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What Smoke Does to Finishes and Furnishings

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Smoke can be toxic and fatal to the human respiratory system, as people can die from its inhalation, so imagine what it can do to your home’s finishes and furniture long after visible smoke clears away. It damages these items by embedding acidic oily soot into pores, which can alter anything from chemical itching to tellers. Breathing in lingering toxins continues to pose danger to your health, which is why you should understand exactly what smoke damage does to your home and how and who should handle it.

What Is Smoke and Fire Cleanup Like?

Clearing out minor smoke damage may be possible by opening windows and using fans, shutting off your HVAC system to avoid spreading soot, and using proper vacuuming methods. You should dry vacuum first, and then use a heavy-duty one with a HEPA filter. These DIY methods may be fine for minor surface-level damage, but for anything beyond that, you should call the professionals.

The professionals at a fire damage restoration company in Boulder, Colorado, will make your home safe again after smoke damage since the team knows how certain materials respond to smoke exposure. They have access to high-scale machines like ozone generators that can clear out persistent odor. Remediators use specialized treatments, like ultrasonic cleaning, to restore devices and have access to HEPA-filter vacuums; a must for carpet cleaning.

Wood

Wooden items will suffer from chemical etching and odor absorption. The acidic pH of smoke can quickly degrade varnishes and shellacs within days, causing them to peel or cloud. The pores in the wood soak up smoke particles deep inside, while soot quickly deposits a yellow or grayish film on the wood surface, potentially causing deep discoloration in light woods like pine. 

Fabrics

Those soft fabrics on your couches as upholstery usually suffer permanent damage, since they trap particles and volatile compounds very quickly. This includes carpet mattresses and even curtains, as smoke-related chemicals like carcinogens, tar, and nicotine live deep in these fabric fibers. Now, they may continuously re-emit harmful pollutants into the air, leaving you susceptible to breathing them.

Metal

Metal corrosion happens from smoke sulfates and chlorides that become acidic when sitting on the metal. If you don’t properly clean off your plumbing fixtures, metal furniture parts, and hardware, they’ll eventually corrode and rust. The same thing happens to electrical items if soot infiltrates internal components, causing long-term malfunctions due to the acidic coating it leaves.

Can Anything Be Salvaged?

Anything porous, such as fabrics and drywall, usually becomes too heavily absorbed in smoke, so they’re the first thing to be discarded during remediation. However, your non-porous materials, like metal and glass, can be saved with professional cleaning.

Smoke exposure in your home is something to take seriously. Failure to properly remove soot and the acidic chemicals left behind on surfaces can damage your furniture and appliances, and pose a risk to your respiratory health. Local professionals are available to ensure that anything causing such lingering issues will be removed.

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