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PEORIA, AZ FIRE DAMAGE RESTORATION
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Peoria, AZ Fire and Smoke Damage Clean Up
According to some recent studies, fire and smoke damage is responsible for over $23 billion dollars in property damage. Also, according to these studies, annually about 6,000 people die in home fires and 50% of them die from smoke inhalation.
Inhaling smoke is incredibly dangerous. Smoke is actually a mixture of various toxic chemicals and tiny particles. When we inhale smoke, the chemicals and particles inflame the tissue in our lungs. This makes oxygen absorption very difficult (almost impossible).
Now, even after the fire has been put out, smoke damage can (and will) linger in your home or commercial space and it will still pose a huge risk to your overall health. So this is why it’s important to conduct a thorough cleaning after fire and smoke damage and avoid some of the health risks.
Peoria, AZ Fire and Smoke Damage Clean Up
Asthma can be a chronic respiratory condition in which the lungs are inflamed and cannot absorb oxygen properly. And when we include mold and soot, the condition can easily get worse. It’s estimated that over 8% of children have some form of asthma. Now even if you don’t inhale smoke while the fire in your property is still burning, the smoke damage can linger after the fire has been put out and can cause respiratory problems, such as asthma.
The tiny particles and chemicals can get into the carpeting, walls and even furniture and can get into your lungs as well. Carbon monoxide and soot, the main components of smoke, can still linger even after the fire is extinguished and if you have kids with asthma (or you have it yourself) you are putting yourself at higher risk.
Emphysema
Even though this condition is mostly associated with smoking, it can also be caused if you live and work in a contaminated environment. Emphysema affects the small air sacs in your lungs and damages them. When enough of those sacks gets destroyed, your lungs will have to work more in order to absorb the necessary oxygen which causes shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.
This condition is incurable but there are medications which can slow down the progress of the disease. Because of this, people that suffer from emphysema should stay away from polluted and contaminated areas. Smoke and soot can also cause this disease if the area affected is not properly cleaned.
Bronchitis
When the lining of the bronchial tubes is inflamed, you suffer from bronchitis. The role of these tubes is to bring air into the lungs and out of them. We can differentiate chronic and acute bronchitis.
Acute bronchitis is something everyone experiences at least once and it mostly happens during the cold season or when you catch a respiratory infection. It lasts about a couple of days and it doesn’t require any specific treatment.
On the other hand, chronic bronchitis, even though it looks exactly like the acute version, it’s much more serious. Episodes can last anywhere from a few months and up to a year (or longer). Because the bronchial tubes are inflamed, there’s excessive mucus in those tubes and breathing is very difficult.
Eye Irritation caused by smoke damage
After the fire in your home has been put out, you might notice that your eyes feel itchy and irritated. Discomfort, red and teary eyes can all be a result of smoke damage. This sensation can still remain even when the fire is extinguished.
During and after a fire damage, the particles that are most usually found in smoke, tend to gravitate towards cooler and closed areas like closets, drawers, behind blinds and drapes. So when commencing with fire and smoke damage repairs, it’s important that every part of the room is thoroughly cleaned.
Skin problems
Since smoke consists of harmful chemicals and gasses that get loose with the help of heat, those substances can easily get on your skin causing a rash, redness, dry skin and irritation.
How to do proper cleanup after fire damage
Once the fire in your home is extinguished it’s necessary to do a thorough clean-up. Cleaning it yourself is possible, but because of the lack of necessary tools, equipment and experience, it will never be as good as it is when a professional service does it.
At ASAP Restoration we pay special attention not only on the cleaning process, but also on how the environment, airflow and temperature affect the smoke damage distribution.
Environment – We mentioned before that smoke particles tend to gravitate towards cooler areas. So it’s important to clean up not only the area around the fire damage but also in other “hidden” corners such as inside your closet/drawer or behind the curtains/drapes.
Airflow – The airflow inside your home plays a huge role on how the smoke damage will “move” inside your home. Professional fire and smoke damage restoration experts are aware of this and know where to look for smoke damage.
Ionization – Maybe you didn’t know this, but smoke particles are not equally attracted to different things. For example, nails, which are hidden inside the drywall, attract smoke particles better than some other material. That’s why you can see smoke rings around them. Other types of material, like vinyl or synthetic material can be permanently stained by smoke damage which is hard to remove by regular cleaning.
