We understand that having a fire in your home is a terrible shock. Your instinct may be to return to survey the damage as soon as the fire’s out. But we have to treat smoke damage as a serious health hazard.
Save The Day Restoration knows all about what smoke damage can do to your body. After all, we’ve been carrying out professional smoke damage restoration in Los Angeles and beyond for more than 15 years. So our priority is keeping you safe and healthy, as well as our team.
Smoke damage sticks around long after the fire’s out. So what can smoke damage in your home do to your body? And can smoke damage be removed?
What Smoke In Your Home Can Do To Your Body
First off, what is smoke actually made of? It’s composed of gases including carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, and fine particles. It can contain various toxic chemicals depending on what burned to cause the smoke.
We all know that carbon monoxide can be deadly. And the fine particles are a huge threat too. Why? They can go really far into your lungs because of their size, and stay there.
You will have experienced what happens when you breathe in smoke. It’s horrible. Your eyes start streaming and it makes you cough.
Unsurprisingly, prolonged exposure to smoke can cause even more damage. You can even get long-term heart and lung diseases from inhaling smoke.
What Soot Can Do To Your Body
Soot is basically tiny carbon particles. And depending on what the soot damage is from, it can contain acid, chemicals or metals. Definitely not what you want to be breathing in.
Bear in mind too that soot particles are so small, they can enter the body through your eyes or your skin.
Typically, soot will make any existing respiratory problem a whole lot worse. At worst, soot can cause cancer, bronchitis, asthma, and heart disease.
Soot damage can reach every part of your home, so it’s important to consider what toxins it could be carrying. That’s why we take extra care cleaning soot as part of the overall smoke damage restoration process.
What Ash Can Do To Your Body
Like soot, ash is also carbon. And although ash might not look like much, it can contain other nasties depending on what it came from originally.
Ash with large particles irritates the sinuses and makes you cough. It’s impossible to see with the naked eye, but the smaller particles actually do the most damage. They can get right into the smallest parts of your lungs, called the alveoli. Then they can do permanent damage to your lungs.
Who Is Most At Risk From Smoke Damage?
We should all take special care not to expose ourselves until we can repair the smoke damage. This is especially true if you have any of the following:
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Respiratory conditions such as asthma
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Heart problems
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Circulatory problems
And these groups, too:
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Smokers
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The elderly
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Pregnant women
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Children
Can Smoke Damage Be Removed?
We repair smoke damage according to what the smoke got into and how bad it is. In a lot of cases, a thorough cleanup is sufficient for smoke damage and odor removal. If not, we can restore your home and get it looking great again.
Smoke damage is much more difficult to remove from your body than your home. Your lungs may gradually repair themselves over time, but the damage can also be permanent.
Smoke Cleanup
Smoke damage restoration, sanitation and odor removal is something that needs to be left to a professional team like Save The Day Restoration. Because individuals without the correct training often make the problem worse for their bodies.
We know you just want to get rid of all that debris and the smoke smell in your home. But you shouldn’t wipe it up, sweep it up or use a vacuum cleaner on it. All you’ll do is make the tiny toxic particles airborne, and you’ll breathe it in without knowing.
When we conduct professional fire damage restoration and smoke cleanups we have high quality breathing equipment and exactly the right tools for the job.
Sanitization & Disinfection
Cleaning everything with professional grade products means we get rid of anything toxic to your health. Like acids and other chemicals that could be in the smoke, soot or ash.
You’ll be able to return to your home confident that it’s safe.
Air Quality Testing
You won’t know what dangerous particles are still lingering in the air until it’s tested with specialized equipment.
So checking the air is the final part of the smoke damage restoration process. The air quality monitor will confirm that all the toxins from the smoke are gone for good.
Can You Safely Check the Smoke Damage in Your Home?
Follow the advice of the emergency services as to whether you can enter your home. It’s tempting to assess the damage yourself but it may be too dangerous to enter at all. And it’s not just the smoke. Floors, ceilings and walls may well have become unstable from the fire damage.
If you get the go-ahead, smoke damage means regular masks or face coverings aren’t enough. And this is because the particles are so small they can get through.
So which masks are the best? Buy N-95 or P-100 masks and ensure you follow the instructions on how to fit them correctly.
Start Your Smoke Damage Restoration Today
You need LA’s leading smoke and fire damage restoration company for the job, because your health is our priority.
We will clean up your home, repair smoke damage and conduct thorough odor removal work safely and quickly.
Save The Day Restoration offers 24/7 emergency services because we know how stressful fires and smoke damage can be. Get in touch with our friendly team at (562) 246-9908 or contact us by email.
