The 4 Types of Smoke Damage

After a fire in your home, smoke can continue damaging your house and everything in it. Not all smoke damage is the same, though—different materials cause different types of smoke when they burn, and each type of smoke damage poses different risks and requires different cleanup methods. Our guide explores the four kinds of smoke damage and what causes them.

1. Dry Smoke

Dry smoke results from high-temperature, fast-burning fires that consume materials like paper and wood. Dry smoke leaves a fine, powdery residue that’s easier to clean off of surfaces than other types of soot. However, the fine particles that dry smoke leaves behind can travel farther and get into cracks, crevices, and porous materials more easily than other kinds of smoke. Soot from dry smoke can also be very abrasive and acidic, leaving etch marks on surfaces and causing staining and discoloration. 

Example Materials:

• Wood 

• Paper 

• Cotton textile

2. Wet Smoke

Wet smoke occurs with lower-temperature, slow-burning fires of materials like rubber and plastic. As these materials burn at lower temperatures, they aren’t fully consumed like materials in higher temperature fires, instead filling the air with thick, black smoke and heavy, sticky residue. Wet smoke has a much harsher smell than dry smoke and is much more difficult to clean. With wet smoke damage, you’ll likely have more things you’ll need to throw away after smoke damage because the residue is so difficult to clean.

Example Materials:

• Plastic 

• Rubber 

3. Protein Smoke

If you’ve ever opened a barbecue grill while making burgers or cleaned your stove’s range hood, you’re familiar with protein smoke. This smoke occurs when organic matter like meat burns, leaving a nearly invisible sticky, oily mist that spreads easily, infiltrates your ventilation system, and penetrates into porous materials. Kitchen fires result in protein smoke, and the residue and smell can linger for a long time.

Example Materials:

• Meat

• Eggs

• Other food

4. Fuel Smoke

While less common in house fires, fuel smoke is the result of burning petroleum-based fuel sources. This smoke is extremely hazardous to your health due to the chemical compounds that are released as the fire burns. It leaves behind a sticky, sooty, harsh-smelling residue that’s very hard to clean and should only be handled by trained professionals. 

Example Materials:

• Gasoline

• Motor oil

• Furnace fuel oil

The Importance of Properly Restoring After Smoke Damage

It can be very dangerous to live in a house with smoke damage. The residue can cause respiratory problems and chronic health issues, as well as corroding, staining, and deteriorating items in your home. Regardless of the type of smoke damage you have, it’s important to remedy it as quickly as possible after a fire to ensure your home is safe.

The type of smoke damage restoration you need will depend on the specifics of your situation, ranging from ozone smoke removal to thermal fogging and manual soot removal. Because smoke can travel into your ventilation system and areas of your home far from the actual fire, the smoke damage restoration process may involve a larger part of your home than just where the fire occurred.

Can I Fix Smoke Damage Myself?

Unless you had a minor fire and you’re certain the smoke damage is fully contained to a small area, you’ll want to hire a professional who specializes in smoke damage to restore your home to its pre-fire condition. A local smoke restoration pro will be able to effectively remove residue and odors and repair or replace smoke-damaged materials. Smoke remediation costs will depend on the extent of the damage, the type of smoke, and the affected materials.