How to Clean a Rough Brick Fireplace
The rough brick surface of a fireplace readily absorbs dirt, smoke and soot stains. While scrubbing with water will remove many stains, you may find a mild acid wash to be useful on especially difficult smoke stains. You may want to wear an apron and goggles to protect yourself from any accidentally acid splashes, along with a long-sleeved shirt and long pants to protect your arms and legs. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Old towels or tarp
- Nonmetal bucket
- Stiff scrub brush
- Rags
- Muriatic acid
- Dishwashing gloves
- Light-colored molding dough
Instructions
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Removing dirt and smoke stains
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1
Cover any carpeting or flooring around the fireplace with old towels or a tarp.
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2
Remove any ornaments or other belongings that may be sitting on the fireplace.
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3
Fill a bucket with warm water. If you're dealing with especially stubborn dirt, you can mix a solution of 9 parts clean water and 1 part muriatic acid and use the mixture in place of warm water. If you use the acid, wear dishwashing gloves and make sure you're using a nonmetal bucket; don't let any metal tools come into contact with the acid.
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4
Dip a stiff scrub brush in the warm water or acid solution and scrub at the brick surface, starting at the top and working your way down.
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5
Rinse off the brick surface immediately if you used an acid solution. Use a clean, wet rag and rewet the rag frequently to get the acid off the brick.
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6
Wipe any excess water away from the brick and let dry before replacing anything that had been stored on the fireplace. Once you've wiped the brick dry, you can uncover the carpet or flooring.
Removing Soot Stains
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7
Work a palm-sized ball of light-colored children's molding dough or sculpting clay between your hands until it's pliable and soft.
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8
Press the sculpting clay against the soot stain.
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9
Pull the clay away. The soot stain will come up with it.
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10
Work the clay between your hands again until it shows a clean surface. Press this surface against any remaining soot stains.
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Continue working the clay between your hands after every application until it appears to be dirty. Then, discard the old clay and use a new piece of clay until you've cleaned away all the soot stains.
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1
Tips & Warnings
An acid wash might wash the paint right off your bricks; so, if they're anything but an unpainted red color, test the acid in an inconspicuous place to see if the color remains before treating the entire brick surface.
Wash away any acid that comes into contact with your skin with large amounts of running water. If you get any of the acid wash in your eyes, seek a medical professional's attention immediately.
