Fireplace designs and styles vary from room to room and even throughout the house. Fireplaces provide ambiance to any room, not just your living or family rooms, but also bathrooms, and all other areas of your home can be decorated with a fireplace. However, one thing that is common in most fireplaces is the amount of work and time it takes to keep them clean and look great year-round.
It’s not always easy keeping track of everything you need when cleaning your fireplace; products, cleaners, safety equipment all play a part in ensuring your efforts aren’t wasted. Here are some handy tips for fireplace cleaning:
Sweep out any loose ashes from the hearth (floor). If there are larger pieces of ash or dirt, use a hand-held brush or broom to sweep these items away. If you have any major soot stains on the hearth, use a soft bristle brush and soapy water to scrub off as much as possible.
Use a vacuum cleaner with an upholstery attachment and clean out all crevices of the fireplace inside and out. Vacuum both sides of the firebox, including underneath it. If your vacuum cleaner isn’t strong enough by itself to suck up fine ashes from underneath your fireplace, attach a length of fine mesh fabric (tulle or some other sheer fabric works well) over the end of the hose for this part of your cleaning. This will catch all ash before it gets sucked into your machine.
Clean all glass surfaces with a soft cloth and glass cleaner, making sure to use a non-abrasive cleaner. If you have recessed doors on your fireplace that open outwards, it’s best to clean these after the door has been removed and set aside. If you don’t remove the doors, make sure they are closed firmly before cleaning.
Use rust-proofing spray on the inside of your firebox, as well as any external metal parts. You can buy this type of paint or aerosol spray at most hardware stores (most brands come in black or brown). This will help prevent corrosion and keep your fireplace looking good for many years to come. Ensure not to get any of this product on any wood surfaces, as they will become stained.
Once you’ve finished cleaning the inside and outside of your fireplace cleaning, give it a final once-over with a vacuum to remove all traces of ash and dust. If there’s still some soot on the walls and in the crevices that won’t come off easily, you can use an abrasive cleaner like Soft Scrub or Comet for this part. Wipe any external surfaces clean again after using these cleaners, then reassemble your fireplace doors and allow them to dry overnight before putting them back in place.
