A popular launderette has reopened after calling in CleanSafe to clean smoke damage caused by a basket of smouldering towels.
The CleanSafe team cleaned all surfaces in the Handbridge Laundrette in Chester, Cheshire, then used a deodorisation technique called thermal fogging to clear the smell of smoke.
The smoke damage cleaning took just a day and a half to complete, allowing business owner Patricia Holliday to reopen her launderette.
Patricia said: “I had done what I could to clean up but there was still the smell of smoke and I realised we needed to get in specialist cleaners, which is why I contacted CleanSafe.
“They responded very promptly and were very efficient. Obviously they have the right expertise and cleaning techniques to clean up this sort of smoke damage quickly.”
The smoke damage problem was caused when a beauty parlour towels were left to air after they had been washed and dried.
Patricia said: “We didn’t realise that the towels were still impregnated with a new type of oil used during beauty massages, that we weren’t used to cleaning.
“The oils had got very hot in dryer. The towels were taken out and left overnight to air. But they had got so hot that they started to smoulder.
“When I arrived the next morning, the launderette was full of smoke. You couldn’t see inside the window.
“The launderette basket had melted and the towels looked like a block of chocolate.
“We were very lucky that the towels had just smoulder and not actually caught fire, otherwise the clean-up would have involved much more than just smoke damage.”
Every surface had been covered in oily soot – and one of the dryers had been damaged.
CleanSafe Northern Operations Manager Matthew Bottrell said: “Smouldering smoke damage can often cause very pungent smells that will linger if not professionally cleaned.
“We were delighted to be able to help Patricia.
“As fire damage and smoke damage cleaners, we can get businesses back up and running in the shortest possible time, allowing trading to resume more quickly and reducing the overall cost of the emergency.”
