Why Does Smoke Affect Your Items In The Home

12/10/2021 (Permalink)

A fire can destroy your property and cause serious, irreversible damage. The flames move from one item to another, burning everything into ash. The heat created by the flames radiate, causing the surrounding items to crack, melt, and in some cases shatter. After the flames are put out, you have to deal with smoke damage.

If smoke damage is not addressed, it can devastate your home along with everything inside it. Smoke damage can even occur in rooms the fire never reached. For example, during wildfires, businesses and homes have been totally ruined just from the smoke while the building stayed untouched by the flames.

Even a small fire that is put out quickly may still cause smoke damage to the items inside. Also, smoke can impact your home’s structure. That is why cleaning up soot and smoke right away after a fire is so crucial. Smoke acts like an acid and can start to corrode many different materials if left too long.

If fire strikes a structure or home, or if you live near areas that are prone to wildfires, you must act fast to reduce the damage that occurs. Professional smoke damage restoration specialists can quickly assess the damage and create a customized mitigation plan to make sure your home is clear of all fire related damages.

What Can You Salvage?

The answer to this question depends on the extent of the damage and what something is made of. You also need to consider the cost of salvaging some items. You can work with a smoke damage specialist to figure out what items you should clean and which ones you should replace or discard.

How Will Smoke Impact Your Home?

Smoke affects materials in unique ways. Also, the type and temperature of the fire will result in different types of smoke damage through your home. One of the worst ways smoke can cause damage is if it gets into small crevices and cracks, since the particles are so small.

In fact, these issues often go undetected for a long time, leaving that lingering smell of smoke that may last for several months. The best way to remove the smell from your home is by removing or cleaning the affected items and to clean the building materials in the home with agents that are designed to remove the smell. Having this handled as quickly as possible will reduce the potential of cross-contamination.

How Quickly Do You Need to Act?

Time is something that is of the essence when you are talking about smoke damage. The sooner that you act, the more likely you will be to prevent serious damage. For example, there are some materials like porous items and synthetic fires that need intervention within hours of exposure to be saved.