Can You Live In A House With Smoke Damage?

CONTENTS

• What is smoke damage?
• What are the dangers of a smoke damaged house?
  • There is a high risk of fire damage
  • Smoke inhalation can cause serious health problems
  • The toxic particles that make up soot are harmful
  • Some people are more at risk than others
• How to clean a smoke damaged house
• What you can do to reduce smoke damage in your home
• Contact us today

Most fire deaths are caused by smoke inhalation, rather than the fires themselves. Even after it is put out and the smoke dissipates, the damage left behind can still put your health at risk.

You must have the damage removed as soon as possible by professional cleaners to keep yourself and others safe.

Here at ICE Cleaning, our technicians can provide high quality smoke damage cleaning services with their state-of-the-art equipment, and make your home habitable again. They are available 24/7, 365 days a year, and can be on site in an emergency in a matter of hours.

This blog will go through why smoke damage is dangerous, and how to get rid of it.

What is smoke damage?

It is the physical damage that smoke from a fire causes. It does not burn or destroy belongings or your property like fire damage, it just coats everything with soot. Smoke damage appears as a greasy residue, black dust, or streaky marks.

Smoke consists of heated particles and gases, and is produced by the incomplete burning of things that contain carbon. The soot left behind is the particles of the materials that have fuelled the fire and the chemical compounds that the fire created.

Although it dissipates very quickly, it can be very invasive and will travel to cooler areas. You could find smoke from a fire behind walls, in furnishings, and within plug sockets.

What are the dangers of a smoke damaged house?

There is a high risk of fire damage

Firstly, if there is smoke damage in your property, there is also likely to be fire damage. This can cause structural problems you might not be aware of.

There could be hazardous debris in your home, as well, like broken glass. Or the fire could have released asbestos and lead particles into the air which are very harmful.

Smoke inhalation can cause serious health problems

Should you inhale smoke, you might burn your respiratory system and could breathe in dangerous gases and chemicals, like carbon monoxide. It displaces oxygen in the blood, and might cause you to experience headaches, lose consciousness, and suffocate.

The fire will also have used up oxygen in the air, leaving you less to breathe. Prolonged smoke inhalation can cause brain damage and even result in death. You can find out more about why smoke is so hazardous here.

The toxic particles that make up soot are harmful

Just like smoke, soot contains chemicals including carbon monoxide, asbestos, tar, microplastic compounds, and hydrogen cyanide. When inhaled or ingested, it can cause a number of respiratory conditions, like asthma, bronchitis, and cancer.

When residue of the soot gets onto your skin, whether it’s in your furniture, clothes, or carpets, it can irritate it. Should it still be lingering in the air, it might irritate your eyes, as well.

Some people are more at risk than others

Although everyone who comes in contact with smoke or smoke damage can experience health problems, there are certain groups that need to be particularly careful. This includes:

• Young people
• Elderly people
• Pregnant people
• People with autoimmune conditions, lung conditions, or blood illnesses

How to clean a smoke damaged house

You should not stay in a property affected by smoke damage due to the long-term health risks associated with exposure to soot and smoke. To make your home safe again, you need to remove every trace of soot.

There are lots of home remedies that claim to do that, like wiping down surfaces with vinegar. However, soot is difficult to clean as the particles settle over surfaces, and are absorbed by porous materials. Household products might react with the smoke and produce harmful fumes, too.

To properly remove the smoke damage, many specific steps must be followed. This includes vacuuming up soot and ash, air blasting, wet vacuum extraction, air scrubbing, and odour neutralisation.

These all require specialist equipment, cleaning products, and PPE, as well as experience with smoke damage cleaning. Professional cleaners will be able to do a deep clean quickly, restoring your home as soon as possible so you can move back in.

What you can do to reduce smoke damage in your home

If the authorities have confirmed you can re-enter your property, there are some things you should do to speed up restoration.

• Ventilate the property by opening windows and doors to bring in fresh air, get rid of smoke, and reduce the lingering odour.
• Use fans and dehumidifiers to circulate air and get rid of any damp or humidity caused by firefighters when extinguishing the fire.
• Throw away all food items that are not in sealed cans and containers. Smoke can penetrate packaging.

Contact us today

Our technicians can remove all the smoke damage from the surfaces and air, and are available nationwide.   

Get in touch on 0208 066 0360 or at enquiries@icecleaning.co.uk for a free site survey and no-obligation quote for our smoke damage cleaning services.