Fog machines cause a liquid residue on furniture, but overall it is something that can be cleaned up easily. If you are not cleaning the surfaces and using a propylene glycol fog fluid, this can cause problems long term. To help this, we recommend wiping down the surfaces after use or using a dry ice machine or water-based fog juice.
Ever wonder if fog machines are bad for your furniture? It’s a question that has been asked by many partygoers and event planners.
The short answer is yes, it can ruin your furniture. However, there are ways to avoid this issue so you don’t have to worry about ruining your table or chairs when having fun with friends at parties!
Does Fog Machines Ruin Furniture?
The question comes up often if a fog machine can cause damage. The quick answer is yes, but it’s not as bad as it sounds.
It would take a lot of use to cause damage to furniture, most of the time it just leaves a residue.
The Glycol that is in the fog fluid is what will create the residue to occur when the smoke machine is heating it up and spraying it in the air. To help avoid the residue you can always use more of a water-based fog juice that doesn’t have the Glycol chemical inside it.
This may not produce your desired effect as the water base will be more of a light fog.
The ultimate fix for this is to use a dry ice smoke machine. This will keep the surfaces residue-free but again this will create less thick smoke and it will not last long, falling down quickly to the floor.
How To Use A Fog Machine Inside A House
A great trick to help avoid getting the fog residue over all your furniture is to use a low-lying fog machine. These keep the fog down low and won’t get up as high as other fog machines.
That way it’s mainly on the floor, lower walls, and doors. You won’t have to clean as much furniture this way.
A Haze Machine is also another alternative that uses more water-based fog juice. These are more for lighting effects at concerts.
It really brings out all the laser lights and makes them look very sharp. These types of smoke particles are very thin and are safer to breathe.
It’s important to have proper ventilation in the room you are using the fog machine in so you don’t risk any health issues, especially if you are using a propylene glycol fog fluid. That type of oil will end up all over the ground and equipment which can cause the party to get a bit slippery.
The fog machine will take the fluid that is used and heat it up, once the fluid is hot it will basically pump the smoke particles out of the machine.
At times you have to wait for the heater to be ready. As all this takes place you may smell a burning or steam-like smell which is generally normal.
This is the basic idea of how to create the fog.
The smoke particles settle on a surface and if the heater was weaker than it should be in the fog machine then there is even more oil in the residue. This can appear as a liquid in your room.
If you have asthma or someone attending does be careful as the smoke can cause shortness of breath. This is especially true if there are chemicals in the mixture.
If someone has trouble breathing properly have them go to a space free of smoke or go outside and get some fresh air. If they continue to stay it can feel like their throat is closing so don’t take any chances and walk them outside.
Once they get some air they should be fine but if they are not, you may want to seek medical attention.
Why use Glycol Fog Fluid
The main reason we stick with this fog juice is that it’s the best for the effect. If you want something to look really awesome, especially at night this is the brand people use.
It’s mainly because as it gets heated the Glycol turns into a particulate matter which keeps the fluid floating in the air.
You can add a little distilled water to the fog juice for thicker, denser fog.
This is great as you just plug in the machine and can have fog for hours. If possible though we do recommend for indoor use to use more of a haze type fluid which is more water.
Some fog juice is also made with Glycerin but there is a way to create fog juice without Glycerin.
Do Fog Machines Trigger Smoke Alarms?
Yes, a fog machine can cause smoke alarms to sound. All fog machines, even haze machines that use mainly water-based fog juice will cause them to go off.
However; the lighter the density of the smoke and the longer it is pumped will have the higher chance to trigger the smoke alarms.
It is important to note that this will not trigger sprinkler systems as these work differently and require heat to set them off.
Tips For Safe Indoor Fog Machines
Tips for Safe Indoor Use:
- Wipe down everything in the room after using the fogger.
- Use water-based fog fluid in the fogger.
- A low-lying fog machine will keep the fog low.
- A dry Ice machine won’t cause any residue.
- A fogger can set off a smoke alarm.
- Understand how safe these are to breathe.
FAQs
Conclusion
Now you know all about how the fog machine can leave condensation all over everything. Of course, we prefer a haze-type liquid as there will be fewer chemicals inside it.
When operating make sure to lay the fog machine down flat and try to hide it will help give more of a cooler effect for your party. When using in the house make sure you have good airflow and have some rooms that are smoke-free so people can take a break when they need to.
I recommend checking out this article that talks about the differences between fog and smoke machines.
Please be careful and use at your own risk
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