Fire Damage causes – 3 Most Common Questions

A fire can have truly devastating effects on any home, potentially causing irreparable damage that requires the entire structure to be torn down and rebuilt. However, even minor fires that don’t significantly impact your home’s integrity can have lasting effects.

The enormous amounts of smoke generated by even small house fires can cause damage in addition to anything that the fire itself does. To make sure that your home is safe and livable following any fire, you’ll likely need a fire clean-up service. Many homeowners aren’t aware of what can be done to restore their homes after a fire, so here are some of the critical facts that you should know.

Fire Damage causes – What Objects in Your Home Can Be Restored After Smoke Damage?

Smoke can affect a wide range of materials in different ways. Smoke is made up of small particles that can cling to surfaces and penetrate fabric and other porous materials. Once in place, those particles can react with moisture later on to cause further long-term damage.

The smoke particles and soot aren’t going to go away on their own. It takes a professional fire clean-up service to deal with them. Reacting quickly is the best way to save as many objects and materials in your home as possible.

Most fires will cause noticeable smoke damage to walls and ceilings. Luckily, the paint on your walls can inhibit smoke from penetrating deep inside. This means that most walls and ceilings can be cleaned relatively effectively with a specific soot-cleaning solution.

Unfortunately, floors can be more difficult to deal with. If you have wooden flooring, you may need to have it refinished to deal with smoke damage. The same is true for any wooden furniture. Because wood is so porous, it readily soaks up smoke.

Most metal, glass, and plastic objects in your home can be cleaned very effectively following smoke damage. Fabrics are going to be the other major area of concern. Carpets, curtains, bedding, and more can all absorb a lot of smoke particles. There are a variety of detergents that can be used to deal with smoke damage to most fabrics, and a fire clean-up service can handle your home’s carpets.

Fire Damage causes – Is the Smell of Smoke After a Fire Harmful Your Home?

The appearance of soot and the smell of smoke can leave your home very unpleasant to be in after any fire. However, there’s more to it than just comfort. Smoke can cause both immediate and lasting harm during any fire, with smoke inhalation being the largest cause of death in house fires.

Smoke particles are still dangerous even once the fire has stopped. Any fabric, carpet, or clothing that contains smoke particles will disperse them into the air whenever they are disturbed. That means you could be breathing in smoke particles long after the fire itself.

The particles themselves are made up of a wide range of different chemicals produced by the house fire. This can include a wide variety of harmful elements from plastics and textiles that are burned, and even smoke from regular wood contains dangerous compounds.

This can be particularly harmful to anyone with existing respiratory conditions, along with children and the elderly. If you can still smell smoke in your home after a fire, then you are likely still dealing with significant levels of smoke particles that should be addressed through a professional fire clean-up service.

How Do Professionals Clean Smoke Damage?

A professional fire clean-up service has a variety of effective solutions for dealing with smoke damage. Because different materials require different approaches, they use a number of tools, cleaning solutions, and methods to get the best possible results.

In many cases, professionals will use a cleaning compound called trisodium phosphate. This is great for cleaning soot off walls, ceilings, and other hard surfaces. 

It counteracts the natural acidity of the soot to prevent further damage that could occur if the wrong cleaning solution was used. They’ll also have the necessary professional equipment for dealing with carpets, upholstery, and more.

If you’re dealing with the aftermath of a house fire, you can rely on professional fire clean-up service from Restoration Operators to restore as much of your home as possible. We use state-of-the-art equipment to ensure the best possible results, so just reach out today for a rapid response.