What Smoke Damage Can Do to Your Home

6/20/2023 (Permalink)

Smoke damage prior to a house fire can cause a lot of cleanup, restoration needs, and replacements of furniture, clothing, and more. When most people think of a house fire, they think about the fire - however, the smoke and soot damage can be just as damaging. So, how does smoke damage affect your home’s contents?

Can You Salvage Belongings?
If you don’t have experience with smoke damage, it can be challenging to decide which items require the most attention. However, with the help of expert professionals, you will be able to determine which of your belongings can be salvaged. More importantly, you should note that these items should be salvaged as soon as possible, which might be impossible if you do not possess the necessary equipment knowledge.

Damage to Household Items
As far as furniture is concerned, if you happen to own wood furniture, it is best that you do not try to clean it on your own. This is because they can strain your flooring or carpets with its dyes. If your furniture is largely made of metal, smoke damage can cause rust to happen and stain your rug or carpet as well. This is why professionals like SERVPRO use various protective barriers to separate the different surfaces in your home until they are completely dry.

Some porous surfaces such as paint and plaster can be irreversibly stained by smoke. As such, it is essential to use dry chemical sponges to avoid causing permanent stains on your walls.

In the case of a fire, wooden flooring might need to be replaced entirely because of the water damage from fighting the fire. However, if there are still areas of your floor that are undamaged by water, it might even be possible to resurface them.

Items You Should Discard
Almost anything in your home can be damaged by one of the most dangerous things that can occur - fires. Any items damaged by flames and heat, melted, or burned, should be thrown away after a house fire. Additionally, the following should be discarded after a fire:

• Fire damaged mattresses and furniture - Because they can fall apart, any mattresses or furniture burned in a fire should be thrown away. If minor to moderate soot stains and smoke occur on hardwood furniture, that would be an exception. By cleaning with oil soap, hardwood furniture might be salvaged. Sanding and refinishing could be a possibility if staining is severe.
• Burned bedding, towels, and clothing - any bedding, towels, or clothing that was burned or charred should be thrown away. You can try washing items with dish soap for minor soot stains. Before washing, soak fabrics in vinegar to remove odors.
• Fire impacted hygiene products, cosmetics, and medicines - any of these were damaged by the fire should be discarded. Contact your doctor immediately if prescription medication has to be discarded.
• Fire exposed boxed or canned foods - any box or canned foods that were exposed to smoke or flames should be thrown away. This is particularly applicable if they have burn marks, sweat stains, or were opened.

Smoke Can Cause a Bad Odor
If you have ever experienced smoke or fire damage, you would know that eradicating the stubborn smoke smell can be a challenging problem. When your home becomes filled with smoke, the microscopic smoke particles can penetrate porous surfaces and stain any furniture and household items. Effectively removing the smoke smell in your home typically requires the use of proper cleaning agent, equipment, and lots of effort.

If you have fire damage to your home and you need fire damage restoration, SERVPRO can help. We can not only restore your property, but clean soot, smoke, and restore any water damage from the fire fighting as well.

About SERVPRO Team Harvey
SERVPRO of West Somerset County is proudly owned by Lance and Jennifer Harvey - a husband and wife duo that owns three other SERVPRO locations, including SERVPRO of Lower Manhattan, SERVPRO of Hoboken/Union City, and SERVPRO of Aberdeen/Holmdel.

We understand the stress and worry that comes with a fire or water damage and the disruption it causes your home or business. Our goal is to help minimize the interruption to your life and quickly make it “like it never even happened.”