How to Clean a Brick Fireplace

How to Clean a Brick Fireplace

The steps below are general guidelines for cleaning all fireplaces. Because fireplaces vary along with their level of soot saturation, you may need to adjust the steps and methods to best suit your brick fireplace.

1. Remove Everything from the Fireplace

   When the fireplace is cold, remove fireplace screens, grates, and other fireplace accessories.

2. Protect the Surrounding Area

   Lay a waterproof drop cloth on the floor and the hearth to protect them from water and chemicals.

3. Vacuum the Brick

   Before cleaning the bricks, vacuum the entire surface with a stiff bristle brush to ensure you remove all ash, dust, and other debris.

4. Pre-Soak the Bricks

   Bricks are like sponges. To keep them from soaking up cleaning chemicals, spray them down with water thoroughly beforehand. Spray them several times until they no longer soak up water.

5. Mix Your Preferred Cleaning Solution

   Choose your preferred cleaning solution according to the list below. We recommend starting with something mild like water with a little soap. If you find you need a more aggressive cleaner, choose something stronger like scrubbing bubbles or TSP.

   When using harsh chemicals, you should work with caution and pay close attention to cleanup and disposal instructions.

6. Apply Cleaning Solution

   Coat the dirty bricks with your cleaning solution and allow it to sit for several minutes to break up the grime. If necessary, apply more cleaning solution to the brick.

7. Scrub the Brick

   Scrub the brick with a stiff scrub brush to physically remove the soot. If your cleaning solution worked, it should have lifted the soot from the brick. However, physically scrubbing the brick will be more effective for total removal.

8. Repeat Steps

   If your bricks are still dirty, apply more cleaning solution and scrub them again.

9. Use Harsher Cleaning Chemicals (Optional)

   If you’ve repeated the cleaning and scrubbing step but the soot is still hanging on, it may be time to utilize a harsher cleaning method.

10. Rinse and Towel Dry

    Once the bricks have reached your desired level of cleanliness, gently rinse them and use a towel to dry off any water on the surface.

11. Let Bricks Air Dry

    Even after towel-drying bricks, they’ll likely still be wet and discolored. Allow the bricks ample time to air dry after rinsing.

    To speed up the drying of the bricks, place a fan directed at the fireplace.

12. Spot-Clean Stubborn Stains

    Once the bricks have fully dried, you may find some obvious stains left behind that weren’t noticeable before. Use your cleaning chemical to spot-treat each stain, following the steps above.

6 Ways to Clean Fireplace Brick

Methods to clean brick fireplaces include chemicals as well as natural cleaning solutions. When choosing your method for cleaning fireplace brick, take time to test the cleaning agent on a hidden portion of the brick to see how the surface reacts. If it works without damaging or discoloring the brick, continue using it on the remainder of the fireplace.

• Soap and Water: Sometimes all it takes to clean a fireplace is soap and water. This is a great starting point if you’re unsure how stubborn the soot on your bricks is.
• Vinegar and Water: Alternatively, you can swap soap for vinegar. The acidity of the vinegar can be helpful in breaking up the grime that’s caked onto the fireplace brick.
• Baking Soda and Dish Soap: Baking soda and dish soap can be used to form a paste, which is then smeared onto the bricks.
• Simple Green: Simple Green is fairly mild compared to most cleaning agents, yet it can be an effective way to scrub away fireplace brick soot.
• Scrubbing Bubbles: While it’s intended as a bathroom cleaner, Scrubbing Bubbles has proven to be an effective way to clean fireplace brick, as its bubbling cleaning properties pull the grime off the brick.
• Trisodium Phosphate (TSP): TSP is a highly effective cleaner. However, with its effectiveness comes harshness. TSP should only be used if milder cleaning approaches don’t work.

We recommend starting with mild cleaning methods and only utilizing harsher chemicals if absolutely necessary. While they seem tough and indestructible, bricks can be delicate and they soak up liquid like a sponge.

When to Call a Professional

No luck cleaning your fireplace yourself? It might be time to call a professional cleaning service. Professional fireplace cleaners have better experience and knowledge of chemicals they can safely use to get your fireplace shining like new.