Cleaning up after a wildfire smoke day
Smoke days leave fine grey ash on sills, screens and every flat surface. How we clean it without smearing it around, and what to do before you call anyone.
Marisol Ortega
4 min read
On heavy smoke days we see the same thing in every house: a fine grey film on window sills, screens and the tops of picture frames, even with the windows closed. It looks like ordinary dust until you wipe it and get a dark smear.
Vacuum first, wipe second
Ash is finer than household dust. A dry cloth pushes it around and a wet cloth turns it into a paste. We vacuum sills, screens and ledges with a HEPA vacuum and a brush attachment first, then wipe with a damp microfiber cloth folded so each pass uses a clean face.
Screens and window tracks
Screens hold a surprising amount. If you can pop them out, rinse them with a hose and let them dry in the sun. Window tracks get vacuumed, then wiped with a cloth wrapped over a flat tool.
Change the furnace filter
If your system ran during the smoke, the filter caught a lot of it. Changing it before a cleaning means the house doesn’t get a fresh layer the next day.
When to call us
Once the air quality is back in the green. Cleaning while smoke is still coming in means doing it twice. A standard clean handles a light film; a heavy layer on every surface is a deep-clean job.
Or have us do it
Flat prices by home size, two cleaners and all supplies. First visits are usually four to six business days out.
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