Soot and Smoke Damage

What is soot and smoke damage?

Though most incidents of soot & smoke come directly from fire damage, even homes and structures that have not been burned can have an issue with soot and smoke damage from nearby fires and other causes. For example; excessive candle usage, defective fireplaces, as well as furnaces can lead to soot & smoke damage. Soot is usually formed by an incompletion of combusted carbon particles, but it can also contain detectable amounts of dust, metals, and chemicals.

Chemicals in Soot and Smoke Can Harm Your Health

Did you know that you could be breathing soot without you even knowing it? That’s because soot “particulate” is actually invisible. After a home fire, you’ll want to make sure to avoid the risks commonly associated with exposure – that includes respiratory issues, bronchitis, heart attack and even premature death. If you see the notorious black residue on your walls and around your home after a fire, that will be the easiest way to identify whether you are putting you and your family at risk for health issues caused by it.

Can I Clean It Myself? What Tools Do I Need?

Soot particulate is tough to remove because of its microscopic fine particles. There are quite a number of how-to articles that will give you directions using household chemicals like hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol or other cleaning solutions. While it’s true that those types of cleaning techniques can remove soot with quite a bit of intense elbow grease, rubbing the soot in and having loose particles fly in the air are not just a hassle, but a health risk that most families wouldn’t want to take. Additionally when not used properly these chemicals can be harmful themselves.

When to Hire a Professional

You should hire a professional to clean soot after a house or business fire or if a major fire has happened nearby – the hidden chemicals, soot particulate, and general health concerns that breathing in soot causes are all things that our team has the right equipment for and the right experience to remove without adding any risk to your family or household.

Classic Construction has done many fire damage remediations for residential, multi-family, and commercial properties, are experts. You can trust us to keep your family safe!

If you have had a small fire in your home or business and need soot and smoke damage restoration and remediation, call us at (972) 437-0909 or book a free estimation today!