How does smoke affect your home? The short answer is, in many ways!

Smoke affects even the areas untouched by flames. It can therefore cause damage in rooms that weren’t affected by the fire, causing more destruction than imagined. This is because a lot of damage from fires isn’t actually caused by the fire itself, but from the smoke.

So how does smoke affect your home belongings?

  • Carpets – Carpets and rugs made of synthetics can become stained pretty quickly. Often they can be cleaned if they aren’t damaged by water or heat
  • Curtains & Upholstery – Both can yellow which can look unsightly. Again if not damaged by heat or water, they can often be cleaned
  • Furniture – Smoke can damage your furniture too. Whether it is wood, medal or material, it can be easy to damage varnishes, paints and wood stains, just as easy it is for metal to rust
  • Clothing – Just like other fabrics around the home, soot can become stuck in clothing. Special cleaning techniques may be used to remove the soot before staining becomes apparent. It’s important to properly remove soot from clothing as skin irritation may occur
  • Appliances – The corrosive effects of smoke can affect both the internal and external of appliances. This can cause damage to the electrical systems and more often than not, will result in appliances being replaced rather than repaired
  • Plastic – Plastic is highly porous which means it will likely collect more soot than any other item in your home. Plastics can also start discolouring in a matter of minutes
  • Porcelain – Porcelain which is mainly found in bathrooms can discolour in a matter of hours. Wiping residue away can prevent etching in the porcelain

All of the above should be cleaned properly, by a professional to reduce the affects of smoke on your home.

Visit our fire and smoke restoration page for further information or call our team for our emergency help on 0845 762 6828