We also pulled out this chair that sat by the back door of my grandparents house. It is surprisingly sturdy considering the fact that it is missing a bottom rail and is tied with a leather strap. I plan to leave it as is, the fire damage I think is quite beautiful on this piece.
Lastly, this washboard was saved from the laundry room. I can't believe that it's in such great shape. It's now hanging up on my gallery wall.
these are striking with such a story!
ReplyDeleteI love that you are finding a few treasures in the wake of what happened. I have had the experience of loosing everything to a fire, mother nature, not arson, but it still isn't pleasant either way. So, I was wondering how you are getting the smell out of your treasures? I have really bad issues with the smell, it makes my heart race and I get nervous (fear I guess of losing it all again) and so I would love to get near the few saved items I have. If you could tell me what product you have been using I would greatly appreciate it.
ReplyDeletestephanie - fire is devastating, whether through an act of nature or arson, the loss is immeasurable. And I'm so sorry that you have had such strong reactions to the smell, although I'm ok with it, I can only imagine what you're going through. I have not yet managed to clear the smell entirely from my treasures - especially the fabrics. Here's rundown though of what I've done in salvaging the different pieces:
ReplyDeleteWood - the wood pieces I've let air out. I have a wood box and the chair that I brought home with me from the farm. After 3 weeks now you can barely smell smoke.
Glassware and metals - we managed to salvage a lot of glassware and metals from the house. I soaked everything in Palmolive Oxy dishsoap and used a magic eraser to remove all the fire damage and soot. Then a trip through the dishwasher. No smell at all.
Fabrics - I vacuumed off the soot [don't rub it in, it's an oil based item that will only make it penetrate the fabric]. Then I pretreated with Resolve spray. I left this 24 hours. Then I ran them through the wash twice. There is a faint lingering smell. I've read online though that you can put fabrics and wood through an ozone treatment [some drycleaners have this for fabrics] at a restoration company.
Hope that helps.
I agree about the chair. So glad you were able to retrieve it. Very very sorry about the fire.
ReplyDelete