What Is the Residual Impact of Smoke Damage?

It’s tough to get back on your feet and overcome the aftermath of a house fire. It’s even worse when you realize that the flames were only part of the damage. The residual smoke damage and soot lead to immense contamination, odors, and long-term damage. Without professional restoration services, you’re out of luck. Thankfully, you can find a local restoration company nearby to arrive within an hour. The team will bring the most advanced restoration equipment. Furthermore, they are able to reverse any smoke damagein your home.

Residual Issues from Smoke Damage

When it comes to a house fire, most people focus on the blaze itself. Often, it’s the smoke damage that has the most impact after the fire subsides. The level of contamination and damage can be immense. Here are a few issues stemming from smoke damage.

Discoloration

Often, smoke damage leads to visible discoloration on the walls, ceilings, and hard surfaces, such as your countertops. This coloration often appears like a yellow stain. As for metal surfaces or materials, rust and corrosion will eventually begin to set in. It won’t take long. With countertops, the acidic residue of soot leads to permanent discoloration and tarnish.

Odor

Surfaces in your home, such as fabric furniture, will soak up the smoky odor from a fire. Smoke produces carbon particles in the air known as soot. These particles drift down and settle on your surfaces and furniture, soaking in and remaining there. The smell is trapped. Unfortunately, the source of the odor is often tough to eliminate in one go. Often, the smell stems from soot on the surface, the pores of the wood, or the finish on the furniture.

Electrical

An often forgotten aspect of fire & smoke damage is the toll it takes on your electrical system. Your electrical components, including wiring, outlets, switches, fuses, and breaker boxes, may be severely damaged by the smoke. These systems and the appliances you have connected may corrode, short circuit, malfunction, or fail entirely – all because of smoke damage.

Don’t Ignore Airflow

The air currents within your home will play a significant role in the amount of smoke damage and residue left behind.

• Air Ducts – If you have a forced-air system, even while not running, it may allow smoke to enter the ductwork and navigate through the household. Your ducts will act as a passage, but will also trap smoke particles and odors inside, too.
• Openings – Depending on the location of the fire, you may find smoke damage in nearby rooms due to door openings. The door itself will act as a filter, streaming the smoke into the next room through a narrow passage that centralizes the smoke.

In the event of a severe house fire, do not ignore smoke damage. Contact Restoration 1 of Greater Minneapolis for 24-hour fire & smoke damage restoration. You can reach us at 612-200-2302!

About The Author

David Tynes is the general manager of Restoration of Greater Minneapolis. David has years of experience in home and commercial restoration, and he is certified as a restoration professional by the IICRC.