Emergency board-up, smoke damage cleanup and odor removal, structural cleaning, and complete rebuilding by vetted local experts.
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Immediate action to secure your property by boarding up missing windows and walls, and tarping the roof to prevent weather damage and unauthorized entry.
Extraction of water and chemicals left behind by firefighting efforts, deploying dehumidifiers and air movers to completely dry the structure.
Using specialized equipment like HEPA vacuums and dry sponges to safely remove acidic soot and ash from delicate surfaces and HVAC systems.
Industrial fogging and ozone machines are utilized to permanently neutralize embedded smoke odors rather than just masking them.
Tearing out compromised structural elements and rebuilding walls, painting, and replacing flooring to bring your home back to its original state.
Soot is highly acidic. It will permanently stain surfaces if left untreated. New to this? Our smoke damage cleanup guide walks through the costs, the process, and when to DIY.
Even a small, contained fire can push smoke and soot through an entire home. Here's what cleanup actually involves — and what it runs.
Smoke damage cleanup is its own discipline, separate from structural fire repair. Soot is acidic and keeps etching finishes for days after the fire is out, while smoke odor penetrates drywall, insulation, and HVAC ductwork — which is why surface cleaning alone rarely fixes the smell. Professional crews work top-down: assess and ventilate, HEPA-vacuum and dry-sponge soot from ceilings and walls, degrease with smoke-specific cleaners, clean or seal ductwork, then neutralize remaining odor with hydroxyl or ozone treatment.
For the complete breakdown — itemized costs, the full step-by-step process, and an honest DIY-vs-pro decision guide — read our smoke damage cleanup cost & process guide. Struggling specifically with lingering odor? See how to get rid of smoke smell after a fire.
Smoke-only cleanup (no charred framing or rebuild) typically runs $425–$1,800 for a residential job, driven mostly by local labor rates and how far smoke traveled. Full fire damage restoration with reconstruction averages closer to $27,000.
Light haze in a single room from a kitchen mishap is a reasonable DIY job with a respirator, dry sponges, and degreaser. Smoke in multiple rooms, any HVAC involvement, or an odor that returns after cleaning means professional equipment — fogging, hydroxyl, ozone — is the only fix that lasts.
Smoke-only cleanup usually takes 2–5 days: a day for assessment and soot removal, then deodorization treatments that run 24–72 hours. Fires with structural or water damage extend that to weeks, since drying and rebuild phases come first.
Within days, acidic soot permanently yellows plastics, corrodes metal, and etches glass and grout. Cleanup started within the first week is dramatically cheaper than restoration after residue has set — another reason to get a vetted local crew on site fast.