The After Effects of Smoke Damage

                                                               Pic Credits: flickr

Although the after-effects of a fire damage are obvious, the effects of smoke lingering around during the fire are something we do not take into consideration. It can be a serious factor that could affect the life and productivity of the machines and appliances in the house. The after effects of smoke can be far more serious and may take weeks to recover.

Here are some of the factors to consider while dealing with smoke damage:

Time

Smoke and other harmful off-gases during a fire can cause secondary damage, and the longer the surface is exposed to smoke, the worse the cleaning or etching process can be. Most electronics can conduct through the smoke. When the smoke sediments after the fire, it can cause short circuits on boards which can cause electronics to lead a pre-mature breakdown.

Humidity

With a high amount of moisture content in the air, there is a great risk of corrosive reactions and more subsequent damage.

Temperature and Pressure

The air volume doubles every 10 degrees. Which means that greater the pressure, the more smoke is driven into the porous surfaces in the house. It should be noted that the curtains and all other fabrics that survived the fire need to be properly cleaned and treated before being used again. 

Type of Combustion Materials

House fires are rather complex since they are fuelled by a lot of synthetic materials rather than natural materials. Complex fires cause significant damage.

The first plan of action after a fire damage is to contact your insurance agency and get a professional cleaning job done. As mentioned above, the after-effects of smoke are not visible to the naked eye and need expert cleaning job done. Even though it appears like you can handle the job, its best to hand it over to the professionals.

See Also: 7 ways to fireproof your house

Fighting the Effects of Smoke Damage

• In order to prevent any sort of secondary damage, apply a surfactant agent (e.g. cooking oil) to materials metal, glass, tile/grout and marble. 
• Provide proper ventilation by keeping the doors and windows open for as long as possible so that air flows freely and prevents soot from settling in. 
• Pre-treat fabrics by soaking them overnight in warm water and one cup of dishwasher detergent. 
• Check all the electrical appliances before using them. As mentioned earlier, smoke may have damaged these and a simple spark could give rise to another catastrophe. 

Never ignore the after-effects of a fire damage. Lingering smoke can have many health hazards. At Bio Cleanse Services, we deal with all kinds of fire damages, including dealing with smoke removal. We can restore your home to perfection. Call us on 0427 411 789.

Tips for Fire Safety During the Fall Season

With the daylight becoming shorter and leaves taking a new form of green to orange, you’re preparing for the cold season and all the exciting festivities. But are you really prepared? Here are a few important fire safety tips to keep in mind:

Replace smoke/carbon detector batteries and test the alarms. It’s advisable to change your smoke and carbon monoxide detector batteries when Daylight Savings Time begins and ends. This ensures the alarms don’t fail when you turn on the heat in your home. Once the batteries are changed don’t forget to test the smoke alarms. Ensure all the fire extinguishers are in working condition.

Before cranking up the heat, have your heating devices fully checked:

• Have a certified HVAC contractor inspect your HVAC system. Check and replace furnace filters with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters.
• Ensure sufficient space of at least three to four feet around space heaters. Don’t place fabrics on space heaters to dry, and turn heaters off every night before bed.
• Have a professional chimney sweep to inspect and clean your chimney. Keep flammable objects at least three feet away from the fireplace and install a mesh metal screen around it.

Halloween safety – Excited to decorate your home and mastermind scary costumes for Halloween? Don’t forget the safety aspects. Ensure considerable distance between decorations and open flames and other heat sources, and replace candles in jack-o-lanterns with battery-operated lights. We strongly advise you not to use real candles for decorating your home, but if you do, follow utmost care.

Outdoor fire risks – Periodically remove the leaves and other flammable debris that builds up around the house. Prune trees and rake up leaves and twigs. Avoid fuel storage in your home or garage. Clean your roof, gutters, and downspouts of debris and drain the fuel from lawn mowers before storing them for winter.

See also:  Safety with Flammable Liquids at Home 

Formulate a fire escape plan and make sure everyone in the house is well aware of it. In case a fire breaks out at 2 AM and your smoke alarms wake you and your family up – what do you do? This is when the fire escape plan comes into play. Designate an escape route for each area of your home and establish a meeting place outside. Practice escaping your home while staying low to avoid breathing in smoke. Also, practice escaping through windows using emergency ladders.

We, at Bio Cleanse Services, have an expert team of fire damage restoration technicians. If you ever face a fire incident in your home/office, contact us on 0427 411 789 for property remediation.

How smoke impacts your house

A devastating experience like a house fire can be overwhelming, making it hard for residents to deal with the aftermath. However, it is important to ensure that the house is safe, cleaned and repaired to avoid any further damages. In a stressful time like this, it's always good to bank on the services of a professional cleaning company to remediate and restore your house.

Even after the fire has been put out, there's a lot of toxic residue, smoke and soot all over the place that can have a bad impact on your health and your house. While some damages are clearly visible, there are few that take a while to show.

Stains:

After a fire, the house is all covered in ash and smoke residue which leads to discolouration of ceilings, walls, and other surfaces. Metal items start to rust and corrode, and plastic items start to turn yellow. Due to the acidic presence in soot, the tiles get stained permanently.

Strong Odour:

The smoke particles produce a strong smoky odour that can linger for long as it embeds itself in walls, carpets, upholstery, furniture, surfaces and other porous materials. This can be treated by detecting the source of the odour, cleaning and deodorising the entire area. Ignoring this may lead to respiratory problems.

Internal Damage:

If the house is not cleaned and remediated early, the soot and smoke particles will penetrate surfaces and destruct the house structure or framework, insulation, ducts, and vents.

Electrical Damage:

In a house fire, there is some amount of damage done to the electrical system. Electrical parts like switches, wiring, fuses, circuits, outlets

and light fixture boxes may get damaged. Hardwired appliances may not function properly and also start to corrode.

If you ever find yourself stuck in a situation like this and wondering how to fix the fire damage, do not worry, give us a call and we shall clean and remediate it all.

Common causes for fire damage

There are quite a number of causes for fires, and the effect of fire damage is endless too. When it comes to safety concerns, we should think about unseen possibilities that could happen. Let’s take a look at the chief causes of fire damage at homes and workplaces:

At home: 

• Cooking equipment - When it comes to cooking equipment in the house; unattended stoves, unchecked electric cords, overheated pan or pots are to be seen to. 

• Heating equipment - Some of the reasons heating equipment can cause a fire are being careless with portable heating appliances, no mesh guard in front of a fireplace, uncleaned chimney and flue, etc. Children and wet clothes should be kept away from heaters or fires. 

• Smoking - Smoking in bed can be fatal - tiny embers can smoulder unnoticed and burst into flames later. 

At workplace: 

• Flammable Material - This can be a dangerous hazard to your employee and your business. Inappropriate storage, incorrect disposal or improper processes handling these materials or substances can lead to fire damage. 

• Human error - Spillages of flammable liquid, burning off or combustible liquid can be due to human error or accidental, which can be a cause for fire damage.

• Faulty electrics - This is one of the biggest reasons for fire breakouts. Unqualified electricians could install inferior materials, unsafe switches, incorrect fuses, double adaptors and power boards which lead to power point overloads.

If you are having any of the issues mentioned above, contact Bio Cleanse Pvt Ltd. to help you clean, remediate and restore your surroundings to its previous condition. Our team of trained professionals will get the job done in a right and systematic manner.