Right now
- Turn off the furnace and call an HVAC technician.
- Don’t wipe soot — it smears into surfaces.
- Keep people out of heavily affected rooms.
- Photograph everything and call your insurer.
What a puff back is
A malfunctioning oil or gas burner can ignite fuel all at once, blowing soot through the ductwork and into rooms — sometimes the whole house.
Where soot ends up
- Walls and ceilings, often in webs along corners
- Ductwork and registers
- Carpet, upholstery, and drapes
- Inside closets and cabinets
Professional cleanup
- Dry soot removal with specialized sponges.
- Cleaning walls, ceilings, and contents.
- HVAC duct cleaning — see HVAC cleaning.
- Odor removal.
See soot removal.
Soot in your home?
Call (385) 250-2825 — answered live 24/7 by the Vault crew.
Soot removal · Smoke damage cleanup · Fire damage restoration