After a Small Kitchen Fire: What Smoke and Soot Actually Damage, and What Has to Go

The fire was out in two minutes. The damage is in every room. Here is why a small kitchen fire turns into a whole-house cleanup, and how to tell what can be saved.

Why a small fire is a big job

A grease fire on the stove produces a dense, oily smoke that travels through the house in minutes, riding the air currents from the HVAC system and settling on every surface. Soot is acidic. Within hours it starts discoloring plastics and metals. Within days it etches glass and permanently stains porous surfaces. The flames touched one cabinet; the smoke touched the whole house.

What usually has to be replaced

• Anything the flames reached: cabinets, countertop sections, the range hood, drywall behind the stove
• Insulation in walls or ceilings near the fire; it holds odor permanently
• Porous items that absorbed smoke: mattresses, upholstered furniture near the kitchen, open food, cosmetics
• HVAC filters, and often the ductwork needs cleaning

What can usually be cleaned

• Hard, non-porous surfaces: tile, glass, sealed countertops, metal
• Painted walls and ceilings, with the right cleaner and often a sealing primer before repaint
• Clothing and linens, through a smoke-restoration laundry process, not a home washer
• Electronics, sometimes, if cleaned quickly by someone who knows how

The odor is its own job

Smoke odor lives in porous materials and in the air itself. Opening windows helps for a day. Getting rid of it takes thermal fogging or hydroxyl treatment, sealing stained surfaces before painting, and in some cases removing insulation that is holding the smell. If a contractor tells you a coat of paint will fix the smell, get another contractor.

What to do in the first day

1. Do not wipe soot off walls with water. It smears and sets. Leave it for dry cleaning sponges.
2. Photograph everything, every room, before cleanup.
3. Change the HVAC filter and shut the system off so it stops moving soot around.
4. Call your insurance company; kitchen fires are covered, including the smoke damage.
5. Call a restoration contractor who does both the cleanup and the rebuild, so the kitchen is not sitting open for a month between two companies.