Brick Fireplace: How to Clean and Remove Soot | 5 Best Methods for Cleaning a Brick Fireplace

After a couple of years, have you got soot stains on the side face of the brick fireplace? and on the hearth.

which ruined the beauty of the cozy and costly home, no matter how frequently and how carefully you have done maintenance for the fireplace, you need to Clean Brick Fireplace regularly.

so in this article, we will discuss 4 solutions for How To Clean Brick Fireplace. 

Read More: Fire Resistant Building Materials Used in Construction

How to Clean Brick Fireplace?

There are a total of 4 steps to clean brick fireplace, which are mentioned below.

Step:1: Collect Tools and Cleaning Products

To clean something we need some Tools and supplies or cleaning products. So, collect possible things to clean brick fireplace.

• Dishwashing liquid
• Salt
• Water
• White vinegar
• Trisodium phosphate
• Ammonia
• pumice
• Buckets 
• Spray bottle
• Bruch

Dishwashing liquid has elements like sodium citrate, Alkyl dim ethylamine lemon oil, some buffer, and acids. This element can easily remove soot and hearth.

We use salt, because salt is a natural antibacterial element, and with food, it can be used in cleaning. Vinegar is also a food element but used for cleaning because of its acidic nature.

Ammonia is a harmful chemical, still, we are using it as a cleaning supply. This chemical is not recommended but we can also use this for a clean brick fireplace because it breaks down every grime or stain on the surface of a particular substance. 

Pumice is generally used for cleaning water areas. The best example is the swimming pool.

Step:2: Use the Vacuum Cleaner to Remove Wet Elements Like Dust and Brick Particles

After the burning of wood, their wood ash remains at the end of the burning. This wood ash is dry, so we need to take it out and for that, we can use a vacuum cleaner and with that.

it becomes very easy to clean dry wood ash. With that, there are some other dry particles and we have to clean them properly otherwise mud will be created at the time of washing. And it will ruin your whole room area.

Step:3: Fill the Porous Brick Faces

If the fireplace is too old, then there must be voids or porous in the brick surface. And we need to fill this porous before cleaning the fireplace.

Because if it is porous then the chemicals or cleaning products will be filled in that areas and damage that small brick fireplace.

Step:4: Choice of Cleaning Solution

As we have more than one option to make a solution to clean brick fireplace, so we have to choose one of them. There are three options mentioned below.

1. Dishwashing liquid + Ammonia + Pumice + water
2. Dishwashing liquid + Salt + Vinegar + water
3. Trisodium phosphate (TSP) + Water
4. Detergent + water + salt

(1) Detergent + Water + Salt

Detergent is a very normal product that we use at home. And it is very easy to get from the supermarket.

First of all, we need to mix detergent with salt and water. Once we mix this element, now we have our solution is ready to apply to the clean brick fireplace.

Now Spritz the solution of detergent and salt on areas of stains. Make sure that you spray every area which needs to be cleaned.

After spraying on all areas now it’s time to scrub the portion where you spray that solution. Scrubbing is so important after spraying because the friction of the brush with the surface helps to read off stains and other dust on the wall.

Once we scrub the whole area, we need clean that detergent and salt on the surface. So for that, we can use a sponge or cloth to wipe that foam with water.

At last, we can dry that brick fireplace with a dryer or dry cotton cloth.

(2) Dishwashing Liquid + Aalt + Vinegar + Water

If detergent does not work, then we can use dishwashing liquid. Which is used to clean dishes of glass, fiber, and metal.

So, it is the best choice to clean the fireplace. With this, we can use salt and vinegar which is a great combination for cleaning the fireplace.

All process steps are the same as above but here we just change the solution.

(3) Dishwashing liquid + Ammonia + Pumice + Water

Still not work? Then you can add ammonia and pumice with dishwashing liquid in water. In which ammonia is more effective than any other element.

Where ammonia is also dangerous to humans, so make sure you arrange some ventilation equipment for air circulation. 

All process steps are the same as above but here we just change the solution.

(4) Trisodium phosphate (TSP) + Water (This is not recommended)

Trisodium phosphate (TSP) is a very toxic chemical so this is not recommended. If the above solution not worked then you can use this with safety equipment like rubber gloves, eye protection, and a mask.

TSP also damage different material like metal, fiber, and floor materials. So, consider this point as a safety measure.

All process steps are the same as above but here we just change the solution.

Read More: Standard Brick Size | Standard Size of Brick | Brick Size

How Many Times Do We Need to Clean?

The best answer is you can clean as frequently as possible and also it depends on your use. 

For example, if we use the fireplace every day then we must clean it every week. If we use it once a week then you can clean it once a month.

Some prefer to clean just after the use of the fireplace. This is best practice to clean the fireplace regularly. 

Conclusion

We can easily clean brick fireplaces with some different types of detergent and chemicals. and some of them are very toxic therefore we need to clean them with safety measures.

To make a home beautiful and cozy cleaning is a very crucial habit.

Read More: Refractory Bricks | Fire Bricks | Types of Refractory Bricks

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