The Four Types of Smoke After Your Fire

6/25/2021 (Permalink)

Not all smoke is created equal. When it comes to smoke damage, there can be a huge amount of difference depending on how the fire originated and what was burned. There are four common types of smoke damage that we see on a daily basis – here’s a rundown.

“Wet” Smoke

The hallmark of wet smoke is its unpleasant smell. If you’ve ever smelled burning rubber or plastic, then you know what we mean.

Wet smoke is produced by a low, smoldering heat. Visually, the plumes are thick and black, and the soot that they produce is greasy.

Wet smoke is very, very difficult to clean on your own due to the greasiness. If you have wet smoke damage, give us a call.

“Protein” Smoke

By “protein,” we basically just mean organic material. If you have a kitchen fire and your roast turkey goes up in smoke, it’s probably producing protein smoke.

Protein smoke can be tricky. Unlike wet smoke, protein smoke is mostly invisible and does not produce obvious stains or smears on your walls.

That’s not to say that you won’t know it’s there. Protein smoke can cause your paint to become discolored, but more than that, it produces a pervasive, pungent stink that can be difficult to get rid of on your own.

Fuel Smoke

This one’s a no-brainer – fuel smoke is produced by burning fuel, like petroleum or oil. We rarely encounter fuel smoke damage outside of a garage or industrial setting, which is lucky – you do not want fuel smoke damage in your home. It smells terrible, produces thick, sticky residues and will ruin most fabrics immediately.

If you have a fuel smoke problem, call the pros.

“Dry” Smoke

You’ve most likely seen dry smoke before. It’s the type of smoke produced by paper or wood, which create a high-heat, powdery smoke when burned.

The powdery nature of dry smoke makes it the simplest to clean, with the least pungent odor. Unfortunately, it also makes it the most insidious. Dry smoke is capable of finding and squeezing into the tiniest, narrowest spaces in your home. It can take an expert to truly find and clean it all.

No matter what kind of smoke damage that you’re dealing with, we can help. Call 716-646-6684 today.