How to Clean Smoke Damage From Your Home

DIY solutions on how to clean smoke damage after a California wildfire and make your home livable again. Whether you are trying to clean your home on a budget, or a professional simply isn’t available to begin the cleaning process, these are efficient starting tips on how to clean the smoke damage yourself.

While it’s no small task, with plenty of elbow grease and lots of patience, you can begin restoring your home and removing the effects of smoke and soot. The sooner you begin, the less long-term damage your belongings will have. Prolonged exposure to smoke residue can affect indoor air quality and potentially pose health risks.

Don’t expect this to be a one-and-done job. You’ll likely need to repeat many of these steps several times to fully remove the smoke’s lingering effects.

If you do hire a professional service for smoke and soot remediation, expect to pay between $4.50 and $6 per square foot. Dry soot is about half the cost of oily soot.

House SizeAverage Cost 
1,000 sq. ft.$4,250 – $6,000
1,750 sq. ft.$7,400 – $10,500
2,000 sq. ft.$8,500 – $12,000
2,500 sq. ft.$10,625 – $15,000
3,000 sq., ft.$12,750 – $18,000
4,000 sq. ft.$17,000 – $24,000+

Even if this cost is something you feel is worth paying for, you might struggle in finding a company able to help for months out. You absolutely must start cleaning yourself as soon as possible to reduce what needs to be thrown out and stopping the smell from completely permeating through your home.

Types of Soot and Smoke

As you begin cleaning your home and belongings, you’ll quickly learn there are different methods for cleaning soot and smoke, and you may have to incorporate all of them due to the nature of wildfires.

Evergreen trees can create a sticky residue… Industrials, vehicles burning, treated fencing, plastics, all produce a different type of soot.

Personal Safety and Protective Equipment

Personal safety is a critical concern when cleaning smoke damage. Professional remediators wear hazmat suits and respirators or N95 mask to reduce exposure to fine particles and toxic substances for good reason – and you absolutely should too.

Don’t forget gloves, both for protection from exposure to soot, but from constant cleaning products too. Use a hand cream with the gloves to prevent your skin from drying out and cracking. This can happen even if your hands feel sweaty the whole time.

Get a bulk pack of shoe covers to minimize tracking soot around the house as you clean. This will also save you some additional cleaning of your shoes later on.

Soot often clings to clothing and can be transferred to areas outside the original contamination zone. Wearing a disposable hazmat suit allows easier isolation of soot throughout the cleaning process.

Long-term exposure to these pollutants may lead to headaches or respiratory problems while cleaning smoke damage from your home, both in the short and long term.

Air Filtration

How to clean smoke damage air filtration
Air purifier in use.

Keep the area ventilated to minimize indoor concentrations of harmful particles. Taking periodic breaks outdoors is recommended to limit the risk of inhaling smoke residue as you clean smoke damage from your home.

Soot will eventually settle on surfaces, so running heavy-duty air filtration is crucial. This approach goes hand-in-hand with efficient cleaning of every surface.

Consider these options, depending on resources available:

  1. Quick budget-friendly solution: Attach a MERV11 2″ air filter to a 20″ box fan using tape or bungee cords.
  2. Corsi-Rosenthal box: Construct a cube using four MERV11+ 2″ air filters, a cardboard base, and a 20″ box fan on top blowing outward. This setup can filter the air in a 1000 sq ft area three times per hour.
  3. Optimal choice: Use a HEPA air purifier for maximum efficiency of filtering air particulates.
How to clean smoke damage air purifier filters
Filters from an air purifier after running for a short period.

How To Get Rid of the Smoke Smell In House

You’re in the middle of removing smoke damage from the fire, you’re probably sick and tired of the smell of smoke and soot at this point, but you also are not too excited by the idea of replacing that smell with cleaners and chemicals. You’re already elbows deep in them.

Chlorine dioxide shock treatments, commonly known as “shockers,” can be a useful tool for homeowners seeking to eliminate smoke odors. By releasing a chlorine dioxide gas, these products target and reduce odor-causing particles within porous surfaces such as drywall, upholstery, and carpeting.

This is one product where you’ll want to make sure to follow the instructions to the letter, as the shockers can also harm you when used incorrectly. The shockers don’t leave any reside or smell when the process is completed.

Use this product before you do any repainting. For your own sanity, you might want to do this several times during the process of cleaning your home from smoke and soot.

Remediators also use a process and machine called Thermal Fogging. A deodorizing agent is heated before it is misted across furniture and textiles. This fog permeates small crevices and porous materials, neutralizing smoke odor particles that typical cleaning methods may miss.

The technique is especially useful in places prone to wildfires, such as California, where smoke can seep into walls, furniture, and insulation. The agent in the fogger attaches to smoke particles and absorbs them, neutralizing the odor permanently.

Carpet Cleaning

Cleaning smoke-damaged carpets is a basic, time-consuming step in restoring your home after a fire. Alongside a vacuum that can HEPA filter, you’ll also want to use a steam cleaner. You might want to consider buying a cheap vacuum with the intention of donating or recycling it after use, as it will smell like smoke indefinitely.

Steam cleaning, also known as hot water extraction, is the preferred method for cleaning smoke-damaged carpets. 

A professional remediator process usually goes through these steps :

  1. Vacuum the carpet thoroughly to remove loose soot and debris.
  2. Pre-treat stains with appropriate cleaning solutions for your fabric/materials.
  3. Use a steam cleaner to inject hot water and cleaning solution into the carpet fibers.
  4. Extract the water, along with dissolved dirt and smoke particles, using powerful suction.

Use enzyme-based cleaners specifically designed for smoke odor removal. These cleaners break down odor-causing molecules.

For less severe cases, use a dry cleaning approach with specialized powders or foams. This method is suitable when minimal moisture is preferred.

Prompt action will help determine whether there is permanent staining and odor retention. If these methods don’t work, you might just be stick ripping out the carpet and replacing it.

Cleaning and Painting Walls and Ceilings

Before and after tsp cleaning smoke damage
Before and after cleaning smoke damage from paint using TSP.

Clean your walls and ceilings with TSP before repainting using a sponge.

Dip your sponge into the TSP solution. Gently scrub the soot-affected area from the bottom up or top down, depending on what is most manageable. Heavy scrubbing will damage paint and finishes. If you plan on repainting after, as you should, then feel free to go a bit heavier.

After washing, rinse with clean water. Make sure all TSP residue is removed, as it may leave a powdery film if not rinsed away.

Give the walls to dry completely before moving onto painting. As a bonus, your surfaces have also been well-prepped for paint applications.

How to clean smoke damage cleaning and painting walls and ceilings

Your first coat of paint should be a primer meant to help with odor blocking.

Use B-I-N Zinsser Shellac Base Primer, this is one of the best odor blocking primers out there and readily available.

Your final paint coat can be your favorite brand or color.

Hard Surfaces

Wash all hard surfaces, including wood and cabinetry, using appropriate cleaning solutions. Tis one is hard to recommend products for, as the finishes and your hard surfaces will have so much variation. You’re going to have a lot of searching and double-checking head of you. Start with Dawn soap, and combine it with shock treatments and an ozone generator as needed.

Fabrics and Soft Materials

Launder all soft materials such as curtains, upholstery, and linens. Dry cleaning may be required for delicate fabrics.

Furniture Cleaning

Clean furniture based on its material:

  • Wood: Use appropriate wood cleaners and conditioners.
  • Fabric: Steam clean or use specialized upholstery cleaners.
  • Other materials: Follow manufacturer recommendations and search for tips on cleaning.

Plastic and Rubber Items

Porous materials like plastic and rubber often retain smoke odors and may need to be discarded. Ozone generators will also degrade plastics and rubbers.

Paper Items

For valuable documents or books or photos, consult a professional restoration service. Some items may be salvageable through specialized cleaning techniques.

This is also a good time to scan and digitize your photos and use something like PhotoStructure, or Google One or Apple iCloud.

Ozone Treatment

After physical cleaning, use an ozone generator to eliminate remaining odors. This step should only be performed after thorough cleaning, as ozone cannot remove soot particles.

Cleaning Products

Professional remediators use a product called Speedball. For home use, a strong degreasing dish soap like Dawn can be effective.

Ammonia based cleaners are ideal for cleaning smoke off items – just make sure never to mix it with other cleaning products or bleach.

By following these steps systematically, homeowners can effectively address smoke damage and restore their living spaces.

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Updated: January 12, 2025 by Michael Kahn

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