How to Make a Formula to Clean Chimneys

Proper cleaning of chimenys can prevent fire damage.

A smoking chimney can represent a warm and welcoming home for many people, but it also represents a serious fire hazard. Chimneys with severe soot, creosote and other contaminant buildup will not vent effectively, potentially causing chimney fires and other dangers. Chimneys must be cleaned regularly; in general, the chimney must be cleaned before you start to use it each season and once per month during use. You can create a homemade chimney-cleaning formula that can keep your chimney clean and your home safe.

Things You'll Need

• Gloves and goggles
• Bucket
• Water
• Trisodium phosphate cleaner
• Bleach
• Wire brush or scrub brush

Instructions

1. Wear protective gloves and goggles when working with chemical cleaners; ventilate the area by opening windows or installing fans to circulate fresh air. The chemical cleaners used in this formula can burn if they come in contact with skin and can cause throat irritation or damage if inhaled for long periods.

2. Fill a bucket with 1 gallon of warm water; the water should not be too hot for you to touch. Mix in 6 to 8 tbsp. of trisodium phosphate cleaner (TSP). The amount of TSP used will vary depending on the severity of your stains. You can use up to 1 cup of TSP (16 tbsp.) for the most severe stains, but this will be an extremely strong and caustic solution.

3. Add 1 cup of chlorine bleach if you used only 6 to 8 tbsp. of TSP; do not add bleach to a solution that contains more than 8 tbsp. of TSP, otherwise the chemicals could react and cause damage. The bleach will give an added cleaning boost to the weaker TSP solution.

4. Clean the chimney surface with a wire brush or scrub brush soaked in this solution. You can also use this mixture in the fireplace and fireplace surround area to remove soot stains or dirt.

5. Rinse all cleaned areas thoroughly with warm water to remove all residual TSP cleaner before using the fireplace again.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid getting the trisodium phosphate formula on carpet, furniture or other surrounding areas. The TSP can severely damage surface areas. Lay drop cloths around your cleaning area to protect other surfaces from the TSP solution.

References

• Old House Web: Formulas for Cleaning Fireplace Surfaces
• Fireplace Mall: How to Clean Your Fireplace
• Fireplaces and Wood Stoves: Chimney Cleaning