Tips for Restoring Air Quality After Wildfire Smoke

The aftermath of a wildfire can be overwhelming, especially if you live in Southern California, where wildfires are a yearly threat. The thick smoke and ash that settle into your home can wreak havoc on your living spaces and your health. After a wildfire, it’s essential to take the right steps to clean and restore your home. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the key steps to safely clean your home and restore air quality after a wildfire.

Assess the Damage

Before you begin cleaning, assess the extent of the damage to your home. Wildfire smoke and ash can penetrate every corner of your home, even if the flames didn’t reach your property. Check for soot on walls, ceilings, and floors, as well as lingering odors in fabrics and the air.

Safety First: Protect Yourself

Cleaning after a wildfire can expose you to harmful pollutants, including soot, ash, and chemicals. To ensure your safety, take the following precautions:

1. Wear Protective Gear: Always wear an N95 or KN95 mask, gloves, goggles, and long sleeves to protect yourself from inhaling ash particles or coming into contact with toxic substances.
2. Ventilate the Area: Open windows and doors (only if air quality permits) to allow fresh air into your home, but be mindful that outdoor air quality can be poor for some time after a wildfire.
3. Avoid Using a Vacuum Cleaner: While it may be tempting to vacuum up the ash, doing so can stir up harmful particles in the air. Instead, use a damp cloth or mop to gently remove debris.

Cleaning Smoke Damage

Wildfire smoke leaves behind more than just a bad odor. It can coat your furniture, walls, and floors with soot, leaving behind both visible and invisible pollutants. Here’s how to tackle this problem:

1. Clean Your Walls, Ceilings, and Floors

To remove soot and smoke from surfaces, use a mixture of mild soap or detergent and warm water. For stubborn stains or odors, you can mix 4 to 6 tablespoons of tri-sodium phosphate (TSP) with 1 cup of household cleaner or chlorine bleach for every gallon of warm water. Make sure to wear rubber gloves and avoid using harsh cleaning products that may damage your walls or furniture.

• Walls: Wash the walls in sections, starting from the floor and working your way up to prevent streaking. Rinse immediately with clean water and dry thoroughly.
• Floors: Soot can accumulate on floors, especially in carpets. If possible, replace carpets that have absorbed a lot of smoke. For hard floors, mop with the TSP solution and rinse thoroughly.
• Ceilings: Clean ceilings last, using the same technique as for walls.

2. Wipe Down Furniture and Fabrics

Upholstery and fabrics can trap smoke odors, making your home feel uninhabitable. To clean fabrics, use a mixture of your usual detergent with one tablespoon of pure vanilla extract to neutralize odors. For stubborn smells, you can also use tri-sodium phosphate solutions or consider hiring a professional cleaning service to address delicate fabrics and upholstery.

Restoring Air Quality

After a wildfire, smoke and ash can linger in the air, affecting your health long after the fire has been extinguished. Here are a few tips for restoring air quality inside your home:

1. Use Air Purifiers: Invest in a HEPA air purifier to remove microscopic smoke particles from the air. If you don’t have one, consider placing a high-efficiency MERV 13 filter in your HVAC system. These filters can trap a significant percentage of harmful smoke particles, improving the air quality inside your home.
2. Clean Your Air Ducts: If you have central heating or air conditioning, it’s essential to have your ducts cleaned. Smoke particles can accumulate in your air ducts and spread throughout your home when the system is running.
3. Wash Fabrics and Textiles: Fabrics such as curtains, blankets, and pillows can absorb smoke particles. Wash them thoroughly to reduce smoke odor. If your clothing has been affected, consider washing them with a mixture of laundry detergent and a few tablespoons of pure vanilla extract.
4. Ventilate Your Home: If air quality improves outside, open your windows and doors to allow fresh air into your home. Make sure to check air quality reports in your area before doing so to avoid reintroducing more smoke into your home.

Dealing with Lingering Odors

Persistent smoke odors can make your home unpleasant to live in, but there are several ways to combat this problem:

1. Use Odor Neutralizers: Products containing tri-sodium phosphate (TSP) are known to reduce odors in fabrics and surfaces. Always follow the safety instructions when using these products.
2. Replace Air Filters: After cleaning, replace your HVAC and air purifier filters to ensure they’re not circulating any leftover smoke particles.
3. Consider Professional Cleaning: If the smell persists, it may be time to call in a professional cleaning service to thoroughly remove smoke odors and soot from hard-to-reach places.

Health Risks and How to Stay Safe

Wildfire smoke can have long-lasting effects on your health, even if you’re not in direct contact with the fire. It can lead to respiratory issues, eye irritation, and headaches. Individuals with pre-existing conditions like asthma or heart problems are particularly vulnerable to the health effects of wildfire smoke.

• Ventilate Your Home: As mentioned earlier, good air circulation is essential for reducing lingering smoke. Open windows when air quality improves and use air purifiers.
• Stay Indoors During Smoke Infiltration: When smoke levels are high, limit outdoor exposure to protect your health.
• Consult a Professional: If you experience persistent symptoms like coughing or sore throat, seek medical attention. It’s always best to consult a healthcare professional, especially if symptoms worsen.

Why You Should Hire Crystal Wave Cleaners

Cleaning your home after a wildfire can be a time-consuming and overwhelming process, especially when trying to remove smoke odors, soot, and ash from every surface. That’s why Crystal Wave Cleaners is here to help.
Our team of professional cleaners is trained to tackle the toughest wildfire cleanup jobs. We use eco-friendly and effective products to restore your home to its pre-fire condition, ensuring that every corner of your home is soot-free and smelling fresh.

We understand that your time and health are valuable. Let us handle the dirty work so you can focus on your family and health. Whether it’s cleaning your floors, walls, or fabrics, Crystal Wave Cleaners is ready to help you get your home back to normal.

Don’t wait—schedule your wildfire cleanup today. Contact Crystal Wave Cleaners now, and let us help you restore your home after the devastation of a wildfire.

For more tips on how to prepare your home for wildfires, check out our next blog on “How to Safeguard Your Home from Wildfire Smoke Damage: Essential Prevention Tips”