Beautiful Fireplaces are the focal point of the room!
Recently, I had a few listing appointments where the homes had beautiful fireplaces. They just captured the comfort of the room and was by far the best part of the home here in New England. There is nothing like a roaring fire when it's cold outside.
All of these fireplaces had one thing in common ... they were dirty!!
The funny thing is, sometimes you don't see it or see how bad it is until you take a picture of it. Those pictures exposed a lot of soot! Even the sellers were surprised.
This sooty problem prompted this blog today. Because in full disclosure, my personal fireplace needed to be cleaned too! Badly! I went to google and jotted down all the suggestions on how to clean soot from a brick fireplace. I am happily sharing with you the steps I took to get it cleaned.
Put on your work clothes, grab a bunch of rags, spread out the drop clothes and give this a try:
- Remove everything from the fireplace, such as the screen or leftover wood.
- Sweep or vacuum leftover ashes or soot in the hearth.
- Vacuum the brick surface (I used an ash vac that worked perfectly) to remove all ash and dust.
- Wipe down the fireplace brick with a wet cloth.
- There are many products out there to clean brick, but I used a homemade solution. I mixed a solution of equal parts warm water and distilled white vinegar in a bucket.
- Use a sponge and work from top to bottom in small sections using circular motions. If the sponge isn’t removing the soot buildup, try using a bristle brush. (I got my supplies from the dollar store since I knew it would be a use once and throw-away when finished job)
- Once you’ve removed the soot, use a damp cloth to wipe away any remaining solution. Repeat as necessary, depending on the amount of buildup on your brick.
- Pat the brick dry with a clean cloth or towel. I turned on a fan, but you could also open a window to help the surface dry more quickly.
- Once the brick is completely dry, it is suggested to apply a good-quality brick sealer to protect the fireplace from stains and signs of wear. I skipped this step because I didn't buy any, but I may do this next time.
You will look a mess when you are done but the fireplace will look so clean. When it dries it looks like brand new brick! The fireplace will be camera-ready!
**This is a good time to remind you that you should also get the chimney cleaned annually if you use the fireplace frequently.
Get to your fireplace cleaning and before you know it, you'll be singing Chim-Chim-Cher-ee!
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