How do you clean smoke and soot from furniture that was in a fire?

Question

Have several pieces of furniture that were damaged by soot and smoke in a house fire. Anyone with tips to clean this off the furniure , let us know.

Answer 1

I have cleaned hundreds of (wood) pieces with smoke damage. I use Guardsman Kitchen Cabinet Wipes, which appear to now be under the AFTA Spot Cleaning Wipe Label. You can get the same thing in a liquid form and use your own cloths. As an alternative, you can try gel mechanic's hand cleaners such as DL Blue Label or GoJo. Do not use the ones with pumice, but the ones with a pudding-like consistency. Whatever product you use, you should test in an obscure area to check for damage first.

Answer 2

I highly recommend Murphy's Oil Soap to clean the furniture. However, to remove the smoke smell, add a cap full of vanilla flavoring to the soap solution. I have also found that adding a cap full of vanilla flavoring to the washing machine before washing clothes, removes smoke smell also.

Answer 3

You have to have a professional come in to do this. You cannot do it alone. Look in your yellow pages for people who handle smoke and fire damage.