When Canadian wildfire smoke settles over the Twin Cities, we see the same thing in every house: a fine gray film on window sills, screens and picture frames, even with the windows shut. It looks like dust until you wipe it and get a dark smear.
Vacuum first, then wipe
Ash is finer than household dust. A dry cloth just pushes it around and a wet one turns it to paste. We HEPA-vacuum sills, screens and ledges with a brush attachment first, then wipe with a damp microfiber cloth folded so each pass uses a clean side.
Window screens and tracks
Screens hold a surprising amount. If yours pop out, rinse them with a hose and let them dry in the sun. Window tracks get vacuumed, then wiped with a cloth wrapped over a flat tool.
Swap the furnace filter
If your AC or furnace ran during the smoke, the filter caught a lot of it. Change it before a cleaning so the house doesn’t get a fresh layer the next day.
When to call us
Once the air quality index is back in the green. Cleaning while smoke is still drifting in means doing it twice. A standard clean handles a light film; a heavy layer on every surface calls for a deep clean.
