Clean Fireplace Bricks
Fires produce smoke and soot wherever they are set ablaze. Surrounded by stone or brick, usually with a wire screen in front, and ventilated via a chimney flu, fires are usually well contained in fireplaces. Fires within fireplaces still produce the regular amount of smoke and soot, which needs to be cleaned occasionally. Follow these steps to clean fireplace bricks.
Steps
- Fill a bucket with warm water, and collect a stiff bristled brush.
- Scrub the fireplace bricks with the warm water and brush to remove regular dirt and grime.
- Inspect the remaining stains on the fireplace bricks.
- Press on children's modeling dough to the soot stains and gently peel off, being careful not to remove any of the top layer of the brick.
- Mix baking soda with enough water to make a paste and scrub the fireplace bricks that look like they may have smoke stains.
- Rinse with some clear warm water to see what, if any, stains remain.
- Scrub the fireplace bricks with trisodium phosphate (TSP) if there are any residual stains. Wear rubber gloves during this process because this chemical can be caustic to the skin.
- Rinse with some clear warm water to see what, if any, stains remain.
- Dilute a commercial fireplace brick cleaner according to the package instructions if any stubborn soot stains or smoke stains remain.
- Scrub the fireplace brick with the dilute cleaner to remove any further stains.
- Rinse 1 more time with warm water.
Tips
- Full strength vinegar is also useful in removing soot stains when brushed directly onto fireplace bricks.
- Dilute muriatic acid is suggested by some as a good way to clean fireplace brick without needing to scrub, but it is also warned that acid is best left in the capable hands of professionals. Those who are not professionally trained may not know all of the safety precautions that need to be taken while using even a dilute acid.
- You could also use an alkali detergent to aid in removal of smoke stains.
- After attempting all of these measures, you should determine if your fireplace bricks are clean enough for your taste. In some cases the stains will not be removed to your satisfaction and you may want to consider painting the brick. If you still wish for the fireplace to look like brick, there are multi-step kits that can be purchased that will give an end result resembling natural brick.
- A paste of trichloroethylene may be applied to small, resistant smoke stains.
Warnings
- Try all chemicals on small spots that are not well visible first before using them on large areas. Some chemicals may bleach or stain, and it is best to know that before using them on large portions of your fireplace brick.
Things You'll Need
- Brick Fireplace
- Bucket
- Stiff Bristled Brush
- Warm Water
- Modeling Dough
- Baking Soda
- Trisodium Phosphate
- Rubber Gloves
- Commercial Fireplace Cleaner
