Smoke doesn’t just affect the room closest to the fire it travels, settles, and contaminates areas most homeowners don’t even think about. In one Altadena home, the fire’s impact extended from the attic to the crawlspace, garage, tree house, and even every personal belonging in the house.
Restoring this home required a full, multi-layered approach to ensure every space was safe, clean, and smoke-free.
Attic Restoration: The First Line of Defense
Attics often bear the brunt of smoke damage, and in this home, both the main attic and individual bedroom and garage attics required full remediation.
What we did:
- Removed all contaminated insulation
- HEPA vacuumed, cleaned, and disinfected every surface
- Installed fresh, high-efficiency insulation
- Removed, cleaned, and returned all personal belongings
This approach ensures the smoke doesn’t continue to infiltrate the home from above while also restoring air quality throughout.
Interior Cleaning and Belongings
Smoke particles settle on every surface and in soft materials, odors and contaminants can linger for months.
We took comprehensive steps to clean and disinfect:
- Ceilings, walls, and all interior surfaces
- Upholstered furniture and rugs
- Personal belongings, using HEPA vacuuming and full disinfection
Additionally, we handled laundry for wardrobe boxes, medium boxes, and plastic bags, sending items to professional laundering to remove smoke odor and residue completely.
Specialized Areas: Crawlspace and Air Ducts
Hidden spaces like crawlspaces and air ducts are often overlooked but they’re critical for restoring a safe home environment.
In this project, we:
- Removed old insulation from the crawlspace
- Cleaned and disinfected the entire area
- Installed new insulation
- Performed a full air duct overhaul to remove smoke residue and improve indoor air quality
Exterior and Unique Spaces
Smoke doesn’t just stay inside it can coat outdoor surfaces too. To fully restore the property, we:
- Pressure washed the house, garage, and even the tree house from roof to ground
- HEPA vacuumed, cleaned, and disinfected the tree house
- Removed ash, debris, and trash from all exterior areas
Equipment and Continuous Air Treatment
Because smoke particles are microscopic, long-term air treatment is critical. For this project, we used:
- 7 air scrubbers running continuously for 10 days
- 4 ozone machines for 4 days to neutralize stubborn smoke odors
This ensures all space and surface even unseen ones are fully treated.
The Takeaway
Smoke can affect every inch of a property from attics and crawlspaces to belongings, furniture, and even outdoor structures. Proper restoration requires a systematic, thorough approach, not just surface cleaning.
When smoke damage is extensive, leaving even small areas untreated can lead to lingering odors, contamination, or health risks.
Need Help Restoring Your Home After Smoke Damage?
If your property has been exposed to smoke, don’t wait for lingering odors or hidden damage to worsen.
Contact us today for a complete inspection and professional smoke remediation that restores your home safely from attic to tree house.
