Available 24/7, on site in 2 to 4 hours
Smoke Damage Restoration Memphis, TN
A small fire, and now a gray film and a smoke smell all over the house? We clean the residue off walls, ceilings and cabinets and treat the smell at the source.
- Serving Memphis since 1989
- IICRC certified technicians
- Puff-backs and small fires too
Smoke damage
One Small Fire, Smoke in Every Room
A fire can stay in one pan, one outlet or one room. The smoke does not. It rises, spreads through the house and settles on cooler surfaces as a film of residue, stains and odor.
Smoke damage restoration is cleaning that residue off the building and removing the smell. We clean walls, ceilings, cabinets, trim and fixtures, and the type of residue decides how. What burned sets the residue type, one of the first things we check in any fire damage restoration job.
We have been the restoration company Memphis calls after a fire since 1989. We clean the structure. Belongings and rebuilding are handled separately.
- Walls, ceilings, cabinets and trim
- Smoke odor treated at the source
- 24/7, on site in 2 to 4 hours
Small fire, big mess
Smoke Damage Without a Big Fire
Smoke damage often starts with something small, not a house fire. The event looked minor. The smoke went much further.
A pan fire on the stove
How it looks
Out in a minute, a dark mark above the range.
Where the smoke goes
A greasy film across the kitchen and often into the next rooms.
Furnace puff-back
How it looks
A loud pop from the furnace, then a smell.
Where the smoke goes
Soot blown through the ducts into every room the vents reach.
Fireplace or wood stove backdraft
How it looks
Smoke rolling into the room instead of up the chimney.
Where the smoke goes
Gray film on walls, ceiling and fabrics in that part of the house.
An outlet or wire that smoldered
How it looks
A scorched cover plate and a burnt-plastic smell.
Where the smoke goes
Residue inside the wall and a smell that lingers for weeks.
A fire in the unit next door
How it looks
Nothing burned on your side of the wall.
Where the smoke goes
Smoke through shared walls, attics and vents of duplexes and apartments.
Years of indoor smoking
How it looks
Yellow walls and ceilings, brown streaks near vents.
Where the smoke goes
Nicotine film on every surface and a smell set deep in drywall.
Hidden residue
Where Smoke Hides in a House
Smoke follows air. These are the places it ends up, in rough order from the fire outward. They are also the places quick wipe-downs miss.
- 1
Ceilings and upper walls
Hot smoke rises first. The film is often heaviest near the ceiling, far from the fire.
- 2
Closets and cabinets
Smoke pushes into closed spaces through gaps, so clothes and shelves smell even with the doors shut.
- 3
Behind outlet and switch covers
Air moves through the wall cavities and leaves dark outlines around the plates.
- 4
Window tracks, blinds and light fixtures
Residue collects on ledges and on anything warm, like bulbs and fixtures.
- 5
Attic and insulation
Smoke rises into the attic and settles in the insulation, which holds the smell.
- 6
The HVAC filter and ducts
If the system ran during the fire, it pulled smoke in and blew it into every room.
Time matters
What Smoke Does to Each Surface Over Time
Smoke residue is acidic, and it keeps working after the fire is out. The sooner it comes off, the more can be cleaned instead of replaced.
First Few Hours
- Light plastics and appliance finishes start to yellow
- Porous stone and grout take on gray stains
- Fabrics and carpet start holding the smell
First Few Days
- Painted walls and ceilings stain and are harder to clean
- Acidic residue tarnishes metal fixtures and hardware
- Wood finishes and vinyl discolor
After a Few Weeks
- Metal can pit and glass can etch
- Some finishes need refinishing instead of cleaning
- The odor is set deep in drywall, wood and insulation
Do it yourself, safely
Walk Your House With This Smoke Damage Checklist
Go room by room and tick what you see. Look, but do not wipe. Take a photo of each item for your insurance claim, then tell us what you found when you call.
0 of 20 signs checked
Tick each sign you find.
Found more than a few? Call (901) 459-6610 and we will check the rest with you.
How we clean it
The Order We Clean Smoke Damage In
Doing the right steps in the wrong order is how smoke stains get smeared and smells come back. This is the order we follow.
Clean Air Before Clean Surfaces
Air scrubbers run first and keep running. They pull fine smoke particles out of the air, so they do not settle back on walls we just cleaned.
Air scrubbers
Dry Residue Comes Off Before Anything Wet
Water on loose soot turns it into a stain. We vacuum it with HEPA vacuums and lift it with dry soot sponges before any wet cleaning starts.
HEPA vacuums, dry soot sponges
Top to Bottom, Room by Room
Ceilings, then walls, then cabinets, trim and fixtures. Each surface gets the cleaning its residue needs, and the floor comes last so nothing drips onto clean work.
Surface-matched cleaning
Odor Is Treated Last
Once the residue is gone, thermal fogging reaches the smell inside porous materials, and hydroxyl treatment clears what is left in the air and the structure.
Thermal fogging, hydroxyl
Heavy black residue gets its own process, covered in soot removal. A smell that stays after cleaning is handled in smoke odor removal. We do not clean air ducts. If smoke went through your HVAC, plan on a duct cleaning company too.
Cost
Smoke Damage Cleanup Cost per Square Foot
Two national cost guides, two different numbers. Both are typical ranges, not our prices. Your free quote gives the real one.
LawnStarter, 2026
$4.25 to $6.50
per square foot
Fire and smoke restoration, averaged across jobs
HomeWyse, 2026
$8.53 to $10.66
per square foot
Cleaning smoke and fire damage inside a home
Why the numbers differ
One guide averages every fire and smoke job, light ones included. The other prices the cleaning work itself. Light smoke on painted walls lands near the low end. Oily residue on porous surfaces, or smoke in many rooms, pushes it higher.
Service area
Smoke Damage Restoration Areas We Serve
Our crews cover 29 ZIP codes across Memphis, from Downtown to Hickory Hill and the Bartlett side. Not sure if you are in our area? Give us a call and we will tell you right away.
- Hickory Hill
- Bartlett
- Whitehaven
- Raleigh
- East Memphis
- Southeast Memphis
- University District
- Frayser
- Midtown
- North Memphis
- South Memphis
- Downtown
FAQ
Smoke Damage FAQs
Have a question that is not listed here? Call us and talk to a real person on our Memphis team.
Can I just paint over smoke stains?
Not on its own. Paint over smoke residue usually lets the stain and the smell bleed back through. The surface has to be cleaned first. After that, your painter can seal and paint it.
Why does the smoke smell come back on humid days?
Smoke odor hides in porous materials like drywall, wood and insulation. Warm, humid air, which Memphis has plenty of, draws it back out. That is why the odor has to be treated in the materials, not just covered in the air.
Do I need my air ducts cleaned after smoke damage?
If the heating or AC ran while there was smoke in the house, probably yes. We do not clean ducts ourselves, so plan on a duct cleaning company. Change the HVAC filter either way.
How long does smoke damage cleanup take?
Light smoke in a few rooms is often cleaned in one or two days. Heavy residue, many rooms or a strong odor take longer, because odor treatment comes after the cleaning.
Is it safe to stay in the house with smoke damage?
Smoke residue can bother your eyes, throat and lungs, especially for children, older adults and anyone with asthma. If the smell is strong or you see residue in the bedrooms, stay elsewhere until it is cleaned.
Will insurance pay for smoke damage if the fire was next door?
Often, yes. Smoke from a neighbor's fire is usually handled under your own homeowners or renters policy. Report it, take photos and get a claim number.
Related services
More Help After a Fire
Get the Smoke Out of Your Walls
Call ServiceMaster by Riverside any time, day or night. Tell us where the smoke came from and which rooms you checked, and we will take it from there.
Call now: (901) 459-6610