How to Clean Bricks on a Fireplace
The fireplace in your home can be a source of heat and a beautiful focal point, but the smoke and soot from the fire can accumulate on the bricks and leave dirty stains. The residue from the smoke and soot is hard to clean and some chemicals might damage the bricks.
Items Needed:
- Plastic sheeting
- Rubber gloves
- Spray bottle
- Bucket with water
- Scouring powder with bleach
- Stiff brush
- Dish soap or all purpose cleaner
- Trisodium phosphate cleaner
- Goggles, mask
- Drying towels, rags
- Lay the plastic sheeting around the area of the fireplace. Clean all of the old ashes and soot from the fireplace.
- Spray the entire fireplace down with a spray bottle filled with water. Mix 1/4 cup of all-purpose cleaner or dish soap with a gallon of hot water in a bucket.
- Dip the stiff brush in the solution and scrub the stains off the bricks. Scrub a small section at a time to remove the smoke and soot residual. If that don't get all of the stains from the bricks, try using scouring powder with bleach. Scrub a small section at a time until all of the stains are gone. Use the spray bottle to rinse the areas as you go.
- Mix 1/4 cup of trisodium phosphate with a gallon of water in a bucket for stubborn stains. Make sure that you rinse the area well with the spray bottle of water, trisodium phosphate can damage the grout between the bricks.
- Rinse the bricks with clear water and dry them with a towel.