How to remove Smoke Stains from your Fireplace
October 13, 2014 in How to remove Smoke Stains from your Fireplace
A fireplace is a beautiful accessory in your living room and it is especially useful during the winter season. It does not look nearly as beautiful if it has black stains above the firebox or all over the inside. Between uses, you want to keep your fireplace clean from ashes and smoke stains. There are many ways to remove these black stains from your fireplace depending on the type of material your fireplace is made of. Above all, you want to remain safe and clean your fireplace so it stays beautiful without using highly reactive and corrosive chemicals. We will focus on the environmentally friendly methods to remove your fireplace strains.
Most fireplaces are made of hard materials such as brick and mortar, stone, tile, glass, and metal and they can be cleaned using a sponge soaked in a household cleaning detergent or the combination of household vinegar and baking soda. For hard porous materials that may get stains outside the fireplace, such as painted surfaces, wallboard, plaster, wall paper, and exposed wood, we recommend using a dry chemical sponge to remove as much soot as possible first. This step can prevent soil from being transferred deep into the surface where it may show as a permanent stain.
Before starting to clean the stains, make sure you have all the required tools. Wear rubber gloves and goggles to avoid contact with any sort of chemicals on your hands or in your eyes. Here is a short list of supplies.
- Thick rubber gloves and googles
- Sponge
- Drop cloth
- Medium sized bucket with slightly warm water
- Household cleaning detergent
- Household vinegar
- Household baking soda
- Stiff scrub brush
Cover the area surrounding your fireplace with a drop cloth to avoid soot falling onto your carpet. Water is an excellent cleaning agent when combined with cleaning spray or vinegar combined with baking soda. Dip the sponge with slightly warm water and start to clean your fireplace from the top, working your way down. Apply the cleaning spray to the stains and wait for two minutes. Start the cleaning process with the wet scrub brush when the detergent is spread all over the surface. You may need to repeat this step if you have thick stains. If you still notice a sufficient amount of stain on your fireplace wall, consider using a little amount of natural vinegar instead of warm water, combined with baking soda. This combination is non-hazardous and safe and will form a white bubbly mixture that you can apply directly to the fireplace surface. Give the paste a couple hours to dry and work its magic. After the paste dries, you can scrub it off with your brush. Repeat if needed. When complete, you can remove the drop cloth and vacuum any remaining soot. Good job! Your fireplace will look a lot cleaner and more inviting when it is free of stains.
