A dehumidifier is an appliance that is able to remove moisture from the air. It also helps balance humidity levels inside homes. Dehumidifiers are commonly used in homes to mitigate water damage and mold damage. But did you know? Dehumidifiers are also very useful after fire damage. 

Why are Dehumidifiers Important After Fire Damage?

Fire damage is a common occurrence in homes. Fire can wreak significant damage, ruin furniture, and also pose a serious threat to the safety of inhabitants. But that’s not all. Fire damage also manifests in the form of smoke damage, which can lead to a host of allergies for people living inside the house.

Depending on the extent of damage done, dehumidifiers can prove highly effective to mitigate fire damage. Fires also lead to water damage and consequently mold damage. This guide will help analyze how dehumidifiers can offer assistance to homeowners who have experienced a fire and the damage that happened to the property. 

• Dehumidifiers Help Get Rid of Smoke

While fire can be extinguished, smoke is just one side-effect of fires that can be very hard to overcome. Long after the fire has subsided, you may see plumes of smoke that will not only be embedded in your walls, carpet, and upholstery but also lead to various allergies and reactions. Smoke contains toxic soot, which will render your belongings black. Moreover, soot and smoke will make the air inside impure, and make it difficult for you to breathe properly.

After a fire, the first thing you should do is ventilate your property. Open the doors and windows, and allow fresh air to pass through your home. Ideally, you should add a dehumidifier too. These appliances are built-in with filters that can help get rid of smoke and the lingering odor of smoke. Moreover, dehumidifiers with an air purification system will clean the air, and get rid of the smoke. Most other appliances like fans will spread the soot, but dehumidifiers will filter smoke and soot without distributing it throughout the house, and escalating the damage. 

• Dehumidifiers Will Dry Out Wet Materials 

The most common type of damage after a fire is water damage. Water is needed to extinguish flames, but this leaves moisture lingering on carpets, walls, doors, and even in nooks and crannies of the house. When hardwood floors and other furniture is exposed to water for extended periods of time, wood will start to warp and lose its shape. In this state, wood can no longer be salvaged. This will incur high costs for homeowners.

To ensure complete water extraction after a fire, you should install a dehumidifier in your home. Dehumidifiers will speed up the drying process of damp household materials that are likely drenched in water after the fire extinguishing process. Moreover, dehumidifiers placed in corners will also dry out crevices of homes where the presence of moisture often goes unnoticed. 

• Dehumidifiers Prevent Mold Growth

Mold is a fungus that ruins carpets, floors, and furniture. These organic materials may be too damaged to salvage, which will incur expenses after fire damage. Since water will be needed to extinguish fires, some of this moisture will linger. This moisture and humidity, as a result of the moisture, will lead to the formation of mold spores within just 48 to 72 hours.

Once mold forms, it will quickly spread to other parts of the house, wreaking significant havoc on your valuable belongings. To prevent mold growth, you will need to control the humidity and moisture, and a dehumidifier is able to do both. Dehumidifiers remove moisture from the air and are able to bring down humidity levels by 30% less to an acceptable and mold-averse environment. Just having a dehumidifier in your home also balances the high humidity levels that could lead to mold growth under any circumstances. 

• Dehumidifiers Help Control Allergies 

There are several allergies that many inhabitants may start experiencing after fire damage. Even after a fire has been extinguished, the smoke and soot tend to linger. In fact, soot is absorbed into walls and floors, and this releases harmful toxins that may lead to a host of allergic reactions, like wheezing, coughing, sneezing, itchiness, and eye irritation.

One proven way to prevent these allergic reactions is to keep the air as dry as possible. Most of these irritants require high humidity levels to linger in the air, and dehumidifiers prevent that by bringing down the level of humidity inside the property. When there is high moisture in the air, it can often become difficult to breathe. This can also trigger asthma. High-humidity environments are conducive to allergies, so dehumidifiers help to control that, especially after a fire occurs inside the premises.

911 Restoration of West Palm Beach

Fires can be dangerous. They pose a threat to lives and property as well. If you encounter a fire in your home, you should contact 911 Restoration of West Palm Beach. They have a quick emergency response time of just 45 minutes. They help to deliver a wide array of services like fire damage restoration, smoke damage restoration, water damage restoration, as well as mold removal and remediation.