Cleaning the fireplace should ideally come at a time when you do not expect to use it for a while, as in the warm summer months. Many people relish the task of cleaning out several months' worth of ash, soot, and smoke build-up. That being said, effectively cleaning a masonry fireplace and the lower part of your chimney and flue is not a particularly challenging or time-consuming task. It should not take much more than a few hours, putting it roughly on par with any other household cleaning task.
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Steps
- Ensure that the fireplace and ashes have cooled. You can shovel, sweep or vacuum (with an ash vacuum) the ashes out. Once this debris has been removed, you can get to the actual cleaning of the firebox, damper, and lower part of the chimney.
- Remove the fireplace grate or andirons, and bring them outside to scrape the soot and grime off with a wire brush. You may choose to polish them with a specialized cleaning material.
- Removing any built-up creosote and tar by taking a wire brush to the damper as well and lower part of the chimney, . Shovel or vacuum this out of the firebox, and then move on to the last step ? the firebox.
- Choose from a variety of solvents for cleaning. When cleaning the firebox, there are a number of possible substances to use, including specialty fireplace cleaning products ? the choice is largely up to you. Some popular options include washing soda, vinegar, or Tri Sodium Phosphate (TSP) with warm water. Some use a mixture of warm water with chlorine bleach. You will want to use a stiff-bristled brush (not a wire brush) on the inside of the firebox after allowing the cleaning liquid of your choice to soak.
- Give it a little scrub. If using hot water and vinegar or washing soda, scrub the liquid into the firebox before letting it soak for 15-30mins. Come back and scrub the fireplace with generous applications of your cleaning liquid.
- Rinse with warm water when the fireplace is clean. At this point, you're done! Let the firebox air out, and dry. Close the damper to prevent the fireplace from sucking air out of your home through the summer, and close up your fireplace windows for the off-season.
Warnings
- Whatever you do, do not mix vinegar with bleach or ammonia, as this will yield a toxic gas which can cause harm or death.
Things You'll Need
- Time
- Elbow Grease
- gas
- fuel
- wood
Sources and Citations
- http://www.fireplaces.com/
- http://www.fireplaces-fireplaces.com/
- http://www.fireplacesandwoodstoves.com/
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