It’s frustrating! You have a brand new house and a fireplace. After a few uses, black soot appears. Perhaps worse, you have lived with this problem in your family room for many years. I understand your feelings. In the past, I have had to deal in multiple houses with soot problems.
What is soot?
Soot is basically when the charcoal or wood you are using in your fireplace doesn’t fully combusts, and it comes out as dust.
I will soon be sharing some of the most effective ways to deal with this issue.
The risks.
Let’s get down to business before we move on to the next steps. Soot can be dangerous and can occur from many sources, not just your fireplace. Soot can attach to brickwork, even candles.
Take into account.
You’ll first need to learn about soot residue. It’s an acidic substance that can be difficult to remove from brick hearths or brick mantels.
It is not easy to clean up if there is a lot of it. Also, I consider whether the removal is large-scale or small-scale when it comes down to soot removal.
Due to the dangers I mentioned earlier, it is important to address soot damage caused by house fires as soon as possible.
In that instance, you may need to contact a professional. However, if this is not possible, make sure to wear protective gear, such as a respirator and gloves. It’s a good idea to open at least one window to ensure your safety.
Steps To Remove Soot
Let’s get down to the real problem. We will also learn how to clean fireplace bricks.
This cleaning solution is effective if you are trying to remove soot from a chimney, brickwork, white brick, or brickwork.
It’s delicious and stronger than baking soda, which I enjoy. This will also be useful if you are trying to get rid of BBQ soot from your fire bricks.
You Can Remove Soot Stains Easily
Step 1: Order your supplies
You will need the following:
- Hot water
- Trisodium-phosphate
- A scrub brush
- Use a clean cloth
- Rubber gloves, goggles, and dust mask for safety
- Drop cloths are also great for big jobs!
Step 2: Mix it up
Mixing a small amount of warm water and trisodium phosphate will give you all the ingredients you need to get started scrubbing.
TSP is a great cleaning agent. It is safe to use and tastes better than plain water and baking soda.
Step 3: Dip your scrub brush in
It’s as simple as the title suggests. Just dip your scrub brush in the bucket of water, and you can start scrubbing off stubborn smoke stains from your fireplace surround or any other red-brick surface.
Step 4: Get started brushing
The chemical agent should be able to remove the stain quickly (in under two minutes). As needed, scrub the area with a stiff brush.
Step 5: Clean it off
To get rid of any excess solution on the wall, you can simply dip the cloth into some water.
Soot Eraser Sponges
If none of the above works, or you feel more comfortable using professional scrub products, then continue reading to find out about the products available and how to use them.
There are many scrub products available, but I will only briefly highlight my favorites. If you want to clean the soot off your car without water, this is the best soot cleaner.
Dry Cleaning Soot Eraser Spoon: Another great dry cleaning product that can remove dirt and dust. These sponges can be used to remove soot from brick walls prior to painting. These sponges can also be used to remove soot from fireplaces.
Step 1: Understand these products
These soot removal products won’t work for every situation. They are best used to remove small soot stains. They are still very effective.
These sponges can also be used to clean soot from surfaces other than brickwork.
Step 2: Buy the products
There are many products available, so you don’t have to purchase these.
Step 3: Using your chosen product
These dry cleaning products are easy to clean and take only a few minutes.
Just scrub the area until all the soot is gone.
An Alternative To Chemicals – A Non-Chemical, Free Option
This solution may be the best option if you aren’t interested in purchasing a new product but are concerned about the possible ramifications of using scrubbing chemicals indoors on brick walls.
Remember: This is an excellent choice if you are dealing with painted bricks since it does not run the risk of scrubbing paint off.
Step 1: Identifying what you need
You will need the following to do this:
- Dish soap
- Warm water
- A small bucket and a sponge
- Courage and grit
Although I joke about the last one, it will take some perseverance.
You may also require the following:
- White vinegar
Step 2: Add the dish soap to your hands
Combine some dish soap with warm water in a small bowl.
Step 3: Clean up
Use a sponge to clean the water. Then, use the hot water to start swiping clockwise or counterclockwise until all the soot is gone.
The same sponge can be used to wash the dish soap solution from the wall.
Step 4: What if all else fails?
If the scrub is still not coming off after a few minutes, you can mix some white vinegar with water.
Keep brushing against the wall, just like before. This can be used to eliminate efflorescence from brick. Yes, elbow grease is effective for many purposes!
Keep This In mind
These solutions can be used to clean soot from stone walls or other areas.
For example, sponges can be used to cover furniture, blinds, and paintings. Powdered soot can be used in ovens and on cooking ranges.
Personally, I have been able to use the trisodium phosphate solution for cleaning various other items, such as grease.
This is true for dish soap and white vinegar solutions. Both can be used to remove other black stains from different areas of your house, such as the kitchen.
