How Can Smoke Damage Impact Your House - Is it Unsafe to Stay?

When you've experienced a fire in your home, you know it's necessary to get fire damage repair services. However, something else you should look upon with as much importance as fire damage is smoke damage. Smoke is very intrusive and can get into everything in your home, including between your walls, furnishings and any space in your house. The soot can impair your personal belongings and the remaining odors are unpleasant. With the fire damage repairs we've done throughout the years, Paul Davis knows how irritating smoke damage is, but we also know how harmful it is as well. It's important for smoke damage to be removed of properly, because it isn't safe to linger in an area where a fire has occurred. Clearing out any fragments from smoke damage is just as important as taking care of fire damage. Soot and smoke that lingers can actually impair the health of anyone staying in the home. It isn't safe to stay inside a house with smoke contamination, even if all the smoke has been cleared away, there could still be soot and particles around that you can't see. That's why it's vital to get an expert to examine your home after you've experienced a home fire.

Health Exposures Involved with Living in a Smoke Damaged House

Fire damage generates soot and ash, but the harmful components that linger in the smoke often contain tar and carbons. One of the primary things you need to be aware of with smoke damage is the extremely harmful gas, carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is odorless, tasteless and invisible, and that's why it's crucial to have an expert come to your residence for fire and smoke damage repair. A professional contractor can test the levels of carbon monoxide in your residence after a fire has taken place. Carbon monoxide, tar and other residue that are created from smoke damage can cause some serious health issues, these include:

  • Respiratory Issues – Your lungs and sinuses could be impacted negatively, making breathing challenging, if your house hasn't had smoke damage removed of correctly. Even if your residence is free from smoke, small particles from the flames and smoke could still remain in your carpets and furniture. If this is the case, then you're in danger of breathing in the residue which can result in needing medical attention down the road.
  • Skin Damage – Since residue from smoke and fire can get embedded into your furniture, clothing and carpets, this can cause serious skin irritation. Sometimes it can be critical enough where lotion won't be sufficient to heal it.
  • Eye Irritation – Itchy, watery, red eyes are a typical issue caused from smoke residue remaining in your residence. When the issue isn't addressed, not only will your eyes be aggravated, but more harm could be done to them.

Fire Damage Repair and Smoke Damage Elimination

Having fire damage repair and smoke damage removal isn't only good for your house, but also your well-being. If you've experienced a fire in your home, you can rely on the fire damage repair experts at Paul Davis. Get in touch with us at (403)342-4666 and a franchise near you will be there to assist.