Smoke damage is a common side effect of fire damage, but it can happen on its own if a fire is contained. After a fire, even a small one, it’s important not to skip the important step of smoke damage restoration. A fire can devastate you and even affect your sense of security in your home or office. And while fire damage tends to be obvious, smoke damage can be a bit more subtle.

However, smoke damage also needs to be repaired to restore the beauty and stability in your building’s interior. Many people don’t know much about smoke damage restoration, so here are some helpful facts about this process, why it’s important, and who to call after fire and smoke damage occur.

Fire Is Easier to Contain than Smoke

Even when you contain a small indoor fire, smoke damage can occur. That’s because fire is a visible combustion of light and heat energy, and most people know how to contain a fire. Therefore, people will work to contain a fire without prioritizing smoke damage prevention. Smoke is slightly more difficult to see than the fire itself and seems less threatening. Also, because it’s in the air, it’s nearly impossible to contain. Even after a fire is snuffed out, smoke in the air can cause damage. Smoke damage restoration services are often needed to restore damage left behind from small indoor fires.

Smoke Is Destructive

Did you know that smoke is actually made of small particles of the fire itself? It’s a toxic, hot substance that can damage the surfaces it touches, just as fire does. Many people think that because smoke rises into the air, diffusion occurs, and it simply goes away. While diffusion—the spread of a substance from high concentration to lower concentration—does occur, this means that the smoke will spread, damaging a much wider area than the fire itself. And the longer a fire is allowed to exist, the more extensive the smoke damage will be. The best smoke damage restoration methods will involve searching a wide area to clean up and repair smoke damage.

Black soot on wall

Restoration Requires Special Equipment and Knowledge

Special, professional-grade equipment is needed to restore smoke damage. It also takes a special knowledge of where smoke can penetrate, the sources of smoke odor, and the best cleaning and restoration method for specific surfaces and materials. Further, good restoration teams will know how to tackle the different varieties of smoke, including wet, dry, and fuel-oil smoke. Each of these requires different tools and approaches to remove or repair the damage.

It takes careful approaches to restore smoke-stained surfaces, such as walls and furniture. It also takes a certain amount of experience and knowledge to understand when certain materials and products need to be replaced and can’t be restored. In fact, many people are unaware of the signs of smoke damage in the first place. Smoke damage doesn’t always leave large, black stains in obvious locations.

If you encounter smoke damage in your home or business, call United Restoration, Inc., today. Even if you can’t see smoke damage after a fire, we can determine if and where it occurred. Contact us for fire damage restoration and smoke damage restoration in Ocean City, MD. We’re a trusted resource for helping people like you feel at home again after a fire because we can effectively eliminate the odors and mess that fire and smoke leave behind.