The smell of smoke can easily seep into your home. Think back to the last time you overcooked popcorn or a meal. Smoke residue lingers long after a fire has been extinguished. These will explain the dangers of smoke and some things you can do to reduce damage.
If you have doubts about how much smoke damage there is, it’s best to get professional help. Smoke damage mitigation is important because it can cause serious structural problems within your house. It can also make your property less valuable. Therefore, you must act fast when you notice smoke coming from your home.
You must contact a professional immediately if you’re dealing with smoke damage. It’ll know what steps to mitigate damage caused by smoke. You may think you can handle the problem, but this could prove dangerous. Many chemicals used in fires can seriously harm you and your family.
Smoke Damage
In the event of a fire, any physical or structural damage caused by smoke is considered smoke damage. Although smoke won’t set a room or its contents on fire, it can inflict much damage. The smell of soot on clothing and other belongings can remain even after a fire has been put out.
The fact that soot can often be oily is unknown to many people. When it settles on something, it can make it uncomfortable to touch. As a result of its high acidity, soot may quickly eat through materials and upholstery. Soot particles can damage porous surfaces such as plastic and marble. Metals also tarnish or corrode quickly as a result.
Without a doubt, soot and smoke are extremely tough to remove. It is adept at sneaking through narrow passages to invade tunnels, pipes, and other enclosed locations. You can find smoke odours under carpets or furniture. These strong odours are often more difficult to hide or completely eradicate. Deodorising equipment and methods are needed to remove smoke odours.
The Different Forms That Household Smoke Damage Can Take
In dealing with smoke damage in your home, it is important to consider; the type and amount of soot particles discharged, the location, ventilation and humidity levels, and the ignition source. Because your home contains many dangerous substances, the smoke damage restoration process requires experience and precision.
Three different sources can cause smoke odours:
- Wet Smoke – It is heavy and sticky, and the combustion of rubber or plastic frequently creates it. Wet smoke cleanup often entails utilising air movers and dehumidifiers to remove moisture from the damaged area, followed by thorough cleaning and sanitising.
- Dry Smoke – This smoke is frequently produced by burning paper or wood. It is lighter than wet smoke and easier to remove. Dry smoke cleanup often entails extensive cleaning and the use of air purifiers to remove microscopic smoke particles from the air.
- Protein Smoke – Protein smoke is produced by burning food or other organic materials. Because it is so difficult to eliminate, professional ozone treatment or thermal fogging is frequently required.
The Effects of Smoke Damage on Your Home
Damage to your property from smoke will depend on the temperature, type of fire, and material used.
When it comes to smoke damage, there is no time to waste. Act quickly. There is a lower chance of future injury if action is taken immediately. It may be necessary to immediately treat certain materials to preserve them, particularly porous materials and synthetic fibres. Damaged components of your property, such as painted walls and flooring, must be repaired in a maximum of a day or two.
Damage to your property from smoke will increase in severity and cost as time passes.
Tips for Eliminating Smoke Smells After a House Fire
The smell of smoke that lingers after a fire has been extinguished can be overpowering and sickening. It can also pose health risks, so it’s critical to eliminate smoke odours as soon as possible. After a fire, you can get rid of the lingering odour of smoke by following these steps:
Take Away The Cause Of The Issue
The first step in getting rid of smoke smells is to find and get rid of the fire’s ignition source. A large part of this process is removing furniture, cabinets, and other storage units whose contents were destroyed in the fire. Depending on the damage’s severity, things can either be abandoned or restored.
Sort and Clean the Reusable Items
Recoverable goods can be cleaned meticulously and thoroughly by experts in smoke damage restoration. Surfaces, including walls and windows, are usually washed, scrubbed, and disinfected as part of the cleaning process.
It is also possible to have the insides of your cabinets and drawers cleaned by a professional service. Things like furniture and clothing that can be cleaned and recovered from smoke damage are often packed up and carried away. Learn how to wash clothes after a house fire.
Take Care of the Vents
Smoke and soot can enter a home’s HVAC system and disrupt its operation. It is also crucial to clean the ducts at the outset of the smoke-smell elimination process to avoid the HVAC system recontaminating previously cleansed areas. Duct cleaning is best left to trained technicians with the proper tools and knowledge.
Eliminating Smoke Smells Expertly
The last step is to eliminate any leftover scents. Baking soda is a natural deodoriser that may help in the short term, but in most cases, you should seek a professional’s advice. Several tried-and-true strategies are as follows:
- Air purification. To clean the air, a technician will employ high-efficiency particulate arrestor (HEPA) air scrubbers capable of filtering out 99.97 percent of airborne particles. If you can get rid of these tiny particles floating around in the air, you may also get rid of some of the elements that give off unpleasant odours.
- Evaporation by heat. In this process, a petroleum-based deodoriser from a thermal misting machine fills the affected area with a mist-like deodoriser. Fogging is a method for permanently eliminating odours by modifying the molecules that emit them with a fragrance. Technicians extinguish any residual flames before fogging. Everyone in the treatment area must wear respiratory protection equipment or leave the area.
- Vapour modification. With the aid of a blower or fan, an aromatic chemical is vaporised inside a sealed plastic container and released into the surrounding area. Mineral oils used here are safe in every way: they won’t harm you, won’t make you sick, won’t catch fire, and won’t blow up. As a result, customers can choose to stay in or near an area while the smoke smell is removed. The deodoriser also penetrates porous surfaces like upholstery and draperies.
- Producer of ozone. This method is one of the most common solutions for eliminating smoke odours in the air, especially protein smoke, which is notoriously difficult to eradicate. Ozone is an effective oxidiser that breaks down odorous molecules and releases more oxygen into the atmosphere. While ozone is an excellent odour eliminator, it is not an air cleanser. When an ozone generator is running, customers should be absent. Trained professionals need only enter the treatment area to power on or off the ozone generator. Ozone is most effective when used in a controlled environment, such as an ozone chamber. Inhaling ozone gas for 24–48 hours can neutralise odorous substances.
Reztor Restoration restores smoke and fire damage.
Smoke damage and odour removal is a complex operation that must be completed efficiently to be successful. For skilled smoke damage restoration, contact your local Reztor Restoration office. We have the skills, equipment, and experience to rescue and restore your house after smoke damage, from cigarette smoke to lingering smoke odour after a fire. To find your nearest Reztor Restoration office, use our online office locator or call 1800 739 867.
