How Soot Affects Areas of Your Home or Business

3/1/2022 (Permalink)

Soot can permanently damage walls and ceilings if not handled properly.

Fire can cause several issues that extend beyond the initial loss. When firefighters come to put out a fire, water can also damage areas of the home. In addition, soot affects several areas of the home beyond the location of the initial fire. How does soot, specifically, affect your home or business after a loss? Here’s how:  

Within minutes 

• Plastic surfaces discolor and turn yellow 

Within hours  

• Tile grout stains 
• Fiberglass yellows 
• Metals tarnish 
• Appliances, countertops and furniture turn yellow  

Within days  

• Walls can become yellow  
• Materials corrode, pit and rust 
• Clothing and upholstery can be permanently stained 
• Electronics corrode and fail 
• Vinyl floors MUST be replaced 

Within weeks 

• Class, crystal and china etch and pit 
• Audio and video tapes distort  
• Carpet fibers are permanently discolored  

Acting swiftly after a fire can help save so many items in your home or business. At SERVPRO of Annapolis/Severna Park, we offer content cleaning and restoration services to make any size disaster “Like it never even happened.”