Soot

2/20/2020 (Permalink)

Soot damage is a common side effect of a house fire. Soot can be a flakey, powdery, or oily substance which forms from incomplete combustion. Fine carbonized compounds cling to surfaces in your home like ceilings and walls, not to mention personal property. Soot can be tough to remove, and sometimes it is not possible to restore the surface to its pre-fire condition.

There are two types of sediment you can find after soot damage to your home – oily and dry. Running your finger over the surface is a quick way to figure out what type you have. Oily residue smears, whereas dry residue acts more like a powder. Both are difficult to clean, which is where SERVPRO comes in. The longer you leave the smoky substance sitting in your home, the more damage it does.

Heat from the fire pushes soot and can cover everything in its path. Smoke looks for a kind of equilibrium and travels until its energy is used before making its way to cooler areas. Soot is acidic, and acidic materials are destructive to a majority of elements found in nature. Over time, they continue to oxidize materials, which leads to discoloration, etching, corrosion or pitting. Stains over metals can yellow and soften. These reactions are ongoing from soot residues until they are removed.

SERVPRO of Hesperia / Apple Valley / Barstow / Twentynine Palms specializes in fire damage remediation. We use an array of special proprietary chemicals designed to clean and deodorize fire damage. We are here to help 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.