Gloved hands cleaning a silver picture frame

Smoke and soot cleanup for Metro Detroit homes

Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house. Don't wipe it and don't run the furnace; call 248-845-0000 and we'll identify the soot and clean it with the right method.

Call 248-845-0000 Request help

24-hour emergency hotline248-845-0000A person answers, day or night

Not all soot is the same

Turn the heating or cooling off if it's running, because the system pulls smoke residue through the ducts into every room. Keep hands off sooty surfaces. Open windows to air the house out if it's safe, and don't run the system again until the filter and ducts have been checked.

The fire decides the residue. Fast, hot fires burning wood and paper leave dry, powdery soot that HEPA vacuums and dry chemical sponges can lift. Slow, smoldering fires burning plastics and rubber leave wet, oily soot that smears and needs degreasing cleaners. Kitchen fires that burn food leave protein residue, a nearly invisible yellow-brown film with a strong odor that discolors paint and varnish.

We work from the top down, test each surface and start with the gentlest method that works. Porous surfaces that still hold stains or odor after cleaning are sealed with a primer made for smoke damage, and remaining odor is treated with thermal fogging, a hydroxyl generator or ozone, depending on the space. Cleaning follows ANSI/IICRC S700, and your adjuster receives photos and an itemized scope.

Matched to the soot
Dry, oily and protein residues each need a different cleaning method, so we identify the soot before we clean.
Clean first, seal only if needed
Sealing primer goes on after cleaning, to lock in stains or odor that remain in porous materials.

The RMO team in navy uniforms in front of an RMO box truck

What smoke damage cleanup includes

Smoke mapping
We trace how far smoke traveled, including closets, cabinets, the attic and ductwork, and test which residues are present.
Dry soot removal
HEPA vacuuming and dry chemical sponges lift loose soot without smearing it into the surface.
Wet cleaning
Cleaners matched to oily or protein residue remove the film from walls, ceilings, cabinets and trim.
HVAC and ductwork
Filters are replaced and affected ducts and registers are cleaned so the system won't carry soot back into clean rooms.
Contents cleaning
Hard-surface belongings are cleaned on site or packed out, and anything beyond restoring is listed for your claim.
Sealing where needed
Stain- and odor-blocking primer goes on cleaned framing or drywall that still shows smoke staining.
Air scrubbing and deodorization
HEPA air scrubbers capture airborne particles during the work, and deodorization treats the odor left behind.

RMO technician explaining moisture readings to a homeowner

Signs of smoke damage

Gray or black film on walls and ceilings
Sticky yellow residue after a kitchen fire
Dark streaks around vents and outlets
A smoke smell when the furnace runs
Discolored paint, grout or plastics

Call 24/7: 248-845-0000

From your call to the last repair

One phone number and one accountable team, from the emergency to the finished repair.

See the full process

Call us, day or night
A person answers 248-845-0000 at any hour and asks a few quick questions, so the right crew and equipment roll.
On site in about 60 minutes
Across Metro Detroit, an IICRC-certified crew arrives, finds the source and makes the property safe.
Mitigate and document
We stop the damage, extract and dry, and record photos and moisture readings your insurer can use.
Restore and rebuild
Once everything is dry and clean, the same team handles the repairs, from drywall and flooring to finishes.

Why RMO for smoke cleanup

Testing before cleaning
The wrong cleaner can set oily or protein soot into a surface for good. We test each surface first, room by room.
The whole house, not one room
Smoke travels through ducts, attics and gaps in walls, so we check rooms the fire never reached.
Cleaning, sealing and paint together
If walls need sealing and paint, or cabinets need replacing, RMO does that work too once cleaning is done.

We will work with your insurance

We will work with any insurance carrier you use. We’ve done it on claim after claim, and we take pride in it: every job is documented from the first hour and priced line by line, and we work hard so your insurance covers the whole project.

Many of our clients have saved thousands of dollars this way, and many paid nothing beyond their deductible.

How we help with insurance claims

Examples of carriers our customers use. RMO is an independent company and isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by these insurers.

Questions people ask us

Don’t see yours? A person answers 248-845-0000 around the clock.

Can I clean smoke damage myself?

Light, dry soot in a small area can sometimes be lifted with a HEPA vacuum, but most household cleaning makes it worse. Water and all-purpose cleaners smear oily and protein soot and can set the stain. If soot is in more than one room, on fabrics or in the HVAC, call us.

Do the walls need repainting after smoke damage?

Often, but cleaning comes first. Painting over soot without cleaning and sealing lets stains bleed through and keeps the odor in the house. After cleaning, we seal any remaining stains with a smoke-damage primer and then paint.

Does smoke get into the HVAC system?

Yes, and it's one of the main ways smoke odor spreads. Smoke and soot are pulled into the return vents and settle on the filter, the coil and inside the ducts. Running the system before it's checked spreads residue and odor into clean rooms, so we inspect it and clean what's affected as part of the job.

We will restore your property