How does smoke damage work?

3/8/2019 (Permalink)

A house fire can be devastating and is something no home or business owner wants to experience. However, if a fire does occur in your home, SERVPRO of Cedar Mill / Oak Hills can provide fire clean up services to help you recover from the damage. It's important to know exactly how and where fire damage can impact your home/business before the clean up process begins, especially since some areas of your property may have smoke damage that's not visible.

Unexpected Issues from Fire and Smoke Damage

After a fire, it's usually evident what smoke damage looks like in your home - whether it's charred items, discolored walls, or ash and soot on the floor - but it can also produce smells and other side effects that are harmful to surfaces. It's also important to note that some signs of smoke damage can occur immediately, while others are only apparent several hours - or even days - after the fire.

Discoloration
 
Shortly after a fire, the effects of smoke damage are visible on walls, ceilings and surfaces, appearing as stains and discoloration. Within a few days, walls and flooring may begin to turn yellow; however, this yellowing affect doesn't show right away. Plastic surfaces/appliances and wood can also become discolored and warped. Several hours after a fire, metal hardware can show signs of rust and corrosion.

Odor
 
Surfaces of your home, specifically fabric items, may not only show visible signs of fire damage, but also may contain a smoky odor. Smoke produces tiny particles of carbon in the air, and when deposited, these particles are called soot. Getting rid of the smoke residue, or soot, is the first step to reducing the smell of a fire.

The smell of smoke gets trapped in clothing, carpets, drapes and upholstered furniture, and unless these items are properly cleaned and deodorized by a professional fire clean up service, they may retain the smoky smell for a long period of time. The source of the odor can oftentimes be difficult to pinpoint. It could be in the soot on a surface, in the pores of wood or saturated in the finish of a piece of furniture.

Interior Damage

While smoke damage is visible on walls and ceilings, it can also permeate these surfaces and cause damage to a home's structure/framing, wall studs, insulation and air ducts in your ventilation system. When soot and smoke particles become trapped in the HVAC system, the smoke odor can reoccur periodically.

Electrical Damage
 
If any part of a home with wiring experiences fire damage, it usually means that the electrical system has been compromised. Depending on the source of the fire, any of the following electrical components may be damaged: wiring, cords, outlets, switches, fuses and breaker boxes. Appliances that have been affected by fire damage can show signs of corrosion, experience short circuits and malfunction, or fail completely.

No matter the level of destruction to your home, you should always consult SERVPRO of Cedar Mill / Oak Hills to access smoke or fire damage before you move forward with restoration and repairs. Our number one goal is to make things seem "Like it never even happened."