24/7 Emergency Service
Saving Grandma’s Wedding Dress
12/30/2020 (Permalink)
Preserving Cherished Treasures.
A few weeks ago, SERVPRO of Black Hawk County had the opportunity to remove a musty smell, along with smoke odor, from a wedding dress. The woman, Madison, came to us saddened after other attempts to clean it failed. The wedding dress was an heirloom from her grandmother, that had been passed down. Brought to us in a black plastic bag; it seemed like an impossible feat to restore!
Here to help
Empathizing with Madison, we prepared our plan to save the precious dress. The small house fire they recently experienced revealed items tucked away for safekeeping had been affected. The smoke from the fire found itself inside the closet where the dress was stored. After most house fires, the homeowner not only has fire damage but often water damage from putting out the fire. Humidity that builds up could have dampened the room as well, causing more damage. Out of the garbage bag and onto a dress hanger, to a portable rack was the first step to recovery. Wheeled to the confined bay area, the dress was relocated and the room prepped for ozone treatment.
What is “ozone-ing”?
SERVPRO utilizes ozone machines to generate a gas called Ozone that is very reactive. The ozone molecules are made up of three oxygen atoms with the third atom being able to detach and attach itself to other surrounding molecules, including smelly ones! Most often, “ozoned” items no longer have an odor. OZONE IS DANGEROUS to breathe in. That’s why we take precautions and use a sealed room to contain the manmade concentrated gas. A caution/warning sign on the door communicates the importance of staying out while the machine runs. When the ozone machine is turned off, we keep the doors closed for at least 24 hours. Then we open the room up and air it out.
BYE SMOKE ODOR
We returned the keepsake wedding dress to Madison the following week, absent of any smoke or musty odor! Our team of cleaning technicians especially enjoys restoring an item with significant meaning for a person AND in this case, future family members, being able to continue handing down the heirloom piece. Don’t give up when you have experienced odor damage to a beloved item, give us a call! We will tackle it to our very best ability.
Learn more about Ozone:
https://www.SERVPROblackhawkcounty.com/blog/post/235159/commercial/true-or-false-ozone-effectively-kills-viruses-and-bleaches-the-air