The Ultimate DIY guide to cleaning your wood-burning fireplace at home

The Ultimate DIY guide to cleaning your wood-burning fireplace at home
9 March 2022
The Ultimate DIY guide to cleaning your wood-burning fireplace at home

As the nights grow shorter and the temperatures start to rise, it finally feels like we’ve left the snowy conditions and the depths of winter behind us. Although it will still be a month or so until the leaves return to the trees and the daffodils start to bloom, it’s definitely time to start thinking about spring cleaning our homes.

 

How to clean a fireplace

When it comes to spring cleaning, one area you should really pay attention to is your fireplace. After such a long and cold winter, your fireplace will likely be in need of some TLC. By using a little elbow grease and cleaning your fireplace on your own, you’ll feel a great sense of satisfaction. Plus, by getting rid of the dust and debris, you’ll transform the space. 

Whether your fireplace is wood-burning or gas-burning, fireplace cleaning is easy when you know what to do. The whole process will take you under two hours and will leave your fireplace safe, cosy and clean. 

If you want to learn how to clean a stone fireplace (or other types of fireplaces), after a very cold winter, then read our tutorial below to see just how easy it is. 

 

1. Start a fire 

Now we know what you’ll be thinking; ‘why would I start a fire when I want to clean my fireplace?’ We get it. This step may seem counterproductive for cleaning but it’s actually very useful. If you start a small fire, the heat from it will help loosen the soot inside the log burner, saving you hours of scrubbing. It only needs to be a small fire, enough to help loosen the built up soot and as soon as the fire is out and the stove has cooled down, you can get to cleaning!

 

2. Prep yourself and your surroundings 

After the winter we’ve had, it’s more than likely that there’s going to be a mess when cleaning as ash and soot are prone to fall everywhere, however careful you try to be. So, before you begin, make sure to cover any furniture that is close to your stove dust sheets. If you don’t have dust sheets, old bedding big enough to cover the furniture is also a great alternative. 

Cleaning a fireplace isn’t going to be the tidiest of chores so we believe it goes without saying to make sure you’re dressed correctly. Old clothes that you don’t mind getting mucky are going to be your best choice, and ensure you have a couple of bin bags nearby for rubbish. By spending the time prepping your fireplace area, you’ll save a lot of time cleaning when you’re done!

 

3. Make a cleaning solution

Combine washing up liquid with baking soda and plenty of warm water in a large bucket. Then, grab a pair of gloves and a stiff-bristled brush and take them to your fireplace. 

 

4. Remove the andirons and grate 

Take the andirons and grate out of your firebox (where the logs in your fireplace burn), making sure as much debris as possible falls back into the fire. Then, scrub them thoroughly with washing up liquid and water. If you want to add that extra bit of sparkle, you can also use metal polish once dry. 

 

5. Get rid of the debris 

If there are any large pieces of debris, start off by moving these away with your hands or a shovel if you don’t want your hands to get dirty and place them straight into your bin bag. Then once all of the large pieces have been removed, use a hand-held vacuum to help with the smallest bits.

 

6. Start scrubbing!

If you start at the top and work your way down, you’re not creating more work for yourself by going over what you have already cleaned. With the cleaning solution you made earlier, scrub the inside of your fireplace using your stiff-bristled brush, this step may need to be repeated a few times depending on how dirty your fireplace is. Don’t worry though, it won’t take long. 

 

7. Clean the surrounding brickwork

While the inside of your fireplace dries, you may also spot that the surround of your fireplace needs cleaning too. To do this, use a solution made from cream of tartar and water. If you have a soot stain that’s particularly stubborn, you may need to use a specialist cleaning solution, like a trisodium phosphate cleaner. 

8. Get a shiny glass finish 

If your fire has glass doors, then clean them simply using glass cleaner and paper towels. If the doors are particularly dirty, try washing them with warm water and washing up liquid first, this will save you lots of time. If you haven’t cleaned the glass in a long time and it has blackened, you may need a specialist cleaner. 

 

9. Make a cuppa, sit back and admire your work

Once you’ve cleaned the door, open it back up and leave everything to air dry, make a cuppa and pat yourself on the back for a job well done. Once the whole fireplace is dry and clean, you can replace the andirons and grate before lighting it. Your fireplace will be Instagram ready once again!



Now your fireplace is fresh and clean, it also deserves some new top-quality fuel to go with its new look. We have a great variety of products, suitable for all types of appliances, including kindling, natural firelighters and heat logs to help start your fires. To keep those flames alight all night long, we have kiln dried logs that burn for hours, and smokeless coal options that last longer than traditional house coal.

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