How to Clean a Fireplace Brick
A brick fireplace is a beautiful feature that allows you to enjoy the beauty and warmth of a fire while relaxing in your home. However, dirt and soot can often build up on the bricks over time and will need to be cleaned and removed for aesthetic reasons. All you need are a few cleaners and a little elbow grease to make your brick fireplace look good as new.
- Lay down a plastic drop cloth to protect the surrounding areas such as carpet and furniture so that the soot is not able to settle on these surfaces.
- Open up the windows in the space so that the area is properly ventilated.
- Use a handheld broom and dust pan to sweep out and remove any soot or ash that has formed on the bottom of the fireplace.
- Make a paste by combining 1 tablespoon of salt for every 1 cup of baking soda that you use. Add a small amount of water and continuously stir the ingredients together until it has formed a paste that is the same consistency as toothpaste.
- Apply the paste onto the dirty bricks ensuring that it is thoroughly worked into all of the cracks and crevices of the brick.
- Allow the paste to sit for about an hour, or until the paste has dried on the surface of the bricks you are cleaning.
- Use a scrub brush and clean water to wash away the paste and soot leaving behind brick that looks as good as new.
- Inspect the fireplace brick to see if any soot stains have been left behind.
- Apply vinegar to these stains using a toothbrush to work the vinegar into the cracks and crevices.
- Rinse the fireplace bricks with clean water to remove any remaining baking soda paste or vinegar from the surface of the bricks.