How to Prevent Smoke Damage to Your Electronics

9/2/2019 (Permalink)

Smoke can travel throughout your home carrying soot and contaminants with it

After a fire in your Doral, Florida home there will probably be a lot of obvious damage to take care of. However, there can also be some problems that you have not considered. When you are performing fire cleanup, it is important to include your electronic items, even if they were not directly affected by the flames. Smoke can become trapped inside of appliances and gadgets. Use the following advice to prevent permanent damage to these objects.
1. Wipe Down Surfaces 
During a fire, smoke can cover a much wider area than the flames. It can become trapped inside porous materials and create a layer of soot on hard surfaces. The first thing that you should do to slow the process of smoke damage to your electronics is to remove residue from the exterior of affected items. To do this, use a cloth to carefully wipe the surfaces clean.
2. Do Not Turn Them On
Most electronics have several areas that can allow smoke to enter the inside. Because of this, you should avoid turning them on until they have been examined and fire cleanup has been finished. Doing so will create heat inside the object that causes the smoke and soot to spread over a larger area. The acidic components in the soot can corrode the machine and cause it to stop working.
3. Have Them Professionally Cleaned
If you believe that your electronics have been damaged by smoke, take them to a professional. They will have the necessary tools and knowledge to safely restore the items. If you attempt to do this on your own, you risk breaking the object and losing important data and files.
Call a cleanup and restoration service if you have had a fire in your home. They will be able to perform fire cleanup on both your house and any items that have been damaged. Avoid using affected items until you are sure it is safe to do so.