Electronic cleaning services provides a cost effective alternative to replacement. Expensive replacement costs due to fire, water, and smoke damage can be astronomical for both insurance companies and individuals.

To provide the best restoration service, we uses the best known technology available today, using Odell Electronic Cleaning Stations. The cleaning station is specifically designed to provide an effective cleaning and drying process to eliminate contaminants produced by fire, water, and smoke damage.

Odell Electronic cleaning stations use a proven non-toxic cleaner that removes contaminants and is effective in cleaning cadmium plated and aluminum parts. It also removes oxide tarnish from open switch and wiper contacts.

After cleaning the components, they must be dried. The Odell electronics drying chamber is specifically designed to confront the unique complexities of drying electronic components, which is, drying the components thoroughly and safely with circulating dehumidified air at a consistant low temperature.

The Odell electronic cleaning stations have proven to be very effective for cleaning a wide variety of electronics and electrical instruments like oscilliscopes, printed circuit boards, medical test equipment, avionics, telecommunications equipment, power supplies, audio visual equipment, computers, etc. and have successfully cleaned with no adverse effects.

With over 20 years of restoration experience and Odell's electronic cleaning station and drying chamber, we can provide an alternative solution for the insured and the insurance industry over replacement.

The Chemistry of Fire

The chemistry of a fire is a combination of complex reactions, particularly where synthetic materials have burned. There are well over 100 chemical elements which have been identified. Many of them are involved in the process of burning and the cleaning techniques used in restoration.

Fires may be classified into two groups, simple and complex. A simple fire results incomplete combustion and produces no soot, no free carbon, no appreciable amounts of corrosive gases, fumes or smoke. A relatively pure fuel, such as natural gas, gasoline or a high quality fuel oil consists of many compounds of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. However, if any of those relatively pure fuels are burned efficiently and completely, the products of combustion would be essentially carbon dioxide and water. Only trace impurities would be present. In disaster restoration, virtually no fires are simple.

Most fires are classified as complex, are the result of incomplete combustion and are fueled by synthetic materials. Incomplete combustion occurs when there is insufficient oxygen present to react with the carbon and hydrogen in the fuels. The products of incomplete reactions could include carbon monoxide, unburned or free carbon and a variety of complicated hydrocarbon products. Materials acting as synthetic fuels form acid gases and corrosives such as hydrochloric, hydrofluoric, sulphuric and nitric acids. Some of the synthetic fuels are foams, films, polyethylene, polypropylene, melamine, acrilan, Saran, synthetic rubbers, teflon, polyurethane, polyvinyl chlorides and fluorides. Objects made from these materials include: toys, carpets, flooring tiles, and sheetgoods, furniture, clothing, shoes, appliances, plumbing, dishes and bathroom equipment. Even wood fires have been analyzed and found to produce over a dozen different organic acids. In a fire, acid gases combine with heat and water vapor and penetrate cracks and crevices. When the surfaces cool, the gases condense, forming highly corrosive solutions. Even small amounts of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipe can produce enough hydrochloric acid to cause damage. Rubber containing sulfur produces sulfuric acid when burned. Burning teflon or other fluorinated hydrocarbons produce hydrofluoric acid which etches glass. Some surfaces are especially sensitive to these gases and residues. Machinery and tools, electrical equipment, precision or sensitive metal apparatus, metallic building construction parts, household appliances, limestone, marble and terrazzo surfaces, aluminum and glass can be permanently pitted, etched, and stained from acid residues.

When acids attack metals, salts are produced which also continue to damage the metal surface. An example of salt action is the corrosion on cars from snow and ice treatments or salt water spray in ocean areas. Anodized aluminum is extremely susceptible to permanent damage from both acids and alkalines. Anodized aluminum is actually aluminum with an extremely thin veneer of aluminum oxide. Once the veneer has been damaged, it cannot be restored.

Soot is comprised of carbon and other materials which are incompletely burned or oxidized. Although some of the carbon particles have electrical charges causing them to stick together, more often greases and oils are the adhesives. Some soot particles are dry and can be vacuumed effectively. Other soot particles require alkalinity and/or solvent action to dissolve the greases or oils. The alkalinity of a cleaning solution plus the lifting-wetting action of surfactants chemically reacts with oil or grease to form a new product,a water soluble soap, which is washed away.

These reactions then release the insoluble carbon and permit it to be removed physically - often with water. The type of soot residues and the surfaces to be cleaned determine what process, chemicals and concentrations are necessary for the most effective cleaning. An alkaline wash will react with residual acids and some of the greases and oils in soot deposits. Other soot deposits may require a solvent additive. There are some deposits that may even need a putty knife or other physical means of removal. An example of this is certain plastic combustion products which vaporize and condense in a solid form.

Smoke, water vapor and other gases should be evacuated. Delays in cleanup may change the removability of soil on a particular substrate, requiring more time and more chemicals than would have been necessary when the first test patch was made. Delay may also allow further chemical attack and decrease the level of success in cleaning. Some surfaces may even become so severely damaged that they are no longer salvageable

The Mystery of Electronic Restoration Revealed

The key to restoring electronic equipment is quick response. Many think that once electronics become wet, especially if they were powered on at the time, that they cannot be restored, but that is not necessarily the case. Electronics will not start to corrode until after they are introduced to oxygen. Simply drying electronics is not enough. Whether it is ground or tap water, moisture leaves behind conductive residue called "salt chains". The same problem occurs from fire and smoke damage, where soot and smoke leave behind an acidic, corrosive residue that can be cleaned with a surfactant solution, and then rinsed thoroughly with de-ionized water. We use an Odell unit that cleans electronics using de-ionized water.

Once cleaned, electronics are then stored in a Drying Chamber that's 95 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit at the lowest possible relative humidity (19-24%). Depending on the complexity, components can dry completely in as little as 12 hours.

Nearly all electrical components can be wet-cleaned this way. In most cases, cleaning is much more cost-effective than replacement. There is roughly a 95% salvagability rate for electronics.