​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​After a wildfire, y​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​our home and property may be affected by smoke, soot, ash, chemicals, structural damage, and water damage. This can make items inside your home and the outside of your home unsafe. Some items can be saved or restored, and others may need to be replaced.

The following is general information about how to safely restore your property after a wildfire.

Take inventory of the damage

Make a list of everything inside and outside your home that was damaged by fire, smoke, chemicals, soot, or ash. Keep all damaged items until your insurance company says it's OK to get rid of them. Take lots of pictures of your property and all damaged items.

Restoring inside your home

Food, medicines, cleaning products, cosmetics, and other personal care products can be damaged by heat, smoke, ash, and the chemicals used to fight the fire. Contact your insurance company and take lots of photos before throwing anything out. You may also have other things in your home that aren't mentioned here but that need to be thrown out and replaced.

Medicines and personal care products

Follow your local guidelines on where medicines and other chemicals can be dropped off for disposal.

Throw out medicines, cosmetics, and personal care products like soap, shampoo, and toothpaste that were exposed to smoke or high temperatures, even if the package isn't opened.

Bring any medicines that need to be thrown out back to a pharmacy. Do not flush any medicines down the toilet or sink.

Cleaning your home

Wash all surfaces inside your home with mild detergent or cleaning solution and rinse very well. Clean any place where there's ash, dust, or the smell of fire. Wash the inside of closets, cupboards, drawers, and windows.

Use wet wiping or mopping. This is safer and better than dry or dust mopping, which can move ash and debris around your home. Change the mop water if it gets dirty.

Only use a vacuum with a HEPA (high-efficiency particular air) filter that can catch ash particles. Using a vacuum without a HEPA filter will just move the ash around your home. Change your HEPA filter often.

Use a mild detergent to wash and clean everything in your home that has ash on it. Change the water often. Try to clean as much ash and dust as possible. Ash that isn't cleaned up is broken into smaller particles, so it's harder to remove from carpets and surfaces.

Attic insulation can keep smoke odours, so you may want to replace it.

Take extra precautions if you think any damaged materials in your home may contain asbestos (such as drywall mud, insulation, ceiling and floor tiles). Consider hiring a qualified contractor to do the work. Learn more about asbestos and your health.

Air circulation

Get the air moving inside your home by using a fan and opening your windows. Only do this if there's no smoke or air quality advisory for your area.

To help get clean air moving throughout your home, you can also:

• Replace your furnace filter. You may need to do this more often than usual because of construction and cleaning in your home or neighbourhood. Check your filter often.
• Upgrade furnace filters to the highest efficiency your ventilation system can handle. They may help lower the levels of particles in the air in your home.
• Consult a professional to clean, restore, and restart any heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
• Use a portable air cleaner, if you have one, with a HEPA filter to remove small particles. For air cleaners, follow all the manufacturer's instructions for changing the filter, where to place the device, and the size of room it's meant to be used in. You can make your own air cleaner using low-cost materials from your local hardware store.
• Don't use ozone generators. They don't clean the air, and they could be unsafe.
• If you're in a tight or poorly ventilated space, be careful when using pumps, pressure washers, or generators. Keep doors and windows open. There is a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning if there isn't enough air flow.

Water damage

​If your home was damaged by water, you'll need to take steps to prevent mould from growing. When cleaning water damage, wear the right personal protective equipment, including masks, gloves, and boots.

To help stop mould from growing:

• Check any water-damaged or water-stained surfaces and appliances. Clean them using warm water and soap first. Then disinfect them using a solution of 1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) of household bleach mixed with 4 cups (1 L) of water. This will help disinfect the water used for cleaning and kill any leftover mould.
• Dry all wet items as soon as possible.
• Dry or remove wet or waterlogged carpets as quickly as possible, including the underlay. If the carpet can still be saved, you can have it steam cleaned.
• You may need to use a dehumidifier to help to remove extra moisture from the air inside your home.

Let your insurance company and restoration contractor know as soon as possible if you see or smell any mould inside your home. If you're a tenant, tell your landlord about any mould concerns and work with them to make sure it gets cleaned correctly.

Learn more about managing and cleaning indoor mould.

Fabric, carpets, and clothing

Remove soot before you try to clean or deodorize carpets, curtains, and soft furniture like your couch. Soot is oily and can stain these items.

Steam clean carpets, drapes, curtains, and furniture.

Wash or dry clean all your clothing and household linens (like sheets, blankets, and towels) that have been affected by the fire. You may have to run many rinse cycles to get out all the ash, soot, and smoke. Consider doing this laundry outside of your home. Use a machine at a laundromat that is meant to clean heavy contaminants. These are usually marked as "oilers."

Electronics

Contact your insurance company to find out if your electronics should be cleaned, inspected, or replaced, and if your policy covers the cost.

For any electronics you're keeping, you may want to have them checked by a qualified technician to make sure they're safe to use.

Fridge and freezer

If your fridge or freezer was exposed to smoke and soot, you may be able to clean it. But if smoke or soot entered through any openings in the fridge or freezer, it could have damaged the parts inside, making the appliance unsafe to use because it could start a fire.

Before using your fridge or freezer:

• Follow all guidance from your municipality about checking, replacing, and throwing out appliances.
• Contact your insurance company to find out if you need to replace your fridge or freezer and if your insurance policy covers the cost.
• You may also be advised to talk with a professional appliance technician to find out if the appliance is still safe to use or if it needs to be replaced.

Your fridge or freezer might smell if they went without power for some time. If you're keeping your fridge or freezer, throw out all unsafe or spoiled food. Then clean, disinfect, and deodorize the fridge or freezer following these steps:

1. Unplug the appliance.
2. Rinse or blow out (with an air hose) its coils and compressors.
3. To clean the inside of the appliance, use soap and water and then rinse with clean water.
4. After cleaning the inside, sanitize the inside with a bleach and water mixture. Mix 1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) of household bleach for every 4 cups (1 L) of water.
5. Leave the appliance's doors open to let the inside dry out.
6. Once the appliance is dry, plug it back in.
7. Before putting any food inside, wait until the inside temperature of your fridge has reached 4ºC or until your freezer is cold enough to freeze food.

Restoring outside your home

If you decide to clean your yard and surrounding areas yourself, wear the right personal protective equipment—including masks, gloves, and boots—and:

• Wet down any fire debris. Do not wash the fire debris into the street.
• Scrape up fire ash and soot from your property as much as possible. Place it in plastic bags or other containers and take it to a landfill. If your home or property was totally destroyed by fire, the restoration company will do this for you.

Outside

Before cleaning the outside of your home, contact your local municipality to make sure there are no water or sewage restrictions.

Use a hose, sprayer, or pressure washer on the outside of your home, driveway, walkway, vehicle, patio, deck, and outdoor furniture. Rinse off your air intake vents and air conditioner carefully.

Do not use air hoses or leaf blowers to clean exterior surfaces, because you could blow more ash and soot into your home.

If you have a private septic system, check the area around your system for damage or sewage leaks. Contact a sewage disposal professional if you find damage to your septic system.

If aerial fire retardant was used on your home or yard, it will need to be cleaned or removed. For more information about fire retardants, safety precautions, and how to remove them, go to Aerial Fire Retardants and Return to Your Home Following a Wildfire Evacuation.

Play areas

If there is fire or structural damage to play equipment, block off the area until the equipment is repaired or replaced.

Use mild detergent and clean water to wash children's outside toys, play equipment, and sports equipment.

If you think a sandbox or loose fill material under playground equipment could be contaminated (made unsafe) by wildfire ash, soot, or fire retardants, the safest thing to do is to remove and replace the materials.

Small amounts of ash are less likely to cause harm. They can be removed or diluted by mixing up the sand or fill material. But it's always safest to replace the materials if you aren't sure they're safe.

Lawns, gardens, trees, and plants

Rinse fire retardant off trees, shrubs, and plants if possible. Use soil or sand to soak up any puddles or standing water that has fire-retardant materials in it.

Regularly wet your garden and lawn until the smoke and ash have been diluted or reabsorbed into the air. Ash and soot on plants will continue to smell smoky for a while.

You can re-sod or re-seed grassy areas. Remove any ash, soot, or fire retardants from garden areas before tilling and adding new soil. This is especially important if the garden is near any structures built with treated lumber that was burned.

Don't eat fruits or vegetables that were growing in your garden during the fire. Any garden produce with fire retardant or a heavy coat of ash or soot should be put in the trash.

Don't use compost from bins that were open during the fire that may have been affected by fire retardant. You can use compost if it was kept in a closed bin and was not affected by fire retardant.

During demolition

There may be a lot of demolition (taking down damaged buildings and infrastructure) happening in your neighbourhood after a wildfire. Demolition activities are more likely to put ash in the air. When demolition is happening:

• Stay indoors.
• Close all outer doors and windows.
• Turn off the ventilation for air conditioners and furnaces if possible.