After the Fire: How Smoke Damage Can Affect Your Business

Even a minor fire can disrupt your business, threaten occupants’ well-being, and cause lasting property damage if not addressed right away. Smoke infiltrates surfaces, often leaving hidden harm and polluting indoor air with hazardous particles. Its acidic nature rapidly destroys most materials, making swift smoke damage cleanup and restoration absolutely critical.

Here are some tips from the fire restoration experts at ServiceMaster Restore to help prevent smoke damage at your business should a fire occur.

Smoke damage timeline

Smoke and soot start damaging your property and belongings immediately after a fire. Contact restoration experts right away, as delays can increase the losses your business faces. Use this timeline to understand how smoke affects a building and its contents over time:

Minutes
Within minutes after a fire is put out, soot and smoke can leave yellow stains on walls and items made with plastic, marble, and other porous materials.

Hours
After only a few hours, the acidity content in soot can cause metal objects, grout, and other materials to become permanently tarnished or stained.

Days

Without prompt smoke damage cleanup, walls can be permanently stained, metals corrode, wood furniture is ruined, and fabric items must be replaced.

Weeks
If smoke damage isn’t addressed for weeks, soot will deeply infiltrate your property, causing irreversible corrosion, releasing toxic fumes, and requiring replacement of office items and equipment.

What to do after the fire is out

Once the fire is out and everyone is safe, promptly file a smoke damage claim with your insurance provider—check for any deadlines with your agent. Next, contact a restoration company like ServiceMaster Restore for professional smoke and soot cleanup. Quick action helps minimize losses, and fire damage restoration experts will handle thorough cleaning and damage mitigation upon arrival. Here is what you can expect:

  • Evaluation of all your furniture and equipment to assess whether damage is reversible
  • Creation of a comprehensive remediation plan
  • Thorough clean of each of your items and surfaces
  • Use of specialized equipment and chemicals to eliminate the smell of smoke
  • Seal surfaces to prevent the risk of recontamination

How to reduce smoke odour in your building

Following a fire, there are a few steps you can take before the restoration experts get there to minimize costly damage to your business. Once officials say it's safe to enter your building, you can attempt to reduce the smell of smoke by doing the following:

  • If weather permits, open all doors and windows to air out the building
  • Replace all air filters in your HVAC or other heating and cooling systems that use forced air
  • Tape cheesecloth over returns and supply registers to capture loose soot floating in the air

While trying to reduce smoke odour in your building, DO NOT do the following:

  • Do not touch anything in the building with your bare hands. Oils from your skin can permeate through materials like upholstery, walls and woodwork, leading to extensive damage
  • Do not attempt to wash yellowed or damaged walls. Using the wrong cleaning techniques can compound soot residue, so it is always advisable to leave smoke damage clean-up to the professionals

Dealing with a property disaster at your business can be overwhelming, but you’re not alone. With more than 70 years of restoration expertise, ServiceMaster Restore will guide you through every step of the recovery process. If fire strikes your business, contact us right away. Our fire and smoke damage services include electronics restoration, document recovery, smoke and odour removal, and corrosion control. We will restore your property to its pre-loss condition quickly and efficiently… helping you get back to business fast.