Stars and Bars RestorationAfter a fire, the instinct is almost universal: get in there, open the windows, and start cleaning up before the smell and the mess get worse. We understand it — nobody wants to live with soot on every surface a minute longer than they have to. But we've walked into a lot of Colorado homes after a fire where well-meaning cleanup in the first day or two made the restoration job harder, more expensive, or in a few cases actually put someone's health at risk. So before you grab a rag and start wiping, here's what to leave alone.
We covered the broader step-by-step process in our guide to what to do after a house fire in Colorado. This article is specifically about the things people touch on instinct that they probably shouldn't.
Don't Touch Soot-Covered Surfaces With a Dry Cloth
This is the single most common mistake we see. Soot is made up of extremely fine, oily particles, and wiping it with a dry cloth or paper towel just grinds it deeper into fabric, drywall, and painted surfaces — turning a surface that could have been professionally cleaned into one that needs to be replaced. If you must do anything before professional help arrives, a dry chemical sponge (sold specifically for soot) dabbed gently is the only safe DIY move, and even that should be tested in a hidden spot first.
Don't Turn On the HVAC System
If your furnace or central air was running during the fire, or even just present in the house, soot and ash have almost certainly been pulled into the ductwork. Running the system again — even just to "air things out" — recirculates that soot through every room the ducts serve, including rooms that had no visible fire damage at all. We've seen homeowners turn a fire limited to the kitchen into a whole-house soot problem this way. Leave the HVAC off until a restoration company or HVAC tech has inspected and, if needed, cleaned the ducts.
Don't Eat Food That Was Near the Fire — Even Canned or Sealed Items
Heat from a fire can compromise the seals on canned goods without any visible sign, and food, drinks, and medication exposed to smoke absorb toxic particles that don't wash off. The Red Cross and FEMA both recommend treating any food, beverage, or medicine in the fire-affected area as a total loss, even items that look untouched in a cabinet across the room. It's a hard pull for anyone trying to save money after a loss, but it's not worth the health risk.
Don't Touch Warped Plastic, Melted Items, or Electronics
Anything visibly melted or warped by heat may have released fumes or chemical residue onto nearby surfaces, and electronics that were exposed to heat, smoke, or the water used to fight the fire can have damaged wiring that's a fire or shock risk if plugged back in. Don't test whether that TV or space heater "still works" — have it checked first.
Don't Walk Through the House Without Protection If the Damage Is Significant
For anything beyond a small, contained fire, we recommend closed-toe shoes, gloves, and if the smoke damage was heavy, an N95 mask at minimum. Structural damage from fire isn't always obvious — a floor or stair tread that looks fine can be structurally weakened, and soot and ash exposure irritates lungs fast, especially for kids, older adults, and anyone with asthma or COPD. This matters even more here in Southern Colorado during wildfire season, when people are often already dealing with weeks of smoke exposure from regional fires before their own house fire even happens.
Don't Try to Repaint or Reseal Over Smoke Odor
Smoke odor isn't sitting on top of surfaces — it's absorbed into porous materials like drywall, wood, and insulation, sometimes multiple layers deep. Painting over it without treating the source first just traps the smell, and it tends to come back stronger once the new paint off-gasses and the room warms up in summer. If you want the full picture on odor removal, we wrote a smoke damage removal guide covering DIY versus professional approaches that's worth a read before you spend money on paint and primer that won't solve the underlying problem.
Don't Wait to Call Your Insurance Company
This isn't a "don't touch" item exactly, but it belongs on this list — a lot of people delay the insurance call because they're overwhelmed, and that delay can complicate the claim. Document everything with photos before any cleanup starts, even the things listed above that you shouldn't touch. Photograph them in place first.
What You Can Safely Do
It's not all hands-off. Opening windows and doors for ventilation (once the fire department has cleared the structure as safe) is fine and helps with air quality. Removing valuables and important documents from an area that's structurally safe and not actively contaminated is fine. Taking photos and video for insurance is not just fine, it's essential.
Why This Matters More Than It Seems
The difference between a house that gets fully restored and one where the owner ends up replacing far more than necessary usually comes down to what happens in the first 24-48 hours. Soot ground into a wall, an HVAC system that spread contamination house-wide, or smoke odor sealed under fresh paint are all things we can fix — but it's more work, more cost, and sometimes means replacing something that could've been saved with a proper assessment first.
We're IICRC certified for fire and smoke restoration, and we've handled everything from small kitchen fires to homes with significant structural damage across Pueblo, Colorado Springs, and the rest of Southern Colorado. If your home has had a fire, the fastest way to avoid the mistakes above is to call us before you start cleaning anything.
We're available 24/7 at (719) 676-2456 or services@sb-resto.com. We'll tell you honestly what's safe to handle yourself and what needs a professional, even before we're on site.
Stars and Bars Restoration | IICRC Certified | Veteran-Owned | Colorado City, CO | Serving Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and all of Southern Colorado