How Does a Home Recover from Fire, Odor, and Smoke Damage?

9/1/2021 (Permalink)

SERVPRO technicians deploy advanced equipment like this hydroxyl generator to mitigate fire, smoke, and odor damages in Wilmington area properties

SERVPRO Is a Nationally Recognized Fire Damage Restoration Company Operating in the Wilmington Area.

Are Smoke Odors Unsafe to Inhale?

Fires lead to the release of noxious gases. However, most toxic gases disperse from an indoor environment within a few hours, but you should check with a fire marshall before returning to your Wilmington home. After a blaze, trace elements of ash in the air can affect the indoor air quality of an enclosed environment. SERVPRO recommends that you cover floors, carpets, and surfaces when returning to a property after a fire to avoid unnecessary soiling to surfaces from falling soot and other airborne particles. Our technicians can perform extensive air restoration using air filtration devices in the property. These devices use high-particulate air (HEPA) filters to capture odor and soot particles from the indoor environment. By restoring your indoor air quality (IAQ), our technicians can ensure that your home returns to a preloss condition.

What causes smoke odors to linger?

When working on properties with fire damage in Wilmington, one of the chief causes of concern for homeowners is returning odors. Often ventilating or air-scrubbing does not entirely remove odors with some burnt smells returning to rooms. The reason stubborn odors can remain behind after a fire is that they embed themselves into surfaces, paintwork, porous materials, and textiles. This embedding can lead to continuous odors for weeks or months. To combat these odor-causing elements, it is essential to thoroughly clean and remove any visible signs of soiling in the property. Light smoke residues are odor-causing but can be challenging to detect. SERVPRO technicians can professionally assess light, moderate, and heavy smoke residues before performing tasks to remove them altogether from the affected area. We have in our inventory of advanced equipment:

• Hydroxyl Generators to deploy safely during the cleanup phase to change the chemical nature of some odors
• Ozone Machines for extreme odor removal
• ULV ultra-light volume foggers for dispersing chemicals to combine with and alter the chemical composition of malodors
• Thermal Fogging a more complex technique to mimic the circulation of combusted gases, seek them out in embedded materials, and neutralize them
• Paint Primers to encapsulate odors within building materials
• Deodorizing gels and pellets

If there is a fire in your property, use a professional restoration service to ensure safety and minimum losses. Contact SERVPRO of New Hanover at (910) 762-8180.