When there has been a fire in a home, even if it was a small one, it can be a big mess to clean up. If you were lucky, the damage from the fire itself was not too great and hopefully did not require a lot of repair to the home, but even when the repairs are not going to be that extensive, there is likely to be a lot of clean up left to be done.



The soot that comes from fires can cover everything it comes into contact with. It can cover windows, doors, ceilings, walls, floors, furniture, and all of your personal items like keepsakes and pictures frames. If it is exposed, it can be sooty. The thin to thick black film will have to be removed with a cleaner and water appropriate for each different surface. You will probably have to have your upholstery and carpets professionally cleaned in order to restore them if they were covered badly.

The smoke smell can be completely nauseating to some people because it definitely does not smell good. It can linger in the air for months if everything sooty is not cleaned. Even when this is done, clothes in closets or drawers can have that burnt smell even if they did not get dirty with soot. There is no telling what all will have to be thrown in the washing machine or out all together to get rid of the odor. Open boxes of baking soda will help get rid of the smell in attics and basements.

If water was used to put out the fire, there will be clean up for that too. If your fire was large and a lot of water was used, a professional might be needed to make sure mold does not develop on top of everything else. If the water is not gotten up quickly, it can cause your carpets to mildew and can cause your woodwork to swell or buckle. Hardwood floors have to be dried correctly or they can be ruined.

Even a fire extinguisher will leave a large mess to clean up. The white residue from the chemicals they spray out goes everywhere just like the soot. You can have white dust in several rooms from extinguishing a small fire in the kitchen if you are not careful. Cleaning up a big mess is preferable to having to build an entire new house, so it might be said that you actually came out pretty good if a lot of cleaning is most of what has to be done.