Clean Your Fireplace Brick With Common Household Items You May Already Have On Hand

It's important to keep every part of your fireplace clean, both so it works properly and so it looks good. While it's natural for the fire itself to become visibly dirty, the surrounding bricks also get exposed to soot and ash. Because of this, they're bound to look less-than-clean after you've lit a fire a few times. The following cleaning method will ensure that you get every last bit of dirt off the brickwork. Best of all, it uses items you probably already have — dish soap, salt, and water – so there's no need to go out and spend money on new products.

You may feel that undertaking an extra cleaning task is pointless, but keep in mind that no matter how carefully you clean away the debris once the fire has burned out, there will always be some pesky soot particles left over. These particles will transfer onto the brick surround and could cause staining over time. Once you know how to clean fireplace bricks properly, you'll never have to look at soot-stained bricks again.

For this hack, you'll need Dawn dish soap, salt (or baking soda), and water. A stiff bristled brush and two cloths are also required. Firstly, put a protective cover down on your floor. Next, section out dish soap and salt/baking soda in equal parts (about 1 ounce per item). Mix them together with the water until a cream-like texture has formed. Grab one of the cloths and apply the mixture to the fireplace bricks you want to clean, making sure you spread the liquid evenly. Leave the mixture to do its work for approximately 10 minutes.

The next step is where the brush comes in — scrub the dish soap solution into the brickwork in circles — you may need to add more water for better scrubbing. Begin from the top so the mixture will sluice down the wall. Once you feel you have scrubbed enough, rinse the solution from the bricks with water and wipe with a clean cloth. Your fireplace should look much cleaner already, but you can repeat this process up to four times if the brick looks especially dirty.