Time To Clean the Fireplace

It's that time of year when you want to relax with a big cup of hot chocolate next to a perfect fire in the fireplace. The only thing is you need to give it a good cleaning out before that first fire.

You will need the following items:

Newspaper, old sheets or anything to cover your flooring
Long rubber gloves
Small bucket with warm soapy water
Rags to clean with
ShopVac or a small broom
Garbage bags

In order to properly clean the fireplace you must first remove everything from around the hearth out of the way. You should then lay something down on the floor or carpet, like old sheets, so that it will not be damaged by any of the ashes or dirt.

Once you have everything moved out of the way and covered, you should then put on your long rubber gloves. The gloves will help to protect your hands from dirt and soot while removing the grate from the fireplace. Take your rag and dip it into the bucket of warm soapy water so you can clean as much ash and soot from the removed grate. Let the grate sit and dry while you continue cleaning.

Use your ShopVac or broom to remove all old ashes from the fireplace and any surrounding areas. For the fine layers of soot that remain use your damp rinsed out rag to wipe it away. It would also be a good idea to use the same rag to clean the flute, if possible, and walls of the fireplace. At this point you can put the grate back into the fireplace and begin to set your pieces of wood for a warm, cozy fire. Sit back and relax!

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Orignal From: Time To Clean the Fireplace