We experienced a devastating house fire. Fire raged through one end of the house, heavy smoke and soot found its way in every nook and cranny. 1400 degree heat melted light fixtures, boiled food in the refrigerator. We had extensive pieces of china (Spode, Wedgewood, Herend), ceramics, glass, crystal (Waterford, Baccarat, Yeoward), kitchen ware - some exposed, some in cabinets. The insurance company sent a "service" out the day of the fire. They took 'samples' to see what could be salvaged. When they returned 5 days later, they were prepared to start packing and removing the remaining household items, declaring items were too labor intensive to save. Meanwhile, I went into high gear, filled a couple of plastic bins with similar items and started experimenting with several products at an off site garage sink. Krud Kutter was a name that came up on a fireman's wife's blog. I quickly discovered soot and smoke doesn't rinse off, nor does it wash off easily. I bought the Krud Cutter in the 32oz spray bottle. Using a degreaser dish washing liquid for the first clean and old terry washcloths (sponges and brushes weren't effective), I discovered that Krud Kutter cut through and literally melted off residue in cracks, crevices, corners, etc. I rinsed everything well and dried it, packing it in non print newspaper and plastic bins. I had Herend china with gold leaf on an open hutch totally covered with soot and smoke, even looking scorched. I cleaned 60 some pieces in 3 hours with Krud Kutter and it looked brand new. The 'service' said it took them 3 hours on a coffee pot and they managed to rub off and remove all the gold leaf. I then checked with my local fire department whether Krud Kutter would be safe in our septic system and got the go ahead. A real plus that it is biodegradable, non toxic, and was gentle on my hands (which were taking a real beating!) I immediately ordered 6 gallons of the Krud Kutter concentrated Cleaner Degreaser from Amazon and it arrived quickly. I cleaned a large ceramic WOVEN basket with 30 pieces of fruit in an hour. This product is truly amazing - it saved every piece of non porous china, crystal, glass, ceramics, lamp bases, etc. that had not exploded or cracked from the intensive heat. I also discovered that the length of time the damaged items "sat" didn't effect the successful results using the Krud Kutter cleaner. So, I didn't have to panic that I needed to get everything cleaned up immediately. Storing the bins off site, periodically lifting a cover - no smoke odor whatsoever. The house has been leveled, and we're rebuilding and I plan to repeat the cleaning process with just the Krud Kutter product before placing them in our 'new' home. Losing everything porous - clothing, furniture, rugs, drapes was pretty devastating. But, I swear, without this product, we would have lost everything. I have l/2 gallon left, and have 50plus bins stored. It's truly amazing how quickly it works. It will remain a staple on my shelf! Was the whole process labor intensive? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes . Needless to say, we didn't use the 'service'.
