
Minutes Matter When Dealing With Smoke Damage in Chicago, IL

Sam Simon
June 17, 2015If you’re the unfortunate victim of a home or business fire in the greater Chicago area, acting fast to secure professional
smoke damage restoration
services can spare your property from even more damage. That’s because the longer smoke residue is allowed to sit, the greater the amount of damage it causes to numerous surfaces and items.
ServiceMaster Restoration by Simons
is available 24/7 to provide prompt and professional smoke damage repair. We’ve got the proper equipment and training to properly assess the extent of the smoke damage to your property and to restore it as quickly as possible.
Time is of the essence when it comes to smoke damage restoration as mere minutes can have a profound impact on the damage caused by smoke residue. The following timeline, from the
Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC),
details the effects of smoke and acid soot damage on a home or business:
Within Minutes:
Small appliances, including toasters, coffee makers and stand mixers, begin to discolor if they were located close to the combustion source. Expensive marble counter tops, which are extremely porous, also start to discolor permanently from acid soot residues.
Within Hours:
The bathroom(s) in your home or business begin to show damage. For example, fiberglass bath fixtures yellow and the grout between your tiles and around the bathroom fixtures begin to stain. Other items that begin to tarnish or discolor during this time frame include metals, counter tops and the finishes on furniture.
Within Days:
The value and quality of several more items begin to greatly diminish now. Painted walls permanently yellow; damage to vinyl floors and wood furniture becomes so severe that refinishing or replacement are required. Fabric – whether it’s your clothing or covering your furniture - becomes permanently stained.
Within Weeks:
Sadly, the costs to restore or replace possessions continue to skyrocket. For example, many of the family heirlooms or other precious items you own, such as china, crystal and glass, begin to pit and etch from acid soot residue. Silver plate discolors permanently, and synthetic carpet fibers have to potential to permanently yellow.
While some of the items described here can replaced, many others, however, are simply lost forever if they’re not treated by professional smoke damage restoration specialists ASAP. And, unfortunately, that only adds to the devastating emotional and financial impact that a tragic fire can have on you and your family or you and your business.
To help rescue your hard-earned property and belongings from further damage,
call
the highly trained
smoke damage restoration specialists
at ServiceMaster Restoration by Simons at 773-376-1110. We’ll take immediate action to return your property to its pre-loss condition as soon as possible. And, as we work through the fire and smoke damage restoration process, we’ll treat you with the compassion and respect that fire victims deserve!
Sam Simon
Sam Simon is the Co-Owner and Managing Director of ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons, a certified MBE/WBE disaster restoration and specialty cleaning firm proudly serving Cook, Lake, and DuPage Counties in Illinois. With over 30 years of experience in restoration project management, field operations, and emergency response, Sam plays a vital leadership role in overseeing service execution, technician development, reconstruction, and subcontractor coordination.
He holds the IICRC’s highest technical designation as a Master Fire & Water Restorer, a distinction achieved by fewer than 1% of professionals in the restoration industry. His technical scope includes water and flood damage restoration, fire and smoke recovery, mold remediation, and post-disaster reconstruction across both residential and commercial sectors.
Sam has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to helping communities in crisis. He has participated in large-scale disaster recovery efforts across the U.S., providing boots-on-the-ground leadership during Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy, and Harvey, as well as catastrophic floods, wildfires, and deep freeze events throughout Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, and beyond. His dedication to serving distressed families and businesses in the wake of national catastrophes reflects both his personal values and ServiceMaster’s mission of restoring peace of mind.
In 2019, Sam was selected for the HACIA Contractor Training Program, a competitive six-month construction management cohort offered by the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association. The program delivers intensive instruction in blueprint reading, estimating, project management, and construction law—skills that support the company’s continued growth in emergency build-back and general contracting services.
Before co-founding ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons, Sam built a successful creative career under the name Sam Zabadneh, contributing to notable film and television productions including Chicago Fire (2012), Juvies (2007), and Image Union (1978). His media and videography background continues to shape ServiceMaster’s marketing strategy, digital training resources, and brand storytelling.
→ IMDb Profile
Sam is also the co-author of RESTORE: A Complete Guide to Protecting Your Home As Your Most Valuable Asset—a practical guidebook for homeowners navigating the challenges of water, fire, and mold damage.
Under the direction of majority owner and President & CEO Nasutsa Mabwa, and with Sam’s operational leadership, ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons has earned numerous regional and national accolades, including:
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