Source first
Insulation is the item most often left behind and the most common reason odor returns. Charred framing and finishes, saturated insulation, penetrated drywall, carpet and pad come out and are listed.
Then cleaning, then treatment
Soot removal everywhere smoke went, including the attic and crawl space, and the duct system cleaned. Then thermal fogging into cavities and porous materials, hydroxyl generators in occupied areas, ozone in sealed unoccupied spaces, carbon-filtered air scrubbers throughout.
Then sealing and verification
Shellac-based or odor-blocking primers on framing, subfloors, cabinet interiors and surfaces to be repainted, because paint alone lets odor bleed through. The house is closed up, heated and checked by smell by people who have not been in it all day; contents return only after it passes.
Odor without a fire
Wildfire smoke infiltration, cigarette or cannabis odor in a purchased home, fireplace and wood-stove smoke follow the same sequence at smaller scale.
On the claim
Deodorization is scoped by method and area alongside the cleanup and billed directly to your insurer on covered claims; your deductible applies as your policy states.
