Cigarette Smoke Remediation and Restoration

We all know cigarette smoke is harmful to your health, but it can also do significant damage to an enclosed space such as your home or office, especially when it’s been present over several years. Restoring property affected by cigarette smoke usually falls to property owners that manage rental properties, or which handle the cleaning of hotel and motel rooms. It can often necessitate the complete replacement of certain building materials, unless you work with a restoration contractor specializing in cigarette smoke damage restoration.

Keep in mind that even buildings which have a “NO SMOKING” policy may still have rooms which are damaged by that smoke. You may also need restoration if you have inherited or purchased a property which was previously occupied by a smoker.

Here are three key signs of cigarette smoke damage, and what property owners can do to address the issue:

Discoloration from smoke damage

A major problem with cigarette smoke is that it can stain surfaces and fabrics over time. White and off-white are popular colors for paint, and they’re also the colors that will display cigarette smoke stains. Stains can range from a light yellowing hue, to a deep orange, depending on the length of time that smoke has been present, and amount. In these cases, you’ll want to hire a smoke restoration company to confirm the staining damage that’s embedded into the different surfaces. In the case of fabrics, restoration contractors may save you the cost of having to replace those fabrics entirely.

Odor from smoke damage

Another problem is that smoke can hang in the air for hours, but it clings to fabrics and walls for even longer periods – for months or years. Because it doesn’t need to change much to fit into tight spaces,smoke can permeate several different parts of a room that normally wouldn’t be an issue, including areas behind a wall, carpeting and the area beneath it, and more. The odor of cigarette smoke isn’t initially as pungent as other smoke sources, but over time, it can deeply saturate surfaces and fabrics, to the point where there’s no mistaking the presence of a smoker in that area. For that reason, professional remediation is highly recommended to clean the odor out of any possible source.

Burn Damage

A side-effect of cigarette smoke is that there may also be spots where smokers have dropped hot ash or cigarette butts on flooring and other surfaces, which can result in small, but noticeable, burns. This is most commonly seen on carpeting, but you can also see cigarette burns on hardwood flooring, vinyl laminate, hard surface countertops, and virtually any other surface. Again, a professional contractor may be able to lift the burn stain out, or replace that specific area of the flooring.

By working with a qualified contractor, (like Reset Restoration) you may be able to save thousands of dollars and eliminate odors that otherwise seem like they will be there for as long as the building stands. Cigarette smoke damage to property is so significant that the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning & Restoration Certification (IICRC) has two training courses with written tests so technicians can be skilled at dealing with smoke and odor! Your best bet is to do so as quickly as possible, as well– some stains and odors get more difficult to remove if they aren’t addressed ASAP.

If  your friends, family and neighbors have had significant damage to homes or businesses you can contact Reset Restoration 24/7 to inquire about Tulsa restoration services. Call Reset Restoration today at (918) 582-7373.

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