romanojg

A while back on this board someone had the same problem and she sent them off to a company and when she got them back the smell was gone. Do a search here on the board

QBeth

Years ago when my parents had a house fire, a cleaning contractor (who they couldn't afford) recommended painting their basement walls (unfinished cement blocks) with a mixture of milk (!) and the cheapest white paint they could find, 50/50 ratio. Worked great.

Best of luck fixing this mess and SO glad no one was harmed!

d.rickman

ZEP Professional Smoke and Odor Neutralizer, which "chemically neutralizes the source of Malodors"

Found this one for you also.
Toll-Free 1-877-428-9937

JoAnnGC

Several years ago we had a very bad fire. Even after the cleaning company came in we could still smell that horrible burnt odor. Someone told me about a product called Odo-Ban which we purchased at Sam's Club. I recently found out that it is now available at Wal-Mart. You can use it in a bucket diluted with water, in your washing machine, diluted in a spray bottle or any way you see fit. It removes the smoke odor and leaves a light floral scent. It also kills mold, mildew and bacteria which can be a problem if there is any water damage. You'll be very happy with the results. I'm so sorry you have to deal with this. I know how devestating a fire can be.

amandasgramma

I had a serious kitchen fire years ago. The ins. company sent in a company that cleaned all the SURFACES. They didn't clean inside the coffee pot, nor inside the cupboards. Learned in time that even the Grandfather Clock was affected and had to be taken in. Don't wait for the ins. company to tell you to do these things -- YOU get in and insist everything is cleaned. Including the furnace/AC unit -- and the ducts. Also, we had to repaint our kitchen --- found the soot was in behind the hinges!!!!! So remove all hinges/handles and clean. It's a pain but it worked!! Two years later we put the house up for sale and NO ONE knew we'd had a fire. I admitted it but everyone said you couldn't smell smoke at all.
Good luck!!!!

ksea

You can rent an ozone machine and it will take all the smell out, the only thing no pets or people can be in the space while the ozone is running.

milikaa1

Not sure about cleaners, after being thru two huge forest fires and lots of smoke damage (which is seems to be in the sub floor and insulation), I wash walls down with a Mr.Clean type cleaner, wash all "washable" fabrics in washer, be very careful with carpet cleaning if you are going to do this your self, insurance would not cover this in the begining so I had to do it myself, there was so much soot and smoke I cleaned multiple times to get it out which opened the carpet seams which resulted in replacing the entire house at our expense...they have a commercial air cleaner, I think it is a negative cleaner (?) which will eliminate odors really really well...

Glenda m

When we had our house fire, way back when, the company that did the re-painting had a special paint (any color) that covered the smell. It worked really well. You might check into that. As for the woodwork..a good old fashion cleaning worked for me. Good luck, but you really did want to renovate, didn't you.

Tink's Mom

When my neighbor had their fire, the insurance company hired Stanley Steamers for fire clean up...the adjusters left many things that they deemed unusable....but we washed most in hot sudsy water, with ODO-BAN. Saved alot. Tupperware, laundry baskets, plastic toys...mostly ruined. The smell never leaves.

alwayslearning

In the meantime, put out dishes of vinegar. It will start neutralizing the odor. Good luck.