21.10.2013
Easy Fireplace Cleaning Tips
15 Minutes to a More Beautiful, Cleaner Fireplace
The fireplace in your home is a distinctive feature and a source of warmth and comfort; it’s a centerpiece, drawing together family and friends in those cold winter months.
If you’ve never really thought about cleaning your fireplace, here are three very good reasons why you should:
1. Health. A messy fireplace can cause dust to circulate throughout your entire home, exacerbating recurring conditions such as asthma and allergic rhinitis. It may even be causing your family to be more susceptible to coughs and colds.
2. Safety. Ashes and debris accumulated in your fireplace can pose a serious fire hazard.
3. Efficiency. The more clogged with soot, ashes and other substances your fireplace is, the less efficient it will become in providing your home with the heat it needs during cold nights.
If the prospect of cleaning your fireplace seems overwhelming, don’t despair! With these handy tips you can transform even the dirtiest fireplace in just 15 minutes.
Caution: Allow 24 hours for all embers to die out before starting to clean your fireplace.
Before you start, gather together all the materials you’ll need:
- Apron
- Rubber gloves
- Goggles
- Plastic tarp
- Kneeling pad or soft cloth
- Trash can
- Coffee grounds
- Brush
- Shovel
- Glass cleaner
- Spray bottle
- Water
- Dishwashing liquid or hearth cleaner
- Towels
Now you’re all ready to begin, so let’s start the clean-up countdown!
Minute 15
- Put on the apron, rubber gloves and protective goggles. Lay the plastic tarp in front of the fireplace. This way, you protect yourself and the floor.
Time required: 1 minute
Minute 14
- Kneeling comfortably on a kneeling pad or mat, begin the clean-up by removing the grate, logs and tinder. Separate completely charred logs from those that can still be used. Charred logs can go in the trash can with other waste materials.
Time required: 2 minutes
Minute 12
- Scatter the used coffee grounds over the ashes to help prevent them from flying all over when you sweep the interior of the fireplace. Sweep the interior back and sides of the fireplace, brushing from top to bottom and collecting ashes in the center of the grate. Shovel the ashes and dump them in the trash can.
Time required: 2 minutes
Minute 10
- Brush the screen, front and back, also brushing from top to bottom.
Time required: 1 minute
Minute 9
- Select the correct cleaning materials according to the type of fireplace exterior you have:
i) For iron exteriors: spray with hearth cleaner or mild dish washing liquid, rinse with water and towel dry.
ii) For brick: spray with water, followed by hearth cleaner, scrub, rinse with water and towel dry.
iii) For iron: spray with hearth cleaner then rinse with water and towel dry.
iv) For marble and stone: Spray with water, scrub with a cloth soaked in dish washing liquid, rinse with water and dry. Caution: Do not use dish washing liquid if the marble is more than 50 years old. Use water only.
Time required: 3 minutes
Minute 6
- To clean the glass doors of your fireplace, spray the front and back of each panel with hearth cleaner. Wipe with a cloth while still wet.
Time required: 2 minutes
Minute 4
- Clean the grate by polishing it with hearth cleaner and wiping with paper towels. Rinse and clean your tools.
Time required: 2 minutes
Minute 2
- Replace the grate and logs. Roll the tarp into a ball, taking care not to spill dirt on the floor. Outside, shake the ashes from the tarp and then clean it for next time. Close the doors of the fireplace. Put the trash outside.
Time required: 2 minutes
And presto! Just 15 minutes later, you’re ready to sit back and enjoy your beautiful, clean fireplace.
When to call in a professional
This simple, quick cleaning is a wonderful way to rejuvenate and beautify your fireplace. However, it is also important to have your chimney professionally inspected and cleaned , ideally every year. When lit, your fireplace produces creosote, a highly flammable substance which collects in the chimney and poses a serious fire risk. Professional cleaning will remove creosote from your chimney and help ensure that your fireplace burns safely and efficiently all winter long.
For professional Fireplace Cleaning in Calgary, call Ram Cleaning Services @ (403) 291-1051
Complete Cleaning and Maintenance Care in Calgary area since 1967.