As time goes by, you will see your beautiful stone fireplace look so dirty. The accumulations of dirt, dust, and soot will turn it into an ugly part of your living room.
Therefore, you need to deep-clean your fireplace on a regular basis to make it look great again. Good for you, you can do all the steps all by yourself without any need to call a pro.
Below, we have compiled a step-by-step guide on How to Deep Clean a Fireplace that you can get done in no time.
How to Deep Clean a Fireplace
Prepare these supplies:
- Safety goggles
- Rubber gloves
- Respirator
- TSP powder
- Water
- Stiff-bristle scrub brush
- Rags
- Vacuum with hose attachment
- Sponges
- Plastic bucket
- Wood stir sticks
Follow these steps:
Protect yourself first
Before starting everything, wear all the safety gear which includes rubber gloves, eye goggles, and a respirator. It’s also highly recommended to wear a long-sleeved shirt and pants so you can be fully protected from harmful materials.
Make your own cleaning solution
Prepare a gallon-sized bucket, and mix a half-cup of trisodium phosphate powder with three quarts of hot water. Use the wood stir stick to dilute the materials.
The mixture of TSP powder and water is a good cleaning solution to deal with grease and dirt on your fireplace. It works much better than mixing soap with water alone.
Clean the grate
Remove the grate or rails that work to support the log from the fireplace box and bring them outside. Soak the brush into the TSP powder cleaning solution and scrub the parts gently until you don’t see the sooty build-up. Use dampened rag to remove the residue of the cleaning mixture and dry them using another clean rag.
Loose the dirt
Use a dry scrub brush to clean the floor, sidewalls, and back wall of the fireplace to loose dirt and soot around. Once everything is loosened, vacuum the debris during scrubbing.
Clean the build-ups
Soak a scrub brush in the TSP cleaning solution and clean the creosote build-up around the entire firebox. Remove the TSP residue on the surface with a dampened rag and dry it up thoroughly. Put back the grats and rails to the firebox.
(Read also: How to Remove Black Mold From Walls Quickly)
Clean the fireplace surround
Soak the sponge in the TSP solution and clean the fireplace surround entirely, including the grout and stone. Let the cleaning solution sit for a few minutes. Loosen the soot and dirt by using a scrub brush.
Removing stubborn stains
If after executing those steps, you still notice some stubborn stains, make a TSP paste to remove them. Mix an ounce of TSP powder with a cup of water until you get a paste consistency. Apply the paste into the affected area by using a clean sponge, let it sit for a few minutes, and scrub the stains.
Let it dry
Once you are sure that all the residue of the cleaning solution is removed, air-dry the entire fireplace completely before using it again.
