Common Smoke and Fire Damage Myths

At 1-800 Water Damage of Western Colorado, we’re dedicated to teaching you as much as we can about disaster restoration. But an important step in informing you is making sure that what you know is actually correct. It’s no use for us to give you good information without first dispelling common misconceptions. When people try to fix things but don’t have the right tools or information to do so, they can often make things worse. It’s our goal to make sure that never happens. We want to make sure that you’re well-informed so you can choose the right course of action after a disaster. Is it possible to handle yourself? Should you call a professional? These questions are ones that we aim to answer on our blog. That’s today we’re going to debunk some common smoke and fire damage myths. The more you know, the better prepared you are when disaster strikes.

Smoke Damage and Common Myths

In order for us to talk about smoke damage misconceptions, we first have to talk a little about what smoke damage is. Fires release many different chemicals, and these make up smoke. When you see smoke, you’re actually seeing a combination of gaseous, liquid, and solid particles that burning items release. Soot is one of these particles, and it’s notorious for staining things like fabrics and other soft contents. Often, smoke will reach parts of your home—like ceilings—that the fire never touches. This means that smoke can cause extra damage to your home. It’s not limited to where the flames spread, and even objects that are far removed from the fire can be damaged.  You can read more about smoke and fire damage here.

One of the biggest myths about smoke damage is that smoke damage is no big deal. Some people genuinely believe that smoke damage isn’t a problem. After all, you can just spray some air freshener to cover up the smell, right? This couldn’t be further from the truth. Unfortunately, spraying your items down with air freshener isn’t enough to get them smelling right again. This is because of the way that smoke damage affects materials. During a fire, the pores in materials expand, and this expansion allows smoke particles like soot to fit in. After the fire, those particles get trapped in the pores of your materials. When that happens, they’re almost impossible to get out. One of the ways that disaster restoration companies can help is by heating your materials during the cleaning process. This opens the pores back up and allows them to clean them out fully.

Smoke Damage, Fire Damage, and Newer Homes

Another one of the most common smoke and fire damage myths is that you can wait to clean up smoke damage because it doesn’t matter when you get around to it. But this is just another common smoke damage myth. The truth is, smoke damage can harm your materials—and the longer smoke particles stay trapped in them, the more damage they do. Smoke is corrosive, which means that if you wait too long, it can cause irreversible damage. It can make those odors impossible to get rid of, and it can permanently damage metal, and even marble. And as we mentioned before, plain old soap and water won’t do the trick. For cleaning up smoke and soot, your best bet is to call a professional who has experience cleaning up after fires.

There are plenty of myths about fire damage, too. One common myth that we often see is that newer homes protect against fires more than older homes. But oftentimes, the materials that make up newer homes catch fire just as easily (or even more easily) than those that make up older homes. Outdated electrical systems in older homes do tend to cause fires, but often older homes handle those fires better than newer ones. Newer homes make use of synthetic, lightweight materials that are good for construction but bad for fire damage. These materials increase the amount of fuel that the fire has to burn and can catch fire much faster than those you’ll often find in older homes. Still, living in an older home doesn’t mean that your home is completely fireproof—just that it might catch fire a little slower.

Fire Damage and Water Damage

Another common fire damage myth is that sprinkler systems in your home can do more harm than good. Some people believe that when a fire starts, sprinkler systems all over your house will go off and drench everything inside. But most sprinkler systems are designed so that only the sprinkler nearest the fire will go off. And even when it does go off, it won’t stay on any longer than necessary to put out the fire. But even though it may not come from your sprinkler system, water damage cleanup is also important after a fire. When firefighters put out house fires, they have to pump a lot of water right into your home. This can cause serious water damage that needs to be taken care of right away. 

Your peace of mind is our number one priority—and part of giving you peace of mind is making sure you know the truth about smoke and fire damage. We’ve taken time in the past to warn you about common mold myths, so we think it’s about time to talk about common smoke and fire damage myths, too. They aren’t subjects that many people are familiar with, but we have decades of experience in damage restoration cleaning up after fires. We have the knowledge necessary to help you make well-informed decisions. We’re fully equipped with the best technology to serve Western Colorado, and we couldn’t be prouder to be part of such an incredible community. If you still have questions about fire or smoke damage, feel free to reach out to us at (970) 712-5298. We’re always happy to take your call.