Available 24/7 | 0800 088 4170
Available 24/7 | 0800 088 4170
No, it is extremely unsafe to stay in a property following smoke damage due to the presence of harmful particles and lingering toxic odours. Smoke, a complex mixture of heated particles and gases, is highly carcinogenic and corrosive, spreading easily to hidden areas like ducting and inside walls. Prolonged exposure can cause severe respiratory issues, skin irritation, and increase the risk of cancer. Additionally, these corrosive particles can lead to secondary property damage, including electrical faults and further structural deterioration. Only professional smoke damage restoration, such as that provided by Ideal Response, can effectively remove all traces, ensuring the property is fully decontaminated and safe for re-occupation.
Skip to:
Staying in a smoke damaged property
What is smoke damage?
How can smoke damage affect your health?
What are the dangers of prolonged exposure?
Short-term vs long-term dangers of prolonged smoke exposure
How smoke and fire damage affect properties
Conclusion
FAQs
Continuing to stay in a property that has smoke damage is extremely unsafe for both the inhabitants and the property itself. Smoke damage and the lingering smoke odour left behind are an indication of the harmful particles present in your property.
For many people that experience fire or smoke damage they make the costly assumption that the initial event is the only risk. This is not true. Smoke damage and the particles produced during the event can spread very easily and will be found in various rooms and areas. Smoke damage poses significant health risks, regardless of if the fire only affects one room. The resulting smoke and particles generated in the fire can coat surfaces and spread throughout your property.
Without smoke damage cleaning , it is impossible for your property to be considered safe to live in or inhabit. Only professional smoke damage restoration can return your property to a safe condition and mitigate the smoke damage risks. Exposure to smoke damage can cause a wide-range of health issues, especially with respiratory health.
Fire damage is thermal damage and is what causes objects to melt and burn. Smoke damage doesn’t destroy items like fire damage does, however, they are both incredibly hazardous to health. Smoke damage is the physical damage caused by smoke that’s generated by a fire, not the damage caused by the fire itself. The smoke damage can vary depending on the fuel source of the fire. Different fuel sources will lead to a different type of smoke and different particles generated in a fire.
The composition of smoke is complex, but often results in a greasy layer, making it particularly difficult to remove. Without professional smoke damage restoration it can sometime be an impossible task. Even so, no matter how small or large the fire, smoke will want to travel to cooler areas and will use whatever means available to get there. This can include ducting, wiring, pipes, or any other crevices. This means that smoke has often reached places you cannot even see.
While smoke may seem to dissipate quickly, the quick cooling of the particles leaves a film and odour able to penetrate the contents of a building, and its structure. To gain a better understanding of what smoke damage is and how we deal with it, check out our smoke damage restoration case study and see how we got a supermarket backup and running, fast.
Smoke is a mixture of heated particles and gases, and it’s impossible to predict its exact make up. The items burned, the temperatures reached, and the amount of oxygen available all play a part in determining the type of smoke produced. For example, wood fires create a completely different kind of smoke to protein fires.
Not only can smoke inhalation cause burns to the respiratory system, but it can cause further complications which can result in death or permanent damage. Smoke lung damage and smoke damage to your liver can cause lasting damage and health implications. Coughing, vomiting, nausea, confusion and sleepiness are all signs of smoke inhalation.
During smoke inhalation, you have more carbon monoxide in your lungs which prohibits oxygen into your body. Fires also burn oxygen, removing it from the atmosphere and thus there’s less for you to breathe in. Prolonged exposure to smoke inhalation can result in death or permanent brain damage. At the least, it will require treatment in hospital. The safest option to avoid the potential health risks caused by smoke damage is to receive professional fire and smoke damage cleaning. A professional service provider will perform extensive cleaning and testing to guarantee all traces of smoke damage are successfully removed.
There are number of dangers associated with smoke exposure . The particles generated in a fire and from the smoke are highly carcinogenic. With prolonged exposure to a smoke damaged property, you will be significantly increasing the risk of cancer. Smoke can be incredibly toxic. Tar and carbon are just two of its common by-products, but smoke can also contain heavy metals and other toxins. If these are breathed in over a period, they can go on to cause severe health issues.
Breathing can become difficult when staying in a smoke damaged house. Lungs and sinuses can be affected directly, making breathing difficult. Residual particles from the smoke can become trapped in clothing and furnishings, these particles can lead to severe skin irritation that cannot be treated by lotions or creams.
Therefore, even if you cannot see any smoke damage it’s vital that you hire professional for smoke damage cleaning. Failure to fully clean and sanitise your property in the wake of a fire means that your property can never be considered fully safe. For those with compromised immune systems or respiratory issues like asthma are even more at risk. Even short-term exposure could have life threatening consequences.
| Short-term (hours-days) | Long-term (weeks-months+) | |
|---|---|---|
| Respiratory | Irritation of eyes, nose, throat; coughing; shortness of breath | Worsened or new-onset asthma, chronic bronchitis, increased infection risk |
| Cardiovascular | Can trigger symptoms in those with existing heart conditions | Increased risk of cardiovascular disease with sustained exposure |
| Existing conditions | Asthma/COPD symptoms can flare acutely | Tend to worsen progressively without remediation |
| General symptoms | Headache, nausea, fatigue | Persistent fatigue, recurring headaches, reduced quality of life |
| Recovery | Resolves within 48–72 hours once removed from source | Full recovery expected once property is professionally remediated |
| Most at risk | Anyone with asthma, COPD, or heart disease | Children, older adults, pre-existing respiratory/cardiovascular conditions |
According to COMEAP, the UK government's Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants, smoke residue is a form of particulate matter, and both short-term and long-term exposure to particulate matter are linked to respiratory and cardiovascular harm, with effects generally becoming more serious the longer exposure continues.
We have gone over the health risks associated with smoke damage and prolonged exposure. In this section we will highlight the risks that a fire and subsequent smoke damage cause to your property.
The fire and smoke particles are corrosive, meaning that over time they will corrode any surfaces they coat. This is understandably a major area of concern for your property. Because these microscopic particles can settle in even the most unexpected areas, it is important to seek professional help for smoke damage cleaning. Not only can this lead to extensive secondary damage if left untreated, but the particles can also often be found on wiring and in electrical sockets. Over time these corrosive particles can damage the wiring and result in electrical issues within the property:
In addition to the damage to your property and health issues, the lingering smoke odour can make it almost impossible to come back into a property after an incident. Ideal Response specialise in smoke odour removal and use advanced cleaning technology to neutralise 100% of the unpleasant lingering odours.
There isn't a fixed cost when it comes to smoke damage repair. There are many factors that will impact the price of the service and it makes it even more important to have a professional survey before any works are carried out. The main factors that impact the cost of a smoke damage cleaning service are:
When it comes to smoke damage cleaning and smoke odour removal there is a list of potential factors that can impact the cost of a service. The size of the contaminated area is the main factor but the type of surface and type of smoke residue adds further complexity and can easily make the service more expensive. Because the price can vary so much depending on the different factors it makes hiring an experienced and reputable smoke damage cleaning service provider all the more important. Years of hands-on experience can not only ensure better results but also reduce the amount of time it takes to carry out the work.
You should look to hire a smoke damage cleaning expert as soon as possible. Once the primary responders have dealt with the initial fire, the next step should be to find a reputable fire damage restoration provider. When doing so you should also consider that not all providers have a streamlined process when it comes to insurance. At Ideal Response we work closely with insurers and our fire damage restoration process is designed to make your life as easy as possible.
The sooner you deal with the smoke damage, there is less chance of health complications and secondary damage occurring. This also means that by hiring an expert early you will be saving yourself the time and money it would take to deal with the secondary damage. Talk to one of our experts.
Chris Hedges is Head of Marketing at Ideal Response and the author of every article published on this site. With over 25 years of senior marketing experience across property, legal, and professional services sectors, Chris brings a clear, evidence-led approach to writing about fire damage, flood restoration, and specialist property remediation. His philosophy is simple: cut through the noise, respect the reader's time, and give people the information they actually need.
Explore more articles about damage restoration, specialist cleaning and what we do
If you’re dealing with fire damage, flooding, or an environmental incident, our team is ready to respond. No matter if you have a question or have an emergency that you need help with, call:
If you’d prefer to drop us a message, use our main contact form and upload any pictures of the incident. Would you like us to call you? Fill out the short ‘Request a call back’ form.
