Cleaning and Stain Removal - Cleaning interior after FIRE!

:eek: I'm about to purchase an old 2 story cypress house that had a fire that started in the chimney and burned the middle of the ceiling in the DR and up into an upstairs bedroom. Soot EVERYWHERE... Any recommnedations for products, solutions to use or ANY advise is very welcome... Thanks! :)

Cleaning up after a fire is best left to professionals. My parents had a fire a couple years ago and we saw this first hand. The pros have products that you and I don't.

I am tending to agree with the 1st reply. Smoke odors are most likely going to also be present. Removing those odors along with the soot will require cleaning, replacing, painting, or sealing everything in the house. Including duct work, which as stated the average home owner is not going to have the equipment to do.

I would make a checklist ie: carpet, walls, tile floors, drapes etc

i would start with the duct work, if you clean everything else then turn the furnance or ac on dirty. Then your going to have to start over.

I don't mean to be trite, but I'm logged into this site specifically because I DO plan to do it myself, with the add of friends of friends that are in construction. I will be living in the glorified woodworking shop on the property. It is vital that I do EVERYTHING that is humanly possible without the aid of professionals. That is why I am attempting to find out what needs to be done. I know that there is a lot that does not fall into the norm for a typical remodel, but I'm game to finding out just what all that is and how to do it and taking whatever time it takes.
IS THERE ANY ONE OUT THERE...that Can/Will address this issue with specifics. and YES... I DO APPRECIATE THE INFO SO FAR... just need to let you all know that this is a case of I have to do most myself, or for go the project. It's too much of a good thing to pass up. I can get the house for 35K and take my time and not have ANY HOUSE PAYMENTS. That will make a tremendous difference in my mid range money situation.... See what I mean???
SO... Please jump in and sing out, if you have the know how to advise on this adventure.... I am chomping at the bits for my beautiful modern brick home to sell, so I can get into this sooty cypress beauty. Sounds strange, but I've sort of fallen in Love with the old gal... LOL :)

We are all keenly aware that this is a do-it-yourself site and would hope that you take that into account when we tell you fire restoration is best left to professionals. If you still want to tackle this yourself, I would recommend going down to your local firehouse and asking the firefighters what they think.

Thanks for the advise. I'll do that.

The reason that professional restorers are recommended, as indicated, they have equipment and chemicals not available to homeowners. Smoke odor is a major issue, especially smoke trapped inside wall cavities.

For a helpful article: http://muextension.missouri.edu/explore/hesguide/clothing/gh0145.htm

You will also need to call a chimney professional to inspect the chimney for any damage and to clean it.