A fire leaves far more than the burnt area behind: acidic soot and smoke residue spread through rooms the flames never touched, corroding surfaces and holding a smell that ordinary cleaning cannot shift. We provide fire and smoke damage cleaning across the whole of the UK, for homes and commercial premises, removing soot and residue, recovering what can be saved, and neutralising odour at its source so the property is genuinely usable again. Our line is answered 24 hours a day, every technician is trained and fully insured, and because fire is a standard insured peril we can work directly with your insurer. You can request a callback through our contact page or email [email protected], and we will talk you through what happens next.
What is fire and smoke damage cleaning?
Fire and smoke damage cleaning is the specialist cleaning, decontamination and deodorising of a property after a fire, covering both the direct fire damage where it burned and the soot, smoke residue and odour that spread through the rest of the building. It restores the property, rather than only clearing the debris.
The two halves have to be handled together because they are different problems. Fire damage is the localised charring, heat damage and structural soot around the seat of the fire. Smoke damage is the residue and odour carried by hot air far beyond it, settling on walls, ceilings, contents and inside cavities and ventilation. Soot is also chemically active: it is acidic and keeps etching metal, plastic, glass and paintwork for as long as it sits, so speed matters. Genuine fire and smoke work means cleaning the source, removing what cannot be saved, treating corrosion-prone surfaces early, and neutralising odour at particle level.
What does smoke and soot damage do to a property?
Smoke and soot damage a property in three ways at once: acidic residue corrodes and stains surfaces, fine particles drive deep into porous materials, and odour lodges in anything absorbent, from plaster and soft furnishings to the inside of the ventilation. Each needs a different response.
The type of soot shapes the job. Dry soot from a fast, high-temperature fire is powdery and lifts with specialist dry-cleaning sponges before any wet cleaning. Wet or protein soot from a smouldering or kitchen fire is greasy, near-invisible and intensely smelly, and it smears if treated like dry soot, so it needs degreasing agents. Fuel or plastic soot from burning synthetics is oily, acidic and staining. Reading which is present decides the cleaning method, the products and the order of work, which is why we assess before we touch a surface.
Is smoke and soot residue dangerous to health?
Smoke and soot residue can be a genuine health hazard because soot carries fine particulates and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), some of them harmful, that become airborne when the residue is disturbed and irritate the lungs, eyes and skin. The finer and more acidic the residue, the greater the risk.
Protein-fire and plastic-fire residues are the most pervasive and can leave an irritating film across a whole property, while ash and char debris add coarse particulates. People with asthma or other respiratory conditions, children and older adults are the most affected, and simply moving back in before a property is properly cleaned prolongs the exposure. We contain the area, use HEPA filtration and respiratory protection during cleaning, and ventilate and verify the air before the property is handed back, so it is not only clean but safe to occupy.
How is fire and smoke damage cleaned?
We clean fire and smoke damage in a set sequence that removes debris first, cleans from dry to wet, and deodorises last, so surfaces are treated correctly and the smell is dealt with at source. The stages are consistent from job to job:
- Assess the property, identify the soot types and the spread of smoke, and agree a written scope before work begins.
- Remove debris and non-salvageable materials, including charred fittings, heavily soot-soaked furnishings and any flooring or plaster too damaged to recover.
- Dry-clean soot from surfaces with specialist sponges to lift loose particles before any moisture is introduced, which prevents smearing and staining.
- Wet-clean and degrease the remaining residue with the right products for the soot type, treating corrosion-prone metal, glass and fittings early.
- Deodorise using methods such as thermal fogging, ozone or hydroxyl treatment to neutralise smoke odour in porous materials, sealing surfaces where needed.
- Verify and hand over, checking surfaces, air and odour before returning the property with a record of the work.
How much does fire and smoke damage cleaning cost?
Fire and smoke damage cleaning costs around £500 to £2,000 for smoke and soot cleaning in one or two rooms, and roughly £2,000 to £10,000 or more for a significant fire needing strip-out, structural cleaning and full deodorisation. These are indicative guide ranges to confirm at a free assessment, not fixed prices, because the size of the fire, the soot type, how far the smoke travelled and the amount of strip-out and drying all move the figure.
| Situation | Guide range | What affects it |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke and soot cleaning, one or two rooms | £500 to £2,000 | Contained smoke damage, no strip-out |
| Room fire with spread and deodorising | £2,000 to £6,000 | Some strip-out, contents cleaning, odour treatment |
| Significant or whole-property fire | £6,000 to £10,000+ | Structural cleaning, extensive strip-out and drying |
We agree a written price before any work begins and the initial assessment is free. For a fuller breakdown of what moves the price, see our guide to biohazard cleaning costs.
Is fire and smoke damage covered by insurance?
Fire and smoke damage cleaning is usually covered by insurance because fire is a standard insured peril on most buildings and contents policies, and the smoke and soot damage that follows a fire is generally included in the claim. Cover still depends on the individual policy, so it is worth confirming with your insurer.
Many of the fire jobs we handle run through a claim from the start, and we work directly with insurers and loss adjusters, documenting the damage and what can and cannot be recovered. You can find out more on our insurance claims page.
Why choose Biohazard Cleaning for fire and smoke damage cleaning?
Biohazard Cleaning cleans both the fire damage and the smoke damage in one job, matching the method to the soot type, treating corrosion early, neutralising odour at source and recovering what can be saved, with trained, insured technicians available across the UK at any hour. Getting the sequence right is the difference between a property that reopens and one that still smells of smoke months later.
One of our customers, Troy, left us a review after a fire: “Recently I had a fire in my down stairs livingroom I contacted Biohazard Cleaning and they came out on the time they said steve was so polite on the phone and updated me at all times off time they would be with me they did such an amazing job couldn’t thank them enough THANK YOU BIOHAZARD CLEANING.” If you are dealing with fire or smoke damage, get in touch and we will take it from there.
Related services: where a fire follows or accompanies a traumatic incident, our trauma cleaning service covers biological contamination, and for fires in workplaces, warehouses and plant, our industrial accident cleaning service handles commercial and industrial decontamination.