Is It Safe to Stay in a Home with Smoke Damage?

Home fires are hazardous for you, your loved ones and your house. They can require the need of fire damage restoration at first, but even when the flames are put out, you're left with another hazardous thing: smoke contamination. No matter the fire's size, large or small, smoke has the ability to impact your whole house. The odor from smoke can infest the house by getting in vents, walls and other hard-to-reach places, and it can affect your furniture and clothing. The smoke soot leftover from the fire can also generate damage to your home. As a fire damage restoration company, Paul Davis understands how disastrous a fire can be and how dangerous smoke damage is to you and your home. After taking care of a fire, it's easy to forget about getting the smoke damage re-mediated after you've gone through a house fire. Nevertheless, it's very important to clear out the soot and smoke because smoke damage can affect your health, and it is unsafe to live under these circumstances. In order to avoid health complications later on, you should get a professional to clear the smoke damage from your property.

Health Complications that Derive from Smoke Contamination

Carbon and tar are some of the byproducts from smoke, and if these are breathed in over a duration of time, they can cause damage to your lungs. Carbon monoxide is another significant issue to consider as well. It's a harmful gas that displaces oxygen in the blood when breathed in, which keeps oxygen away from the heart, brain and other organs. After your residence has been through a fire, a professional can come in and test the carbon monoxide levels in your house. Along with tar, carbon monoxide and other particles, the health concerns that can arise from smoke contamination can include:

  • Respiratory Issues – Breathing can be diminished by smoke contamination. Even when the area is free from smoke, the effects will still remain in your walls, furniture, carpet and any other open space that smoke can get into. If you come into contact with a smoke contaminated space, you're at risk of breathing in particles that were left behind. This can generate sinus and lung issues which could lead to serious health concerns later on.
  • Skin Damage – Since particles from fire and smoke can get ingrained into your carpets, furniture and clothing, this can lead to serious skin irritation. Sometimes it can be critical enough that lotion won't be sufficient to heal it.
  • Eye Irritation – Smoke contamination has the ability to hang around, even when you can't see it, and this can aggravate the eyes making them red, itchy and watery. If the problem is neglected for a duration of time, this can lead to more problems and damage to your eyes.

Don't Let Smoke Contamination Impact Your Health - Let the Professionals Eliminate It

No matter how big or small the fire is, smoke contamination can penetrate your property. It is unsafe to remain in your house if there is smoke contamination. To prevent further damage to your well-being and your home, the professional team from Paul Davis is here to assist. From our experience of being fire damage restoration professionals, we understand the importance of cleaning up smoke contamination. To get help from a local franchise, give us a call at (403)342-4666 today.