Odors, good or bad, vary vastly from person to person. It is our own perception that governs our sense of smell in the most basic of terms. A more technical overview of our fundamental knowledge of aroma is mediated by the olfactory nerve.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, it is estimated that some 370,000 home fires occur each year, costing close to $7 billion in total property damage. Many of these fires, however, start and are contained in a certain area of a home or business. Even though containment eliminates the necessity for complete demolition and reconstruction, it is still necessary for proper cleaning of soot and smoke in order to restore the property to a pre-loss condition.

For the news “junkies” among us, you know that the big news of Sept. 25, 2015, was that John Boehner was stepping down as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. What you might not know, and of interest to restoration professionals, was that his replacement, Congressman Paul Ryan, said when he moved into Boehner’s prestige office…it reeked.  

Fire and smoke damage can be one of the most challenging remediation tasks. There’s the actual damage from the fire, which is relatively straightforward, and then there’s the smoke.