Smoke, soot & fire residue
A backdrafting fireplace, a clogged boiler, a forgotten candle, a small contained fire: no blaze is needed for soot to invade. And soot does not wash like ordinary dirt — it smears.
Why it is technical
Soot is captured dry before being washed
The damp-sponge reflex is the worst idea: greasy soot half dissolves, penetrates the support and signs a permanent halo. The protocol starts dry — vulcanised latex sponges that tear the deposit off without dissolving it, filtered vacuuming — and only then comes detergent suited to the support.
Every surface has its answer: plaster and matt paints are treated almost exclusively dry, washable surfaces with degreaser after capture, waxed wood and metals with their own products. The networks — ventilation ducts that inhaled the smoke — are treated too, or the smell returns through the vents.
The job closes with treatment of the cold-smoke odour embedded in textiles and air. Depending on scale, our fire page covers the full disaster; this one answers localised deposits — often covered after a simple adjuster's visit.
Soot: frequent cases
In the vast majority of cases, yes: dry capture across the whole room, wash-down where the paint allows, textiles treated or sent to the dry cleaner. The real risk is having scrubbed before our visit.
Above all, do not scrub
Send a photo of the deposit: we will tell you what to do — and not do — meanwhile.