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A fireplace is an object of such great joy and comfort. It is easy to picture out the whole family or a group of friends on the hearth of a stone fireplace wrapped in blankets, swapping storied and sharing eggnog or marshmallows. In one's imagination, all this may seem so soothing and appealing. This is probably why many families still choose to have a wood or stone fireplace around. The thing is, when winter is over, one is invariably faced with the prospect of having to scrub a stone fireplace clean. All of a sudden everyone just wants to keep as far away as possible form what was once a cozy stone fireplace.
There are of course, many different ways to clean a stone fireplace. You should take into consideration such things as stone fireplace material, fireplace age, fireplace condition and cleaning implements and ingredients to be used. Be forewarned that not every solution is full proof and may even damage your stone fireplace depending on its condition and the existence of previous damages. You should try different ideas for cleaning a stone fireplace with the understanding that you may be experimenting.
During Winter
It would help you a lot if you tried to minimize the dirt on your stone fireplace while you are actually using it. You should consider putting an aluminum sheet under your stone fireplace grate and pulling the sheet out after use so that you don't have to extensively sweep the ashes out. Of course, you can always do it the old fashioned way and clean the ash with a broom and dustpan. For soot problems, a good home remedy is to throw some salt into the fire to get rid of the unsightly black stains.
Homemade Solutions
You can clean the soot off your stone fireplace wall and face by using a variety of homemade methods. You can try a few for your stone fireplace but not every solution will work. Some will recommend spraying water on the stone fireplace face or wall to make the absorption of the cleaning implements faster. Others however would simply recommend gentle scrubbing with a combination of water and detergent. You can also try washing the stone with an all purpose cleaner first and then scrubbing with mild body soap and water, intermittently applying the all purpose cleaner.
Trisodium Phosphate
If all else fails, mix a gallon of water with half a cup of trisodium phosphate and scrub your stone fireplace clean. This mixture is toxic though so you should make sure that you have a proper mask and gloves and that all your windows open for proper ventilations. Be certain that you have covered your other pieces of furniture or carpet.
The Experts
You probably can clean your stone fireplace on your own. You have to think though of calling in the experts at least once a year to thoroughly clean your fireplace of soot and ash. You chimney should of course be handled by experts and should be regularly checked for damages.
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