We recently lost everything in the San Diego fires and only over the past weekend went through what we found in the debris. There are several pots and momentos that would be nice to keep out as reminders, but want to clean off charring and 'stuff' that is melted onto the edges. Is there a special solution of chemical to do this with?
How about gold and silver?

For the gold and silver, try taking it to a local jewelery place and have them clean it with a ultrasonic machine. This should make the jewelery clean. There are commercial cleaners that one in the insurance restoration business can buy, but I'm not sure if they are available to the public. I know the company that I used to work for ordered the products from Canada.

I had a small kitchen fire earlier this evening (a grease fire). As a result, there is some smoke damage and soot on the tile of the wall behind the gas range. What is an easy way for me to clean this off? I don't want (or need) to call a professional fire restorer, because the damaged area is about 1 foot square total. Is there a commercial cleaning solution I can buy at a hardware store?

Try degreaser
White Vinegar
Brillos
All three of these will cost less than $10 and one of them will work.

Try a test spot with the brillo first, but most tile will handle a good scrubbing with a brillo.

What is the best thing to use to clean up fire damage smoke smell and to clean drywall? What is the best thing to use to clean up fire damage smoke smell and to clean drywall?

When our company re-paints fire or water damaged drywall, we use Zinsser's Bin. It's a sealer made specifically for this purpose. It works great. After applying this to the walls, you can repaint. You could also call a local paint store and see what they recommend.

My mom's house burned and there was only smoke damage to my bedroom suite is there anyway to clean it? My mom's house burned and there was only smoke damage to my bedroom suite is there anyway to clean it?

Murphy's Oil Soap will do wonders for smoke and soot stained wood furniture. Just follow the directions on the bottle and you'll be pleasantly surprised.

What is the best way to clean smoke damage after a fire? What is the best way to clean smoke damage after a fire?

Scrub the walls, prime them with oil based kilz. It should block the stain and the smell from coming back through.

What is the best thing to clean up smoke damage after a fire? What is the best thing to clean up smoke damage after a fire?

They make a sponge called a sot sponge. If you can't find those try magic sponges.

Fire in house, little damage, clean smoke from walls? Fire in house, little damage, clean smoke from walls?

Trisodium phosphate (TSP), but follow directions & use rubber gloves.

You will probably need to use an oil based primer, like Kilz, and re-paint also.

If there was a lot of smoke, the only way you will get rid of the smell is to remove & replace the sheetrock, as well as the insulation from the exterior walls.


Good luck...