How to Get the Smoke Smell Out of Your House After a Fire

After a fire, big or small, the smell of smoke can stick around for quite a while. The longer it sits, the longer it can set into your furniture and belongings. The good news? With the right approach and the right team, it doesn’t have to stay that way.

Here’s what you need to know about getting rid of smoke odor, and how SERPRO’s fire damage restoration services can help.

Key Takeaways

Smoke particles penetrate deeply into hard surfaces, soft furnishings, and porous materials.
You might be able to address a light smoke odor with DIY cleaning methods, but significant fire damage almost always calls for professional help.
SERVPRO’s fire damage restoration team uses specialized equipment and techniques designed to fully eliminate smoke odor (not just mask it).
The sooner you start working to remove smoke odors, the better your chances of saving your furniture and belongings from permanent damage.

What to Do Right After the Fire

In the event of an emergency, your safety’s always the priority. The U.S. Fire Administration recommends these steps after the fire is contained:

Confirm the area is safe with professionals: Don’t re-enter any space until firefighters have given you clear instructions to do so. Entering earlier may pose a threat to your safety.
Contact your insurance agent: Your insurance policy may cover any or all cleanup or restoration fees. Coordinate with an agent to confirm what resources are available to you.
Take care of your loved ones (including pets): A fire of any size can be a traumatic experience. Make sure any injuries are addressed, and those affected have space to process their experience.
Organize finances and documentation: As you begin this process, make sure you have access to all your personal records, financial information, and documents. The more organized you are, the easier the experience will be.

Once you’ve got everything ready to go, you can begin the odor-removal process.

Why Deep Cleaning Is Needed to Get Smoke Smell Out of the House After a Fire

Smoke particles are microscopic. They can work their way into virtually every surface in your home during a fire. If you want to completely remove the smoke smell from your house, you’ll need to perform a deep clean of all surfaces.

While you may be able to clean away minor smoke odor from a small fire on your own, most situations call for professional help. An experienced smoke remediation team can help to fully eliminate the smell and prevent long-term damage to your valuable possessions.

Calling the Professionals

When it comes to how to get a smoke smell out of your house after a fire, professional help makes all the difference. In many cases, smoke smells don’t go away with a candle or wipe down with cleaner. At SERVPRO®, our team of professionals knows how to get rid of fire smoke smells and will begin with an initial inspection of your space.

Based on their findings, our professionals will start SERVPRO®’s process of:

Removing soot from walls, ceilings, and hard surfaces.
Cleaning soot from softer surfaces like furniture fabric or carpet.
Deodorizing the fire-damaged home.
Using ozone or hydroxyl machines as needed.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. To thoroughly remove the odor and repair the damage in this process, SERVPRO professionals use a series of specialized chemicals, agents, and equipment:

Masking agents: high-quality air freshening tools to mask odors during deodorization.
Pairing agents: chemicals that combine with odor particles when wiped, spread, or sprayed onto a surface. This reaction then causes the odor particles to break down and be more easily removed.
Filtration agents: adsorption and absorption agents that separate smoke particles from the air.
Disinfectants and sanitizers: chemicals that remove bacteria build-up when applied to hard surfaces.
Enzyme digesters: agents that break down protein-based odors like carbon dioxide and water-based products.
Air purification: electronic filters used to kill airborne smoke particles.
Oxidization: generators that produce gas to destroy odors in the air.

The pros at SERVPRO will walk you through their process step-by-step, so you understand what’s happening in your home. Contact your local SERVPRO location to get started.

Tips to Get Fire Smoke Smell Out of the House

If the fire damage in your home is minor, you can take some steps on your own to remove the smoke smell from your house before calling in reinforcements. Just keep in mind that smoke travels further than most people realize, so you’ll need to be very thorough in your efforts.

Here’s a breakdown by surface type to help guide your cleanup, along with some guidance on when SERVPRO’s professional cleaning services are the better call.

1. Cleaning Hard Surfaces

Hard surfaces like countertops, cabinets, and ceilings are often the first places where visible smoke residue settles. Getting the smell out of your house starts here.

Wipe down all hard surfaces with a mixture of warm water and white vinegar or a mild degreaser. Work from the top down to avoid contaminating areas you’ve already cleaned. For heavy soot buildup, professional cleaning services are the most effective choice.

2. Cleaning Soft Surfaces

Soft surfaces like upholstered furniture, curtains, bedding, and rugs quickly absorb smoke odor and stubbornly hold onto it. Wash any machine-washable items, adding a cup of white vinegar to the cycle. Don’t put anything into the dryer until the smell is fully gone.

For larger pieces like sofas and chairs, hire a professional cleaning service to remove smoke particles from the fabric.

3. Cleaning Porous Materials

Porous materials are often the most challenging part of removing smoke smells from your house. Drywall, wood, insulation, and grout can absorb and hold onto smoke. While baking soda and surface cleaning can help draw out some of the odor, in many cases, the damage is too serious for a DIY cleaning. A professional assessment is often necessary. Unfortunately, some of your porous materials might not be salvageable, and you’ll have to replace them.

4. Deodorizing Tips

When you’re learning how to get smoke smells out of your house, you’ll discover that surface cleaning might not be enough. Here are some additional odor-neutralizing tips:

Place bowls of distilled vinegar or baking soda around affected rooms to help absorb smells.
Add ventilation to rooms when possible, by opening doors and windows.
Clean and replace HVAC filters and grates so they don’t circulate smoke particles through your system.

If stubborn odors just won’t go away, call in the professionals.

What Makes Removing Smoke Smell From House So Difficult?

When you walk back into your house after a fire, the smell of smoke can be a reminder of a traumatic experience. Unfortunately, smoke odors can be incredibly difficult to remove. Several factors affect how stubborn the smoke odor can be:

Size of the affected area: The larger the fire, the further the smoke particles travel.
Types of materials damaged: Porous materials like drywall, wood, and insulation hold onto smoke far longer than hard surfaces.
How long the smoke sat before cleanup: The longer smoke particles go untreated, the deeper they penetrate into surfaces.
The type of materials burned: Synthetic materials, like plastics and fabrics, often create more pungent smoke than natural materials.
Your HVAC system: If your heating or cooling system was running during or after the fire, smoke particles may have circulated through your entire house.

Knowing how to get smoke smells out of your house often isn’t enough. If you’re struggling to get stubborn smoke odors out of your home, bring in the professionals.

How to Get Rid of Fire Smoke Smell Today

Need help getting rid of the smell of smoke in your home?

Removing smoke smells from a home is a job SERVPRO’s trained professionals handle every day. With a quick phone call and an in-person inspection, our team can assess the situation and get you back to living comfortably in your home.

Don’t wait. Contact SERVPRO today to help clean your home.

FAQs

How do I get the smoke smell out of my house from a fire?

Getting the smoke smell out of your house after a fire requires a systematic deep clean of all your surfaces, including hard surfaces, soft furnishings, and porous materials, along with thorough deodorization. Professional fire restoration teams use a series of chemicals and agents to thoroughly remove odors following a fire.

How do I get rid of fire smoke smell from clothes?

Machine wash smoke-affected clothing and add a cup of white vinegar to the cycle. Don’t put your clothes in the dryer until the smell of smoke is completely gone. The heat from the dryer can permanently set the odor. For delicate fabrics, find a professional dry cleaner with experience in smoke damage.

How do I get house fire smoke smell out of furniture?

Sprinkle baking soda on upholstered furniture and let it sit for several hours before vacuuming it up. Throw any machine-washable cushion covers into your wash and add a cup of white vinegar to the load. For larger pieces, consider hiring a professional upholstery cleaning service.

How does fire restoration help with getting rid of smoke smell?

Professional fire restoration services use specialized equipment and techniques that go beyond a standard cleaning you could do by yourself. SERVPRO technicians work to neutralize smoke odor at its source using industrial-grade deodorization equipment and cleaning agents.

How to Get Smoke Smell Out of House After a Fire