We are going to discuss “What Does Smoke Do To Your Health And Property“?
All homeowners have the same terrible vision. We see our homes going up in flames, burning to the ground as we watch on helplessly. After the fire is out, we see ourselves walking through the rubble, seeing the extent of the damage.
Fortunately, such devastating fires rarely happen (unless you live in an area with regular wildfires). Often, the extent of the fire damage is limited to a room or to a partial level of destruction. However, there is a different kind of damage that fires can cause: smoke damage.
The bad news is that smoke damage can be extremely dangerous, both to your health and to your property. Here is the kind of danger smoke damage poses.
What Does Smoke Do To Your Health And Property
What Does Smoke Do To Your Property?
Smoke damage is a more subtle danger than the destruction of raging flames. While coverage for smoke and fire damage are both included in a basic homeowners insurance policy, we give very little thought to the former and focus mainly on the latter. How much damage can smoke do to your home, anyway?
Smoke contains several different acids, and can eat away at your home without your awareness of it. Certain materials react very badly to smoke, and the longer they are exposed to it, the worse the damage will be. This is especially true of metals. Smoke can tarnish or even corrode the metals in your home.
This is bad enough when it happens to things like doorknobs, but when it eats away at your pipes, the impact can be disastrous. Before you know it, your home is flooding and you don’t even realize that this is connected to the fire.
Does Smoke Damage Your Home Contents?
Smoke does not just impact that structure of your home. It can also cause severe damage to the contents. Smoke and soot can cause issues that range from discoloration to outright destruction.
As smoke settles into carpets, they become stained and discolored. They start to smell of smoke, as do other parts of the house where smoke has gotten into nooks and crannies.
As smoke and soot settle into electronics, they can cause devices to stop working. Even the hardiest devices are vulnerable, considering how easy it is for fumes to get into tiny spaces.
It is therefore imperative that you do a deep clean of your home after a fire. Call professionals to help you with this, as you will struggle to get all the smoke and soot out yourself. Certain items will need to be replaced if they cannot be properly cleaned, so as to protect your other possessions and your health.
How Does Smoke Harm Your Health?
As we have mentioned, smoke contains acids and other dangerous particles. Prolonged exposure to it can gradually damage your health, leading to different kinds of cancer, including skin cancer, and cancer of the esophagus, lungs, and bladder. It can exacerbate symptoms of people who already suffer from heart and lung conditions.
It is most dangerous while the fire is still raging and is often a cause of death during and after fires. People who experience smoke inhalation during a fire are at risk even if they seem fine once the flames are gone. It is imperative that you seek treatment if you have been at the site of a fire, even if you don’t think you need it.
You should also wait until your home is cleaned and free of smoke before returning to live in it. Children and seniors are especially at risk of health issues caused by the smoke still stuck in nooks, crannies, and home contents.
Smoke damage is extremely serious and shouldn’t be considered a mere byproduct of fire damage. The acids in smoke can be a long-term danger, especially if you have not taken the time to clear your home of it. Don’t put your health at risk, and keep your home safe by dealing with the aftereffects of a fire.
