Services
Contents Cleaning & Restoration in Calgary
Smoke, soot and water damage do not always mean replacing what you own. DKI Calgary cleans and restores belongings at your property or at our northeast Calgary facility, using a method suited to each material. Call 1-888-272-9543 to get started.
What Can Be Restored and What Usually Cannot
Many belongings that look ruined can be cleaned. Whether an item comes back depends on what it is made of, what reached it, and how long it sat before cleaning began. Ceramic, glass and metal objects tend to be the easiest to bring back, because nothing soaks into them. Furniture, textiles and framed pieces usually respond well too. Electronics often recover when the damage came from smoke rather than flames, and wet books and papers can frequently be dried.
Some things are rarely worth the effort. Things that burned, melted or warped in the heat seldom come back. Mattresses, foam cushions and other porous items that soaked in sewage are a health risk and are generally discarded. Opened food, makeup and medicine that sat in smoke or floodwater should go too. Each non-restorable item is photographed and described for your claim, and our guide to deciding what to keep after a basement flood covers water losses item by item.
Belongings that usually clean up well:
Electronics that took on smoke, not heat
Plates, glassware and metal kitchenware
Most sofas, tables and dressers
Clothes, bedding and curtains
Framed prints and family photos
Cleaning Methods Chosen for Each Material
A china cup, a laptop and a wool coat cannot be cleaned the same way, so each one goes to the method that suits it. Hard goods such as china, crystal, metal and tools go through ultrasonic cleaning, where sound waves in a liquid bath loosen soot from grooves and patterns a cloth cannot reach. Electronics that took on smoke or moisture are dried in an electronic drying chamber and cleaned before anyone tries to power them on.
Clothing, linens and drapes go to the textile restoration specialists we partner with. Soaked documents, books and photo prints are dried with care so they are not damaged further. Art, antiques and heirlooms are cleaned by hand, one piece at a time. Odour comes last, once the soot is off, with a hydroxyl, ozone or fogging treatment chosen for the item and how strong the smell is. Treating odour before the residue is removed only masks the problem for a while.
How we match methods to materials:
China, crystal, metal, tools: ultrasonic cleaning
Electronics: electronic drying chamber, then cleaning
Clothing and drapes: textile restoration partners
Papers, books, photos: careful document drying
Art and heirlooms: gentle hand cleaning
Available 24/7 Every Single Day
Contents Cleaning for Common Calgary Losses
A small kitchen fire can leave a thin, greasy film on cupboards, dishes and curtains throughout the house, even in rooms the flames never reached. A larger fire adds heavy soot and the water used to put it out. Cleaning should start soon, because soot is acidic and can stain or corrode surfaces the longer it stays put. Our post on smoke smell removal after a house fire explains why the odour hangs on.
A sewer backup is Category 3 water, which carries bacteria and other contaminants. Belongings in a flooded basement are sorted quickly: hard plastics, metal, glass and sealed items can usually be cleaned and sanitized, while porous things that soaked up sewage, such as mattresses, cardboard boxes and stuffed toys, usually cannot. Photos and important papers are pulled out first so drying can start. Our sewer backup guide covers the first steps at home.
Not every smoke problem starts in your own home. Smoke from a fire in a neighbouring condo unit can travel through shared walls and ventilation, and summer wildfire smoke can settle into fabrics in a house left with the windows open. Belongings can also decline slowly, in a storage room or a cluttered home where dust, moisture and odour build up over years. During hoarding cleanup in Calgary, items worth keeping are set aside and cleaned.
Calgary situations we clean contents for:
Kitchen and house fires that leave soot and greasy residue
Sewer backups reaching belongings stored in finished basements
Smoke from a neighbour's fire or wildfire season
Hail-damaged roofs that leak into upper-floor closets and furniture
Stored or cluttered belongings with long-term dust and odour
How Contents Cleaning Works, From Assessment to Return
The order of work is the same on most jobs, although the time it takes depends on how much there is to clean and how badly it was damaged. Most belongings wait in storage until the house is repaired, so the day they come home depends more on the rebuild than on the cleaning. Your project manager keeps you posted on both.
What happens to your belongings:
Assess: decide what can be restored and record what cannot
Clean: on site where practical, or at our northeast Calgary facility
Deodorize: hydroxyl, ozone or fogging once soot residue is gone
Store: cleaned items wait in climate-controlled space during repairs
Return: pack-back and set-up timed with the end of the rebuild
If a full pack-out is needed before cleaning can start, our contents pack-out and storage service handles the inventory, packing and transport. The same project manager tracks your belongings and the repairs, so you have one contact for both.
Related Services & Guides
Cleaning your belongings is one piece of a larger recovery. The house itself may need drying, smoke treatment or rebuilding, and that work runs alongside the contents work. Our contents restoration overview explains how the pieces fit together, and the services and guides below cover each stage in more detail.
Frequently Asked Questions – Contents Cleaning in Calgary
Is it worth cleaning belongings instead of replacing them?
Often, yes, as long as the item can be restored. Cleaning a set of dishes, a sofa or a television usually costs less than buying new, and it is the only way to keep things you cannot replace, such as family photos, artwork or a grandparent’s dresser. Your adjuster may weigh restoration against replacement for each item, and our inventory gives them the details to make that call.
Can smoke odour really be removed from my belongings?
In most cases, yes, as long as the soot is cleaned off first. Odour treatment on its own cannot fix residue still sitting on a surface. Once items are clean, we treat the remaining smell using ozone, hydroxyl or fogging, picked to suit the material and the strength of the odour. Fabrics may also go to our textile partners. The house itself is handled by our smoke and odour removal team.
Can electronics be saved after a fire or flood?
Often they can, as long as they were not burned or melted. Televisions, computers and office equipment exposed to smoke or moisture are dried in an electronic drying chamber and then cleaned. Do not plug them in or test them first, since powering up a wet or soot-coated device can damage it further. Tell your project manager about any equipment that holds important files so it can be handled with that in mind.
Do you clean belongings at my home or at your facility?
It depends on the item and the damage. Where it is practical, cleaning and deodorizing happen right at your property, which saves moving things that only need a light clean. Items that need ultrasonic cleaning, the drying chamber or textile work are taken to our northeast Calgary facility. After cleaning, they are stored in a climate-controlled space until your home is ready for them.
Will insurance pay for contents cleaning?
Often, if the damage itself is covered. Cleaning your belongings is normally treated as part of the contents section of a home or business policy. Your deductible, limits and exclusions still apply and the cause of the damage matters, so coverage depends on your policy. Talk to your insurer early. We work directly with adjusters and send photos, the inventory and notes on what was restored. You can also report a claim online.
What should I do with damaged belongings before you arrive?
Leave the cleaning to the crew. Wiping dry soot can smear it deeper into fabric and paint, and items soaked in sewage need protective gear. Do not throw anything away until your adjuster has seen it or agreed. If photos or papers are wet, keep them flat and somewhere cool, and do not try to separate stuck pages or prints. Show the crew any heirlooms or irreplaceable pieces when they arrive.
DKI Calgary Offers Premier Property Restoration Services Across Calgary and Southern Alberta
At DKI Calgary, formerly known as Rocky Cross Construction, we know that dealing with property damage is overwhelming—that’s why our franchisees are ready to respond 24/7, every day of the year. With over 30 years of industry experience and IICRC-certified experts, we bring the knowledge, speed, and care needed to restore your home or business efficiently. From the moment you call, a dedicated Project Manager will guide you through the process, keeping you informed every step of the way. Our team is committed to delivering high-quality results while providing the compassion and support you need to get back on your feet as quickly as possible. We're here for all homeowners across Calgary and Southern Alberta.
Quick Mobilization
24/7 emergency restoration and board-up services available 365 days a year.
Expertise
Fully trained and certified IICRC staff and more than 30 years of industry experience.
Strong Communication
A project Manager assigned to your claim from start to finish, updating you throughout the process.
Quality Assurance
Making sure you are happy with the final result of the work done and standing behind the work we do.
Compassionate Team
We understand how hard the situation is and our team will do what we can to get you back to normal sooner.
Have An Emergency?
Call Us Right Away
24/7 Emergency Line
1-888-272-9543