Smoke Damage: The Lingering Hazard After A Fire

1/25/2017 (Permalink)

Smoke can linger in your home after a fire and can damage your belongings.

After a fire, smoke lingers in your home and can further damage your belongings. The problem is that many Hill Country homeowners are unprepared for a house fire because they don’t think it could ever happen to them; they believe that they are being cautious and avoiding all possible risks of a fire happening in their home. In reality, house fires of all sizes are very common, even if you’re being extra careful. Even if a fire that occurs in your home is just a minor one and does not cause a lot of fire damage, it can still cause smoke damage. Smoke damage is very difficult to remove from your home and belongings and can be dangerous to live around.

Smoke Damage that is a direct result of fire damage should be cleaned by professionals. Our specially trained experts at SERVPRO of The Hill Country know how to get rid of smoke damage that might be present in the home after it has been ravished by flames. We start by evaluating the overall extent of the fire and smoke damage that is present in the home before arriving at the best plan of action for your situation.

There are quite a few reasons why you should have remediation done as soon as possible and why you should leave it to our SERVPRO professionals to handle the smoke damage. The smoke that you find after a house fire contains ash and soot. The smoke may also contain tar and carbons that came off of the flames. Carbon monoxide is often present after fire damage has occurred. This gas is extremely dangerous, as it is invisible, odorless, and cannot be tasted. You may not even be aware that you are surrounded by it until you start exhibiting symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning or until it is properly tested. It is standard practice for us to test the carbon monoxide levels in your home after a fire.

Smoke can damage your belongings, walls, furniture, etc by turning them gray or black. Smoke can also leave an odor on your belongings and in your home. Many items will need to be properly cleaned by our SERVPRO team and depending on the size of the fire and the extent of the damage, items may need to be completely removed in order to rid your home of the smoke damage. The team remediating your home will tell you what is and is not salvageable.

Fires are incredibly common, and a substantial amount of smoke damage can ensue from even the smallest of fires. Smoke damage can even happen in your home if a fireplace is not well-vented. You don’t always need to have had a house fire to have smoke damage. If you are in need of a qualified, professional team to help get your home back to “Like it never even happened”, don’t hesitate to give SERVPRO of The Hill Country a call – (830) 995-4102