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How To Clean Your Fireplace in Just 15 Minutes!

Mar 12, 2015 12:49:15 PM

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If you’re like most homeowners, your fireplace is the centerpiece of your home, the main element for creating a sense of of coziness and rustic comfort, or elegance and stateliness. Where family and friends gather with cups of hot cocoa on cold winter nights, to share camaraderie and goodwill, and all that good stuff you see on TV Christmas specials and in Norman Rockwell illustrations. Yes, everyone loves a  fireplace.

fireplace-cleaning-tips

Yet it’s a love/hate relationship. By their very nature, fireplaces are filthy things. Cleaning the fireplace is one of the nastiest jobs in the home, and as such the chore gets shoved farther and farther down on the to-do list until it’s an ugly embarrassment. People do judge your home by the state of your fireplace. Your very social status is at stake. But take heart, the job isn’t as bad as it looks, and with a little planning and effort, you too can have a clean fireplace in as little as 15 minutes, and avoid the Beverly Hillbillies category. Here’s how.

Things You’ll Need

    • Plastic tarp or drop sheet

    • Rubber gloves and apron (optional)

    • Shovel and brushes

    • Trash can

    • Hearth cleaner, glass cleaner, spray bottle of water

    • Dishwashing liquid

    • Paper towels and rags

    • Knee pads (optional)

    • Used coffee grounds (no, really!)

Ready, Set, Go! Six Easy Steps

  1. Ouila! You’re done. Now that wasn’t so bad, was it? Now make a cup of cocoa or have an adult beverage of your choice and sit back and enjoy your fireplace. With no fire of course, you just cleaned the dang thing, for crying out loud.Stick hand in ashes to make sure they’re cold. No, no, just kidding, don’t do that. Wait at least 24 hours after your last fire before you begin, and stir with a FIRE IRON to make sure they’re cold.

  2. fireplace

    Get suited up in your gloves and apron and cover the surrounding area with the tarp or plastic drop sheets.

  3. Here’s where the coffee grounds come in. Sprinkle the damp grounds over the ashes to keep the ash from floating all over the house. Nifty huh?

  4. Use the handy little broom that comes with your fireplace set and brush down the walls and screens, then shovel out the ashes and place in trash can. Use the broom again to clean up as much ash as possible into a dust pan.

  5. Do the exterior. This is where it’s great to have some hearth cleaner, available in most stores. It’s worth it, but if not the dishwashing liquid and glass cleaner will do. For bricks,  iron, and brass, first spray with water and then the hearth cleaner, and then use the cleaning brush. Spray down with water again, and dry with paper towels and cloths. This is an excellent time to closely inspect your exterior for any signs of cracks and damage that might require the services of a masonry contractor. For stone and marble exteriors, skip the hearth cleaner and use the soap and water. Clean glass doors with glass cleaner.

  6. Once everything meets your spiffiness approval, put everything back the way you found it, carefully fold up the tarp and dirty paper towels and place in trash can, and carry the can out to the curb along with the garbage your spouse has been bugging you about for days.

Don’t Forget The Chimney

Now that your fireplace is clean, it’s time to think about the condition of your chimney. While a dirty fireplace is an eyesore, a dirty chimney can be a real danger to you and your home. As you probably know, burning wood produces chemicals and materials that build up on the inside of your chimney over time. This buildup is called creosote. Creosote is highly flammable, and under the right conditions can ignite inside your chimney in a quite spectacular way. Short of burning down your whole house, it can cause serious damage requiring extensive chimney repair, and possibly roofing repairs too. Chimney cleaning needs to be done by a professional, but it’s a wise investment.

If, while cleaning your fireplace, you find you need the services of a masonry contractor or some chimney repair, call us at Exterior Medics for expert consultation and a free estimate.

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