How to Clean Up Toxic Ash After a Fire

🔥Greetings from LA :/🔥

I have some toxic cleanup ahead of me, and I know that hundreds of thousands of other people in Los Angeles do too. We are the lucky ones, because we still have things to clean. But even those of us whose homes are safe are facing some extremely dangerous days, weeks, months ahead, and I can at least help with one thing: How to safely clean up the insanely toxic ash blanketing all of Los Angeles right now.

Quickly: I'm fine and safe at the moment and mostly holding it together but my lord, California disasters are not for the weak! Thank you to the people who checked in on me and especially to the locals who helped me make a plan and offered a place to go if I needed to evacuate💖 Fortunately, I live exactly one block below the Hollywood evacuation zones and I made it through the night! But, one thing I will have to do in the next few days is clean up my outdoor area, which is covered in ash, soot, soils, etc. that blew in because of the high winds — and many other people who were not directly affected by fires will find themselves having to do the same. All caps time!

IT IS CRUCIAL THAT YOU FOLLOW THESE SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS WHEN CLEANING UP ASH FROM WILDFIRES.

This is not normal ash, this is not like the ash you clean out of your fireplace or an ashtray, this isn't even the usual mess in need of cleanup after a Big Wind. This is TOXIC ASH. The toxicity of this ash is caused by two main things: The first is the nature of what has burned — housing materials, cars, and commercial buildings contain toxic materials and chemicals that, when they burn, turn to toxic ash. The second is that some chemical fire retardants are also toxic, so when ash starts blowing around, you're basically being exposed to a one-two punch of Shit You Do Not Want to Inhale or Get On Your Skin.

Safety Protocols for Toxic Ash Cleanup

Given the risks associated with toxic ash cleanup, when you head out to clean ash that's landed on cars, bikes, outdoor spaces, outdoor furniture, the hideous Sicilian angels your mother brought you back from Italy that you stuck in your planters to encourage your peppers and basil to grow in Jesus name amen, whatever, you must — must, must, must — follow these safety protocols.

• Mask up: Ash cleanup calls for a respirator mask (either N-95 or p-100) — surgical masks, cloth masks, bandanas, scarves won't cut it. Ash is an extremely fine particulate that can get through just about any barrier.

• Don PPE: You must protect your skin from toxic ash exposure. This means wearing protective gloves, as well as long sleeves and pants, socks, and close-toed shoes. Some official sources don't mention goggles, but I would strongly recommend using eye protection as well. If you get ash on your skin, wash it off immediately using the old "soap, water, and Happy Birthday to You" routine. I know you know the one! After extensive cleanup of toxic ash, showering is recommended.

• Know the Protocol for Laundry and Shoes: Clothes and shoes that are exposed to toxic ash are considered "contaminated work clothes" and need to be laundered/cleaned differently from regular-use garments. Exposure to toxic chemicals is one of the criteria that calls for "enhanced precautions" when doing laundry. I've listed those out below. Additionally, when you come back inside after outdoor toxic ash cleanup, remove your shoes and clean them well to avoid tracking toxic ash indoors (a disposable cleaning wipe is the best choice for this, but keep your gloves on when cleaning toxic ash to protect your skin). If it's feasible, remove and bag up the clothes you wore and wash them as soon as possible. Leave a change of clothes (or even a robe!) and a plastic bag for the contaminated work clothes by the door before going outside for cleanup.

• Keep Children and Pets Safe: Do not let children play in ash, or with toys that have been exposed to ash. Same for pets and, if your pet was outdoors and was exposed to toxic ash, immediately either wipe them down with a damp cloth or give them a bath.

• No Leaf Blowers or Vacuums: It is unsafe to use a leaf blower and/or a vacuum for ash cleanup. Leaf blowers will spread the ash and blow it back into the air, and vacuums, including shop vacs, will similarly blow fine ash into the air. The exception to this is a HEPA filter vacuum, but even those can send fine particulates back into the air. Also at some point you'll have to empty and clean the vacuum, and it will be filled with toxic ash, which is a whole other problem.

• Gentle Sweeping Is the Way: To clean up toxic ash, start by gently sweeping hard surfaces. GENTLY being the key word here, because you want to avoid sending a cloud of ash up because you swept too enthusiastically. If you find the ash is creating a plume as you sweep, use a spray bottle to lightly mist the ash, which will help to weigh it down and keep it from pluming. After sweeping, use a damp mop or cloth to pick up remaining ash.

Botany Sidebar

One thing I need to look into is what to do about edible gardens that were exposed to toxic ash. I suspect I know the answer and I also suspect that I'm in denial because I don't want to face reality that my beautiful basils will kill me if I put them in a caprese, which is literally the least important thing, here, but the traumatized brain will hitch onto the oddest things to fret over. So! I'll find out and get back to you and also if there are any botanists out there who want to field this one for me, have at it! But what I can give you are those enhanced laundry protocols I mentioned, which I will do now. Fun addenda! These protocols are also the ones you'll use if you get hit with norovirus :)

Enhanced Precautions for Doing Laundry That's Been Exposed to Toxic Ash

I literally just wrote about these re norovirus so I did a lil cut'n'paste and find'n'replace jobbie — both norovirus and contaminated work clothes call for the highest level of laundry (the levels are: Low/Normal Routine; Medium/Extra Steps; High/Enhanced Precautions). Here's what you need to know about washing contaminated work clothes:

• Wear gloves when handling contaminated work clothes, and wash your hands thoroughly after removing and disposing of the gloves.

• Wash items as soon as possible; if you are unable to wash items immediately, bag them up in a plastic bag (rather than putting them in the hamper) until you are able to do laundry.

• Wash contaminated work clothes separately from other items.

• Avoid shaking laundry when handling it, which can spread contaminants.

• Use the hottest water and heat drying settings and cycle length the items can tolerate. If your washer offers a sanitize setting, use it.

• Use a laundry sanitizer, like Lysol Laundry Sanitizer or Clorox Laundry Sanitizer, in addition to regular laundry detergent. Using a deep cleaning detergent, such as Tide Hygienic Clean, is also recommended when washing contaminated work clothes.

• Disinfect hampers that have had contact with contaminated work clothes.

Okay so, those are the basics of ash cleanup safety. There are 10,000 other disaster-related cleaning subjects to tackle but right now, I simply don't have it in me and I know you will understand. If you need to find me, I will be dissociating in front of Bravo. (You guys, this is so wild: I got hooked on Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles over Thanksgiving and it's been an incredible crash course in the geography and vibes of LA's neighborhoods. It also turned out to be a huge blessing because I was able to understand where all the fires were happening relative to me and make appropriate plans! Thank God for Bravo, you know?)