All Elements Restoration – Document Smoke Damage

Seeing your home engulfed in flames is a devastating experience. Even a small fire can cause substantial damage to the structure of your property. Surface damage from fire and soot is immediately obvious but what about the underlying damage that you can’t see? Smoke damage can be just as devastating as fire and is caused by either the smoke gases or soot that travels with the smoke. Each will require a very different approach to ensure successful cleaning and restoration techniques. Smoke is especially difficult to treat when it has damaged important documents, books, photos and other sentimental papers. Once the type and extend of damage has been determined, the next step is to decide on a successful restoration technique. The knowledgeable fire restoration specialists at American Hometown Services are the experts when it comes to fire and smoke damage.

Types of Fire Damage to Documents & Books

There are three primary types of smoke that cause damage to documents and books including:
• Wet smoke – wet smoke is associated with a low-heat, smoldering fire that will lead to a sticky residue and heavy smoke odor that is hard to clean as it turns into a tough coating that that can warp books and documents.
• Dry smoke – dry smoke is associated with a high temperature, fast burning fire that leaves behind ash that will turn into a hard coating when wet. This type of smoke is especially damaging to antique documents and more fragile books.
• Fuel oil soot – occurs when furnaces and other heat sources give off gritty puffs of soot that causes an abrasive residue on books and documents.
Smoke causes damage to books and documents by staining any exposed surfaces including covers and paper edges. The extent of the damage depends on several variables such as quality, age and the condition of the book or documents that have been affected.

How to Deal with Smoke Damage

The expert technicians at American Hometown Services recommend contacting them immediately and seeking the advice of one of their professional fire and smoke damage restoration specialists. Use extreme caution when handling books and other documents. Books may not appear to have any immediate damage but smoke can ruin book bindings and make the pages very brittle. The experienced restoration specialists at American Hometown Services use the most high-tech cleaning and restoration equipment available to restore your damaged books, documents and other precious papers. Various restoration techniques include sanding to remove stubborn soot stains on page edges and advanced deodorizing techniques to safely deodorize documents. Your restoration specialist will explain the restoration process in detail and help you make an informed decision regarding the best restoration services to help repair and preserve your books, documents and sentimental items from further damage.

Fire & Water Damage Restoration Services & More in Quincy, Macomb, Hamilton, Warsaw & East Alton Illinois | Hannibal, Missouri

Fire and the resulting smoke damage can be devastating to both home and business owners, and book collectors. As can the water damage that comes from efforts to extinguish the fire. With proper handling techniques, storage and the most advanced restoration methods your smoke damaged books and documents can be returned to very near their original condition. Contact American Hometown Services today and ask about our fire damage restoration services. We restore your home as though it were our own.