Tips For Keeping Your Fireplace Clean

Nothing makes the holiday's feel more like the holiday's than gathering with your family around the roaring fire in the fireplace. However, getting your fireplace prepped for the winter months can be an easy task for some, but for most it's not. Before you fire it up, it's important to either hire a professional to do an inspection all the way up through the chimney (if it's not electrical powered), or learn to do it properly on your own.

First Time Chimney Cleaning

Whether you want to do it on your own, or not - it's important to know how to properly clean your fireplace and chimney to keep it in a safe, working condition. If you want to learn how to do it on your own so you don't have to hire cleaners every season, then hire professionals the first time and let them teach you how to get the job done the right way.

Cleaning out the actual fireplace is a dirty job, but it's one that the homeowner can do on by themselves, but the chimney is more difficult territory. When you clean the chimney, the first thing a professional chimney cleaner is going to do is ensure the roof is stable, because on top of the roof is going to be main spot to get the cleaning done from. So, if you're afraid of heights - hire a professional.

Cleaning The Fireplace

Clearing the soot from inside your fireplace as we mentioned, is a very dirty job, but we're going to tell you how to get it clean while making the smallest mess possible. Here we go,

1.) Our first step is removing the grate and andirons from inside the fireplace - they'll be covered with soot so, make sure you're wearing gloves. Once you get them outside, wash them with a hose and make sure you use a nylon brush to get rid of the soot that's built up over time. Let them air dry.

2.) This is where things get messy. After you return to the fireplace, you want to use a shovel to remove the excess coal and debris and discard it in the trash can.

3.) Once you've removed all the loose debris from the floor of the fireplace, get your nylon brush and scrub the interior walls of the fireplace to remove any staining that may have come from burning wood. The best way to ensure you don't dirty the floor of the fireplace again is to take newspapers and line the floor so the soot has something to fall on.

4.) After you discard the newspapers that have been collecting the soot, take a vacuum cleaner to collect the rest of the dust and ash.

Now after those four easy steps are completed, your fireplace should be good to go once you put the grate back inside. So, go enjoy your clean fireplace and time with your family. In the event that you're looking to remodel your fireplace area, contact Fireside Chimney Supply for an affordable and elegant alternative to your old fireplace.