The Importance of Smoke and Odor Removal in Fire Damage Restoration

According to the National Fire Protection Association, fire departments respond to more than 350,000 house fires throughout the United States every year. That number is the equivalent to a fire breaking out about every minute.

Many of these fires stem from similar causes, such as electrical malfunctions and cooking, which can result in total devastation. Even when a fire is minor, homeowners throughout the U.S. still have to deal with its aftermath, namely, smoke damage and the foul odors that come with it.

While on the surface, smoke and odor removal may seem like standard steps of the fire damage restoration process, there are several important reasons why they’re needed, which is what we’ll cover.

The Lingering Threats of Smoke and Odor

After your home experiences a fire, one of the biggest battles (besides putting out the flames) is combatting smoke damage. But where does this smoke come from?

When a fire breaks out, the items in your house, mainly wood, will get extremely hot. These hot temperatures result in the evaporation of VOCs, or volatile organic compounds. These VOCs then dissolve and vaporize, turning into water and carbon dioxide. The presence of the VOCs means there’s not enough oxygen, so complete combustion can’t occur, causing smoke.

Unfortunately, smoke can lead to many issues for both your home and your health. Here’s what you need to know:

Health Hazards

While a fire can lead to burn injuries, smoke inhalation can lead to a host of issues, ranging from shortness of breath to eye irritation, nausea, and swelling of the airway passages. Serious or prolonged smoke inhalation can lead to respiratory irritation and cardiac arrest. Though these health hazards exist for everyone, they can be even worse for those with existing respiratory issues such as Asthma or heart disease.

Don’t underestimate the serious health hazards accompanying smoke inhalation after a fire. Over 70% of all fire deaths were the result of smoke inhalation rather than the fire itself.

Structural Damage

The VOCs in wood that evaporate in a fire can lead to health hazards, but the burning wood can also cause severe structural damage. In a fire, it’s not uncommon for the wooden structures around your house to weaken and collapse, leading to significant injuries for anyone still inside and structural issues that will need repair.

However, smoke can do its fair share of structural damage, too. With smoke damage, you may encounter various issues not limited to the corrosion of metal surfaces, overheating wires and electrical failures, and damage to your home’s foundation. Smoke particles pack a lot of punch and can weaken your home’s foundation, including any standing wooden structures. One of the most severe structural damages you must look out for includes the load-bearing capacity of your foundation or wooden structures, as smoke particles can quickly compromise them.

Smoke can also discolor your walls, leaving behind messy and ugly yellow streaks that a simple paint job, sadly, won’t fix.

Comprehensive Smoke and Odor Removal Techniques

The health hazards and structural damage noted above highlight the incredible importance of hiring a fire damage restoration professional to mitigate smoke damage and remove odors. Here are a few ways your technician will do this.

Professional Assessment

First and foremost, your fire damage restoration technician will conduct a professional assessment of the damage. During this initial inspection, they will identify the severity of the damage and where it is. In doing so, they will devise a plan to fix it.

This thorough inspection is broken down into several parts. The first part of the professional assessment involves examining the structural damage that occurred. This includes examining the foundation, roof, walls, and ceilings for damage to determine their stability. After all, the building must be safe before any interior work can be done.

The next step in the assessment is to examine the interior damage to see what’s been compromised, including hallways, rooms, electrical systems, and basements. During this, a list of damaged items will be cataloged; you’ll need this for your insurance claim.

Air Filtration and Purification

Air purifying is a crucial part of the smoke damage and odor removal process. The smell of smoke can last for weeks, if not months, after a fire, so it’s best to hire a professional to tend to this sooner rather than later.

Your technician will use several methods to clean the air and eliminate this smell. The first is using an air scrubber. Air scrubbers are devices that collect air particles—in this case, smoke particles. In between collecting air particles, they will also pump out fresh air. In smoke damage restoration, it’s recommended that air scrubbers pump out fresh, clean air about every five hours.

This air purification process sets the stage for the rest of the smoke damage and odor removal process, including deodorizing. As mentioned above, smoke odors can last for weeks unless promptly treated. While the air scrubbers will help eliminate the smell, your technician commonly uses an ozone machine to attack the foul odors. The whole goal of the air filtration and purification system is to separate the smoke particles in your home from the air.

HVAC System Cleaning

Another essential part of the fire damage restoration toolkit includes thoroughly cleaning your HVAC system.

Your HVAC system regularly carries dust, allergens, and other air particles that can make your home smell and make breathing hard. The same would be true for smoke particles after a fire.

When smoke breaks out, the return ducting section of your HVAC system acts as a first line of defense, so to speak, as it catches the majority of those smoke particles. The smoke particles inside your HVAC system risk spreading throughout the house if not properly cleaned. You could clean the house and get it back to normal, but without HVAC system cleaning, you could still suffer passive smoke contamination and experience the consequences mentioned above.

This cleaning process is simple. Your tech will use specialized cleaners to remove grime and a pressurized canister to clean inside the ducts thoroughly.

Importance of Timely Restoration

After experiencing a fire and making sure that you and your loved ones are safe, your next call should be to an experienced fire damage restoration company that can help you remove smoke and the odors that come with it.

Here are a few reasons as to why timely restoration is important:

Mitigating Long-Term Damage

As mentioned above, untreated smoke can not only discolor your walls, but the leftover VOCs can leave lingering odors that can make it hard – and dangerous – to breathe.

While getting a professional to come out fast to prevent further structural damage is essential, such as preventing permanent discoloration that might require drywall removal and replacement, it’s not as important as protecting your health. Items can be saved; your health can’t wait.

Property Value Preservation

Of course, timely restoration also improves the ability to preserve the value of your property. If not treated, smoke damage can lead to corrosion of all the metal surfaces inside your house, including utility boxes, surfaces, and doorknobs. These will be costly repairs.

Furthermore, if you plan on selling your home down the line, treating the smoke and odor damage now ensures you can still get a fair price. Buyers tend to avoid homes or offer lower prices when smoke or odor damage is present because of the perceived health hazards that could still be present.

Do You Need Quality Smoke and Odor Removal Services? Let the Fire Damage Restoration Pros at BluSky Help!

There are many reasons to use a smoke damage and odor removal professional, including preserving the value of your property and mitigating health hazards.

At BluSky, we have years of experience handling smoke damage and treating odors. Not only does our team carry many top-rated industry certifications, but we will restore your home promptly so you can get back to your regular schedule. Call us today at 800-266-5677 to get the quality help you need.