How to Clean a Brick Fireplace With Natural Products
Bricks are expected to last a lifetime, but they still need care. Restoring and cleaning your brick fireplace at least once a year can give your home a breath of new life. Bricks are made of hardened clay and are porous compounds. Some homeowners will hire professional cleaners who are experts in the types of products and techniques needed to clean brick fireplaces; but can be very expensive. So before you do that, let us give you some simple tips that will help you gain knowledge on how to clean your brick fireplace in a DIY-friendly way.
Not sure which cleaner to grab first? Here’s a quick side by side of the methods covered above. Match the method to your brick’s age and how bad the soot is, and you’ll save yourself a lot of scrubbing.
Brick Fireplace Cleaning Methods
| Method | The Mix | Best For | Sit Time | Watch Out For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vacuum + Soft Brush | No mix needed | Loose ash, dust, and debris before any wet cleaning | None | Always do this step first. Wet ash smears into paste. |
| White Vinegar + Water | 1 cup distilled white vinegar per gallon of cool water | Oily soot on newer brick | 5 minutes, then spray a second coat | Skip it if your brick is 20+ years old. The acid eats into aging brick. Neutralize after with a baking soda rinse. |
| Baking Soda + Dish Soap Paste | 5 oz baking soda with 2 to 3 tbsp dish soap | Everyday soot and grime, safe for older brick | 5 minutes | Rinse well with warm water so no chalky film is left behind. |
| Cream of Tartar Paste | 2 tbsp cream of tartar with a splash of water | Small stubborn soot spots | 5 to 10 minutes | Works in small batches. You may need a second round on heavy buildup. |
Whichever route you decide to take, scrub in small circles and work from the bottom up. It feels backwards, but it keeps dirty runoff from streaking the clean brick below you.
Restoring and Cleaning your Brick Fireplace
Remember that you should always be careful when cleaning your brick fireplace, especially with high-pressure hoses and acidic products in order to avoid weakening or staining the bricks.
Before you begin doing any actual scrubbing, you need to protect your floors from spills and possible stains by laying a waterproof cloth around the brick fireplace. Clear out ashes, grate, and debris inside the fireplace. Follow up with a vacuum with a soft brush and make sure that you take out as much ashes, dust, soot, and debris. Dispose safely.
Cleaning a Fireplace using Ordinary Household Items
Everything you need to get your brick fireplace in shape can be found as normal household items using simple cleaning solutions.
Vinegar, Salt, Baking Soda, and Soap
If your brick fireplace is not dated or more than 20 years old, using distilled white vinegar and water can be one of the best ways to clean oily soot off your brick fireplace. You may want to avoid this cleaning solution if your brick fireplace is more than 20 years old since the acidity of vinegar will cause abrasion to the bricks and may cause more damage than cure.
Should you use the vinegar solution, mix one gallon of cool water and one cup of distilled white vinegar. Fill a spray bottle with the solution leave it for 5 minutes and spray a second application. While the bricks are still wet, scrub the bricks with the brush moving in a small circular motion. Do this by working from the bottom up to avoid streaking.
In order to neutralize the acidity of the vinegar solution on the bricks, follow up with baking soda mixed with water. You can also try to use a cleaning paste by combining 2 to 3 tablespoons of dishwashing soap with 5 ounces of baking soda. Use a brush and dip it into the paste. Using small circular motions working from the bottom up, scrub the surface of the bricks. Leave the paste to sit for about 5 minutes before rinsing off the bricks with warm water.
For those small areas where soot is concentrated and rather stubborn, use cream of tartar in lieu of baking soda. Make a thin paste by combining 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar with a small amount of water. Apply the paste by using a small brush or toothbrush to the sooty area and leave it to sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse off the paste with warm water. Repeat these steps until all is cleaned off.
Video on How to Clean Fireplace Brick
for more related ideas visit our page on how to whitewash a brick fireplace here.
To showcase highly specific designs, some images on this website use advanced AI-generation software to illustrate ideas and room inspiration. See our editorial policy to learn more.
