Originally Posted by JustRetired

Before you think you should tackle this yourself, I would talk to your insurance agent. You may have coverage for cleaning of items that were damaged by smoke, soot etc. I would not emphasize the antique nature of them to the agent, as antiques may need separate coverage, but rather as household items, which they are. If you have such coverage, and I am pretty sure most policies include it, you should be able to send them off to be professionally dealt with, and have your insurance company cover the cost.