if food is in the oven or on the stove top and you step away for even a second, turn off the cooking appliance so no one will come near it when it’s still on. – Use both hands when turning stove knobs . If you need to adjust the temperature or turn on a burner, use two hands to do so. This way you’ll be less likely to knock over any nearby objects or pots/pans while doing so.
• Keep non-stick pans away from high heat . Non-stick pans are common in many modern kitchens and great for making eggs without having to use oil (which is why they’re often used for pancakes). However, this means that they can only be used on low to medium heat. Using them at a higher heat can cause the coating to burn off and will even make it hard for you to cook your food because of the lack of flexibility with the pan when it’s been overheated.
• Make sure all gas stoves have a shut-off valve!  Many homes built before the 1970s don’t have this feature, which means you’ll need to use a nearby fire extinguisher in the event of a small kitchen fire .  Newer homes should also have this installed. When this is present, you can leave the heating element on even after you’ve turned off the gas control valve so that gas isn’t being released into your home.  In the case of an oven fire or some other kind of explosion, turning off the outside knob to turn off the flame, but leaving the cooking appliance on, will help keep any flames from spreading. 

Our cleaning crews are ready and willing to clean up smoke residue for you!

Cleaning the Aftermath of a Small Kitchen Fire  

When you finally start to clean up the aftermath of a small kitchen fire, it’s important to carefully follow all safety procedures with regard to household appliances. If there are any areas that you’re unsure about because of damage or soot/charring, it’s best not to touch them unless your local fire department has given you the go-ahead .  Keep in mind that any damage to household appliances like stoves, ovens and microwaves could cause them to spark or act erratically.  

At this point, it’s best not to touch anything around these appliances unless you’re sure that it’s safe to do so.  The same goes for anything else in the kitchen that could be damaged, such as dishwashers, refrigerators or sinks.  It can also sometimes help to enlist someone else to come into the kitchen with you and check if certain areas of damage are safe for you to touch.

Is a Stove Safe to Use After a Fire?

When it comes to a stove, you don’t want to run the risk of causing more damage by trying to use it.  It’s best not to try it at all if you can help it.  Once you’ve cleaned up as much ash and soot from around your oven or stove, you should call a professional for any repairs.  If your fire restoration contractor says the stove is not safe, then you should either have it replaced entirely or live without a working oven for however long it takes to repair.  It’s also best if you don’t use an oven at all during this time because of the increased risk of another small kitchen fire.

Concluding thoughts

The important thing is to remember that the aftermath of a small kitchen fire can be dangerous.  It’s best not to try and clean up an oven or stove yourself if you’re not sure about what you’re doing.  Always call a professionals for help with this kind of work, since they have safety training and common sense when it comes to dealing with the aftermath of a small kitchen fire.  Once you do have their help, keeping your kitchen clean and safe should be much easier.

If you’ve been trying to figure out how to clean up soot in your home after a small kitchen fire, then your search is over! All it takes is some patience to get started, so feel free to get in touch with us!