How Smoke Damage Affects The Contents of Your Home
Fires are one of the property owner’s biggest nightmares. They can outright destroy everything and cause irreversible damage. But even if a fire does not destroy the home, there is another culprit that is capable of doing immense damage, and that is smoke. A small to medium fire may not be as devastating as a large one, however, unaddressed smoke damage can cause just as many problems.
How Smoke Affects Your Home
Smoke interacts with different materials in different ways. The type of fire and temperature it brings can cause different types of smoke. The worst case of smoke damage is the type that goes undetected by sneaking into the cracks and crevices of the home. This can cause a lingering smell, but it can also affect the integrity of the home’s structure. Smoke can act as an acidic substance, as it will eat at materials over time and cause significant damage.
What is Salvageable
Not everything affected by smoke damage is salvageable. Smoke can be so destructible that some home contents cannot be cleaned. You should factor in the cost of an item, as it can be incredibly expensive to salvage it than it is to replace it. Smoke damage specialists can help determine want can be cleaned and what can be replaced.
How Smoke Damage Is Cleaned
After any fire, your home should be properly ventilated. This helps release some of the smoke particles left in your home, which will reduce the buildup of smoke damage. Removing all debris is also imperative. Every surface will be cleaned, and odor neutralizing products will be used to help rip the house or building of the smoke smell. Acting swiftly can help reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
How Cloth-based Items Are Cleaned
For upholstery, carpet, and curtains, there are specific techniques that are used to remove smoke particles. Professional home remediation companies will decide which is the most effective way to use those materials. Some homeowners try to clean themselves with a vacuum, however, this can push soot and smoke particles deeper into the fibers of the fabric.
Clothing and bedding that has come into contact with smoke may be salvageable, however, if the smoke was much more intense, it may be too difficult to rid them of the smell. Depending on how strong the odor is, commercial cleaning detergents might be used.
Get Action Promptly
Whenever there’s a fire, there’s smoke. Regardless of the extent of the fire damage, smoke damage should be addressed just as quickly. The sooner you take action, the more likely you are to prevent serious damage to your belongings. The best way to mitigate smoke damage in your home is to hire a professional home remediation company. They will assess the overall damage and help your house be back to its radiant state.
