Where there’s smoke, there’s fire—and a whole lot of grime
Brick fireplaces have been a classic living room centerpiece since before the Victorian era. Unfortunately, that centerpiece has a knack for attracting unsightly soot and grime. Luckily regular cleaning can help eliminate those stains, refresh your fireplace, and keep everything in working order. We’ll show you how to clean a brick fireplace correctly so you can get back to getting cozy.
Minor soot stains on your brick fireplace aren’t dangerous, but that doesn’t mean you want to look at them or allow them to get worse. A thorough cleaning of your fireplace should help cut down on unsightly buildup, including the type of severe buildup that can sink into brick and cause permanent damage. That being said, there are parts of your fireplace that you do need to clean regularly for safety.
You should have your chimney cleaned and inspected at least once a year. According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America, a dirty chimney is the main cause of chimney fires, largely fueled by the byproduct creosote (though leaves and birds nests are other culprits). Creosote is highly flammable and builds up inside the walls of your chimney as you burn wood. Just 1/8th-inch of buildup is enough to start a fire.
Requests for chimney sweeping account for over half of all chimney maintenance services, and about one-third are for inspections. A certified chimney sweep can inspect and clean your chimney annually, as well as recommend necessary repairs.
Cleaning a brick fireplace can feel like a major project, but in reality, it’s not all that different from cleaning a very dirty kitchen stove. These steps will show you how to wash a brick fireplace without damaging your masonry.
Before you can clean the brick, you need to get everything out of the way. Make sure your fireplace is completely cold, and remove the grate and leftover wood. Sweep out leftover ashes, then use a vacuum with a dusting brush or crevice tool attachment to clear out as much soot and dust as possible.
Since bricks are porous, they’ll absorb whatever type of cleaner you use—but you want your cleaning agent to sit on the surface where it can cut through tough grime. Not to mention, it’s harder to wash away soap that’s sunk deep into a brick. For this reason, start your deep clean by saturating your bricks with water using a spray bottle (or a hose if your fireplace is outdoors).
The Brick Industry Association recommends starting with the gentlest possible cleaning solution to avoid damage. You can choose a commercial fireplace cleaner appropriate for brick, or you can make one of these DIY solutions:
Dish soap: mix ¼ cup with 4 cups of water
Distilled white vinegar: mix equal parts vinegar and water
Keep in mind that vinegar is acidic, so it can damage bricks older than 20 years. No matter the cleaner you use, test it in an inconspicuous place first.
Soak a masonry sponge in your mild cleaner and use it to wipe the grime off your bricks. You can also spray the cleaner directly onto your fireplace and wipe it away using a sponge. As you go, soak your sponge in clean water and ring it out. You’ll need to repeat this process several times.
Once you’ve cleaned your bricks as much as possible, use a clean sponge to rinse them with clean, warm water. Do not allow the cleaning solution to dry on the brick. Make sure it’s completely washed away.
Let your bricks dry so you can properly check for stains. If there’s streaking or staining, you can go back with a stronger cleaner and a scrub brush.
If you still notice discoloration, choose a stronger cleaning agent. Remember, you’ll only want to pick one of these, as you should never mix bleach and other cleaners because it can create hazardous fumes. Always wear gloves and eye protection when dealing with heavy-duty cleaners and ventilate the space.
For something that will cut through the toughest grime, try one of these: a scouring powder with bleach, trisodium phosphate (TSP), or a foaming bathroom cleaner. Be sure to spot test your choice of these in a small area first, and again, never mix them.
Dilute your cleaner of choice per the manufacturer’s instructions if applicable, then apply it using a scrub brush. Wait a few minutes so it can loosen the grime, then scrub top to bottom to avoid drips and streaks. Working in small areas is best so the bricks don’t dry out.
Thoroughly rinse away your cleaner using water and a sponge. Allow the area to dry, and repeat the process if necessary. Since TSP is a hazardous chemical, you’ll need to follow manufacturer or local guidelines for disposal.
Even though you used a heavy-duty cleaner, you may still have a few stains. You can spot treat them with a toothbrush. First, make a paste using a small amount of water and one of the following household ingredients:
Cream of Tartar
Baking Soda
Salt
Work the paste into the brick, allow it to sit for five to 10 minutes, then scrub it away using your toothbrush. Rinse the area with water, and repeat until you have our desired results.
To some extent, you can’t prevent soot from building up inside and around your fireplace. That’s just the price of burning wood. Nonetheless, there are things you can do to limit the amount of buildup and make your brick easier to clean.
First and foremost, a dirty or clogged chimney is a fire hazard. Beyond that, it also leads to an increase in grime in and around your fireplace because smoke can’t properly ventilate. To prevent this, hire a local fireplace inspection service to clean and inspect your chimney at least once a year.
Seasoned firewood is wood that’s been air-dried for an extended period of time. As a result, it creates less smoke—and less unsightly buildup—than wood that contains more moisture or hasn’t sufficiently dried. Using seasoned firewood can help limit soot stains.
While some kinds of wood are the best wood to burn in your fireplace, it goes without saying, but you also shouldn’t burn anything that’s not firewood in your fireplace. Materials like rubber, plastic, or chemically treated construction wood won’t just cause excessive smoke. In many cases, they’ll release hazardous chemicals.
Brick sealants and certain paints can help prevent stains and make your fireplace easier to clean by reducing the porosity of the brick. You can actually paint your brick fireplace with a paint and peel fireplace cleaner to remove caked-on grime, then seal it with a fire-safe sealant.
The inside of the fireplace requires plenty of care to remove ash and banish soot buildup. But what about the outside of the fireplace? You’ll also want to clean the hearth—the floor and brick or other material surrounding the fireplace opening—the mantel, and even the exterior of the chimney.
You can use a vacuum or a shop vac to suck up any dust, dirt, or other debris clinging to the hearth materials. If the hearth has a lot of soot, you can use a soot cleaning sponge, available at home improvement stores or online retailers, to wipe away soot from the hearth.
You can clean your fireplace mantel much like any other surface of your home. Maybe you prefer a wet cleaning cloth or a duster to remove any dust gathering here, or you may prefer an all-purpose cleaner and a dry cleaning cloth to clean up this surface. Pick up any decorative items and set them aside so you can achieve a deeper clean.
Because cleaning the chimney exterior will require climbing a ladder and working from the roof, it’s best to leave this job to a chimney cleaning professional. However, if you have the skills to clean the chimney exterior and can do so safely, you can clean the bricks of the chimney to remove any moss, mold, or mildew.
Combine 1 cup of bleach into 1 gallon of water, then dip a sponge into the cleaning mixture. Wipe the brick clean with the sponge, and follow up by using a brush to scrub away any moss or other buildup.
During winter, plan to clean out ash and soot from the fireplace opening a few times per week. This can keep the soot from building up. Soot buildup is harder to clean if it builds up for long periods of time. The chimney should be cleaned and inspected at least once per year.
If you’re just cleaning the brick in your firebox and surround, you can do the job on your own with materials you already probably have in your house. Beyond that, you’ll need to hire a chimney sweep. For most homeowners, the cost of a chimney sweep is between $130 and $380.
The more you use your fireplace, the more you’ll notice the buildup of dirt, dust, soot, and ash. Brick is porous, so it does a great job at holding onto unsightly stains. Beyond the visible grime (some of which is totally unavoidable), you may need to clean your brick fireplace if you notice:
The fire is difficult to start or burns oddly
Smoke filling the room rather than going up the chimney
Oily spots on the walls of your fireplace
Evidence of animals
Soot falling from the chimney
Your chimney damper has turned black
Since these signs also point to a dirty chimney, you should hire a chimney sweep.
You should regularly clean your brick fireplace to maintain the look and integrity of the masonry. Most homeowners make it part of their regular house cleaning checklist. There are, of course, some instances where you’d want to hire a professional.
If you can’t seem to get your fireplace clean despite repeated attempts, hire a fireplace cleaning service near you. You should also hire a chimney sweep once a year to clean out your chimney and perform a safety inspection.
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