Tear gas in the home. Get fresh air, bag your clothes, and get the residue removed
The CDC says leaving the area for fresh air is the first step, and that prolonged exposure in a closed space can cause lasting eye and breathing damage.
What is probably happening
- Riot control agents settle as a fine residue on every surface, in fabrics, in HVAC ducts and behind walls, and reactivate when disturbed or warmed.
- Airing the house out for a day removes the smell for a while, not the residue.
- Remediation removes soft materials that hold the powder, cleans hard surfaces, and treats the duct system.
Do this in the next five minutes
- Get everyone outside. If eyes burn, rinse with plain water for 10 to 15 minutes; take contacts out and do not put them back in.
- Remove clothing that was exposed. Cut off anything that would have to go over your head.
- Wash skin with lots of soap and water.
- Put the clothing in a plastic bag, seal it, and put that bag inside a second bag.
- Ask the police department that used the gas what agent it was, and whether it has a program to pay for cleanup.
- Call a biohazard cleanup company that lists tear gas remediation.
Do not
- Do not run the furnace or air conditioner. It spreads residue through the ducts.
- Do not wipe surfaces with a wet cloth and bare hands. The residue reactivates on contact.
- Do not move back in because the smell has faded.
Who to call
A biohazard cleanup company that does tear gas remediation
This is chemical residue removal from surfaces, fabrics and ductwork, which is specialist decontamination rather than cleaning or restoration.
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What it should cost
$1,500 to $25,000, most often $3,000 to $5,000
Fixr full span and typical range for a biohazard scene; no neutral 2025 or 2026 figure specific to tear gas was found
Source: Fixr, biohazard cleanup cost, 2025. View source
National published range, not a quote for your job. The full cost table for this trade is on the biohazard page.
Ask this contractor, on the phone, before anyone comes out
Tap each one as you ask it.
- Which agent was used, and have you remediated that one before?
- Will you treat the HVAC ducts, and is that in the price?
- What soft materials will be removed rather than cleaned?
- How do you confirm the residue is gone before I move back in?
- Will the scope be in writing, and how is the waste disposed of?
End the call if
- A plan to fog or deodorize without removing residue.
- No mention of the duct system.
- Cash only, or no written scope.