Best Way to Keep a Fireplace Clean

Fireplaces can be different sizes depending on the size of the home and the room in which it is in. Many people will save money with their Fireplaces during the winter months because it does a great job of heating up the home and can even be used for cooking

The inside of the fireplace is referred to as the firepit – which is connected to the flue – also known as the chimney. The chimney is used to give the exhaust and gas a way to flow out of the home. Otherwise the home would fill up with smoke and fumes that could be harmful to people.

Many homes that are built in the northern parts of the United States come with a fireplace because of the cold temperatures that they deal with every winter. It is a feature that you can expect. Anyone looking to own a home with a fireplace must be able to take on the responsibility of keeping it clean. If you neglect the fireplace than dirt, ash, debris, and even bugs will build up and make it unusable.

There are three main parts to the Chimney that you need to keep clean; the firepit, chimney, and the grate. You can brush, vacuum, and wash out all of these parts. Cleaning your fireplace will not only keep your home looking fresh and clean – but it will also allow the fireplace to burn cleaner air.

When cleaning the fireplace the first thing you need to do is to remove all of the debris from inside of the firepit. You only need to pull out the pieces that are too large to be vacuumed up. This may include logs, paper, and anything else that you have used to burn a fire. After the debris has been removed you are free to vacuum out all of the ash and soot. Home vacuums can work – but the shop vacuums are more effective.

On the carpet in front of your fireplace lay down tarp or an old sheet and place newspaper on top of this and on the hearth and inside of the fireplace. Combine a gallon of warm water and one cup of bleach. Use this solution and a scrub brush to take off the remaining soot and creosote that is stuck to the inside of the firepit.

After you have washed it down thoroughly you are free to remove the newspapers and dry it off with old wash rags. Using the same solution you will need to scrub the floor of the modern fireplace. Again dry off with old wash rags.

The fireplace grates can be messy to clean which is why you need to do that outside. Just lay down an old sheet or several layers of newspaper and lay the grate on top of it. Use the bleach water solution or oven cleaner to scrub it down. The glass doors of the fireplace can be cleaned easily using any type of glass cleaner.

nlwest21
http://www.articlesbase.com/diy-articles/best-way-to-keep-a-fireplace-clean-756189.html