The cleanup period after a fire can take a while, and it requires professional restoration services. Even if there was no major smoke damage or water damage, the soot from the fire can cause serious trouble.
Soot particles are so light that air currents can carry them for a long distance. Sometimes, you can’t see the soot because there isn’t enough to create a visible layer, but you’ll be able to smell it, and unless you clean it up thoroughly, it can affect your life for a long time.
What Soot Really Is
Soot is the material left over after a fire burns something. It’s made mostly of carbon, and each soot particle is tiny. But when you have a lot of soot, it can settle on surfaces and leave a black film over everything.
Soot can also be the result of other actions, like engines burning fuel. But soot from fires gets a lot of attention because fires produce a substantial amount of soot in a short time. That soot can contain a lot of toxic particles, not just from the natural materials that burned, but also from the synthetic materials caught in the fire.
You can end up with soot from fires in your home even if your home wasn’t the one burning. After brushfires, for example, nearby homes may have a lot of soot in each room. Soot can float in through window weepholes and other tiny gaps, and cleaning up soot yourself can be a frustrating process.
Respiratory Irritation and Other Health Problems
Soot isn’t just cosmetically ugly. It can cause many health problems if you breathe it in. Respiratory irritation and an increase in asthma attacks are two such problems.
Exposure to soot can also affect your cardiovascular and neurological systems. The soot can get into your blood and possibly into your brain, if research is correct. That can lead to an increased risk for heart attacks and neurological disorders.
Awful Indoor Air Quality
Soot particles are so tiny that they can float around your home unnoticed. The particles that settle on floors and furniture can float right up into the air again if you disturb them. The result is a continual cloud of near-invisible particles that ruin your home’s indoor air quality. That can contribute to headaches and allergy-like symptoms on top of the respiratory issues the soot can cause directly.
Plus, all that soot can clog air conditioner filters prematurely. You’ll have to buy more filters, and you could see your utility bills go up as the air conditioner struggles with the soot.
Terrible Odor Throughout Your Home
Soot smells. You might not see it, but if you smell a smoky odor when there’s no fire, that’s soot floating around. Even if you don’t get any overt nasal irritation, the smell can be very annoying.
We are the emergency restoration service that you want to call after a fire. J Brian Day offers soot cleanup and related fire damage restoration services that help get your Bellingham, MA home back into good shape. You don’t have to deal with the aftermath of a fire alone.
