Common Types of Smoke Damage and Their Causes

Fires are not just dangerous to your home but to you and your family. The damage is often challenging to remediate as smoke leaves nasty marks on the burned areas. The financial loss is unimaginable, especially if you don’t have a home insurance policy. 

A fire is made from a combination of soot and smoke, and the ultimate damage is often a result of the type of fire that took place. This article will discuss everything about smoke damage, including how to spot smoke damage, what you should consider as smoke damage, and the types of smoke damage.

What Is Considered Smoke Damage?

Smoke damage is the structural damage caused by smoke, not the fire itself. Unlike fire, smoke doesn’t destroy or burn things to nothingness. However, it coats the items with soot, making them unpleasant to use or touch. Soot is particularly detrimental to walls, fabrics, and furniture. Smoke and soot can also be challenging to clean as the particles can enter even the thinnest of places, including pipes, wires, and cracks on walls and ceilings.

How to Spot Smoke Damage

Generally, anything that burns produces smoke. That means you should expect smoke damage every time there is a fire anywhere in your home. In most cases, smoke, soot, and ashes are what let you know there has been a fire if you were away. Since smoke travels quickly through a building, you’re likely to find it in areas away from the blaze. 

To identify smoke damage, check for blackened or soot-covered areas. You may also notice black dust falling from the air covering surfaces below it. Another distinct way of identifying soot is the unpleasant choking smell produced when different materials are burned.

Types of Smoke Damage

The cause and origin of the fire determine the level of damage and how the smoke behaves. The most common fire causes in homes and commercial properties include electrical faults, cooking, faulty appliances, and small accidental fires. Here are the different types of smoke damage.

Wet smoke: Wet soot occurs when a fire burns at lower temperatures in smoldering flames. This smoke has a pungent odor as it is produced when plastic and rubber products are burned.

Dry smoke: Dry smoke residue can result from burning wood or paper. It is caused by a fast and high-temperature burning fire. The smoke is often dry and powdery and can be removed by dusting.

Fuel or oil smoke: Fuel smoke is produced when oil, petroleum, or similar products are burned. The smoke produced comes out in large quantities and covers the surrounding areas.

Protein smoke: Protein smoke is produced from burning organic matter. It has a very strong odor, and it’s largely invisible. It doesn’t stain but may appear to have a faint yellow color.

Get the Post-Fire Remediation You Need

At HealthSafe Inspections, we understand how difficult dealing with fire incidents can be. That’s why we devote ourselves to helping you restore your home’s primary elegance through our contamination cleaning services. To learn more about our services and how we can help you, call 970-920-2100 and schedule a post-remediation consultation.

Categorised in: Smoke Damage Remediation

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