How to Clean Soot Off Bricks

As quoted by Marcus Tullius Cicero, 'there is no place more delightful than one's own fireplace!' The amount of relaxation and peace that you get sitting next to the fireplace with a cup of coffee in your hands in this freezing winter season, is the one thing that everyone always looks forward to, when at home! Almost all of us have worked hard to get the perfect fireplace for homes. We pick the best company, the best workers, the best fireplace designs, with those beautiful bricks and fancy stones, to make our fireplace just the best! But when it comes to cleaning the soot off the bricks and stones on the fireplace, it is nothing less than a nightmare! If you know exactly what I am trying to say, then you need to know the effective ways of how to clean soot off walls which makes your beautiful fireplace look messy and dirty!

Ways of Cleaning Soot from Fireplaces

I have come across many people who are terrified with the idea of their fireplace being filled by thick layers of soot on the bricks and walls, in and around the fireplace! The process of getting rid of the soot can be a little messy, but is totally worth the efforts in the end! Have a look at the methods to clean soot off the fireplace!

Method 1: Take a full cup of laundry detergent with 4 cups of hot water in a small tub or bucket. Next you need to take about ½ pound of pumice in the powdered form and add it to the mixture. Once you have added the powdered pumice, you need to add ½ a cup of ammonia into it. Take the mixture and apply it on the dirty bricks or area filled with soot. Use a hard bristle brush to scrub the area. Rinse and repeat the scrubbing till the area is clean.

Method 2: Another way to clean soot off the fireplace is to take about an ounce of tablet salt and mix it with an ounce of soap. With the help of a little water make a paste out of the two. Once the cream like mixture is ready, you need to apply this on the bricks and rub with the help of a cloth! Once the mixture is dried up, remove the soot with the help of a stiff brush.

Method 3: For surfaces which are fancy and can be damaged by using stiff brushes, you can use a mild, chemical free soap. Quick'n Brite is known to be effective for such purposes. All you need to do is apply the soap on the surface using a sponge and rub the soot in a circular fashion. Allow the soap to be on the soot for about 10-15 minutes and then rinse it with water. Wipe the area using a towel, preferably a terry cloth one!

Method 4: Another effective method of cleaning fireplace soot from brick is to grate a naptha soap bar into 3 quarts of water. You need to boil this mixture until the soap melts completely and then allow the mixture to cool down. Once the mixture is cooled down, add about a cup of ammonia to it along with a pound of pumice (powdered). Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and apply it on the dirty area and let the place alone for about an hour. Use a stiff brush to remove the dirt and rinse it with warm water.

After going through the methods mentioned above, you might have noticed that all these techniques require forceful rubbing and scrubbing, and of course, the mandatory tool, a stiff brush! But trust me, all these efforts are worth taking, considering the beauty of your fireplace. Also, it is advisable not to use chemical based solutions or wire brushes to clean the fireplace as they may leave a permanent stain on the area. Also, using some acidic solutions may turn out to be inflammable. You wouldn't want to deal with that as Christmas is right around the corner, right? Consider these as a few fireplace safety tips while cleaning the soot off your fireplace bricks and surroundings, and make your house all the more beautiful this winter. Good luck!