Milissa,

These are all gases and propellants so if used in very small amounts into
the detectors they should disperse very fast and not pose a problem to the
historic finishes or collections unless it was sprayed directly on them. If
it looks like this smoke can potentially contact the historic finishes or
art or objects you can tape or drape polyethylene sheeting temporarily as a
barrier.

What you really want to avoid in smoke are the ones generated by fog
machines used in filming and concerts. Many of those machines use oils that
are finely aerosoled and lay down tiny droplets of oil on every surface
they contact. That is of concern.

Cheers!
Dave

David Harvey
Senior Conservator & Museum Consultant
Los Angeles CA. USA
www.cityofangelsconservation.weebly.com


On Thu, Apr 12, 2018, 1:52 PM Milissa Brooks-Ojibway <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> Are the usual smoke detector test smoke products such as "Smoke Sabre" and
> "Smoke Check" safe to use in historic houses?  I see the MSDS lists the
> following: isobutane, siloxane, butane and propane.  While I do want my
> smoke detectors tested, I'm wondering, if these are
> (a) safe for historic walls and ceilings, etc., and (b) if not, is there a
> safer alternative that I should request?
>
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