End Your Worst Smoke Damage Cleanup Nightmares. Read This for the Info You Need to Take the Pain Out of the Process

Do you know what it takes to manage the monstrosity that is smoke damage cleanup?

Something no one ever mentions about the aftermath of a fire is the Herculean effort that is smoke damage cleanup. We often think of charred furniture, warped appliances, melted kids toys, damaged flooring, and burned drapes, but we don’t often stop to think about the thing that can often force a homeowner out of their home, and that is smoke damage.

Although you should trust a professional to evaluate and assess the damage from a fire and to complete the restoration process, when it comes to smoke damage, there is definitely some information you should have so you can go into the process informed and prepared.

What is Smoke Damage?

Smoke is made up of particles of unburned fuel after a fire. It’s made up of hundreds of different types of chemicals, depending on what was burned in the fire, and it becomes airborne as the fire burns and moves throughout the structure, moving up and out of the home. Smoke can be free floating or it can be driven by the pressure of the fire and the heat.

If the fire is contained within a room or if the fire doesn’t completely destroy a home, the smoke can be caught inside the home without ventilation for moving out. It becomes trapped. This is why smoke damage can be such a menace, because it fills a room or a home with toxic particles that stick to the walls, ceilings, floor, furniture, and anything else it comes in contact with.

Why Does Smoke Odor Linger?

Fires burn whatever is in their path, and these days that often consists of synthetics and plastics. The particles in the smoke attach themselves to your home and your belongings.

In some cases the odor is just on the surface in the soot and smoke residue. In other cases, due to the extreme heat associated with the fire, it can be come ingrained in your home and your belongings. For instance, when wood is heated to an extremely high temperature, but isn’t burned, the smoke and soot can settle into the pores of the wood. Additionally, when the finish on floors, ceilings, walls, appliances, and fixtures is heated it softens and the soot can become one with the finish.

What’s the Best Advice About What Not to Try?

Many homeowners will try to do fire cleanup themselves, especially if it’s a small fire or an interior fire and the damage is minimal. This is where the nightmare of smoke cleanup comes in. If the flames and heat were the only factors, that might be a viable option. Smoke odor and smoke damage are the elements of fire damage that make doing it yourself a bad idea. Without the right knowledge and tools, DIY smoke removal is a painful experience, and is bound to fail.

What’s the Solution?

Although smoke damage cleanup can be a huge undertaking, and can often be impossible if done by anyone other than a professional, it is not insurmountable. The latest technology allows for the removal of the odor from your home and from the surfaces it came into contact with. Everything from ozone treatment to chemical cleaners and scrubbers to an understanding of what can be treated and repaired and what needs to be demolished and discarded will enable effective smoke odor removal.

Don’t try to manage smoke damage on your own, and definitely don’t live with it. Smoke is toxic and the residue is corrosive and dangerous to your, your health, your family, and your home.

Instead, contact Can-Restore for help with smoke damage cleanup by calling (770) 735-2695.