Restoring Smoke Damage in Waukegan, Kenosha, Arlington Heights

It is devastating to see your home after it is damaged by smoke, and you may feel as if the situation is hopeless. In the hands of an experienced restoration expert, however, your home can be made to look like new again. Trust United Services, an experienced restoration specialist in Highland Park, Lake Forest, Wilmette. The most important thing you can do when disaster strikes is to call for professional help as quickly as possible.

Quick action can save thousands of dollars in damage. Call us 24/7 at 1-800-DRY-U-OUT.

Once you’ve been cleared to re-enter your home, open the windows. Then take an inventory of the contents of the affected rooms. List everything of value and note its condition, including:

• Drapery, carpeting, rugs, and upholstered furniture
• Items in cabinets and closets, because they too may be affected
• Artwork and photography
• Keep children, pets, and other family members away from damaged areas
• Do not turn on any appliances until they have been checked by a professional

Smoke has a long reach

Smoke is probably the most effective way to quickly soil just about every surface of your home, short of inviting a dozen preschoolers to lunch. A malfunctioning heating appliance or flue spewing fuel-oil soot, a neglected pan of food catching fire on the range top or in the oven, starting up the fireplace without opening the damper – there are lots of ways to produce smoke and the soot and odor that accompanies it.

Unlike water leaks and flooding, damage due to smoke is not confined to low-lying areas. Hot smoke travels to cool areas. It also rises to levels above the source of smoke, such as from the basement to the first and second floor. Often, plumbing chases and HVAC ducts serve as the conduits for getting from one floor to the next.

The best restoration method

Types of smoke can determine the best approach to damage restoration. “Wet” smoke, from slow smoldering fires, leaves a sticky residue that will smear, making it more difficult to clean than “dry” smoke from fast-burning fires. The latter leaves a more powdery ash. Smoke from food fires, also known as protein fires, cover surfaces with a fine film that’s tough to see but easy to smell. The pungent odors of a protein fire must be dealt with using a trial-and-error approach based upon a variety of time-tested techniques. Soot from fuel oil fires and furnace back puffing are easy to see but require special cleaning techniques so as not to make the problem worse. Smell from electrical fires can be persistent as well.

If you’re planning to sell your home and there are lingering odors from past fire damage or from smoking cigarettes or cigars in the home, call us before your first open house! There are few things that will put off potential buyers quicker than a bad smell.