Whether you’ve just moved into a home with a fireplace or whether you’re moving out of a home with a fireplace, you’ll have to clean this space before you use it (and after every season). Cleaning a fireplace isn’t hard to do, but you will need a few things to prepare for this cleaning chore.
What to Gather
- Rubber gloves
- Trashcan
- Towel that can be used as a rag
- Spray bottle that contains water
- A bucket of cleaning solution
- Scrub brush
- Commercial fireplace cleaner (can be found at most hardware stores)
- The fireplace tools that come with a fireplace (brush, etc.)
Cleaning Around The Fireplace
Clean the bricks using a few sprays from the water bottle, and wipe the area clean with a rag. After that, use the commercial fireplace cleaner to get rid of any soot buildup inside of the fireplace area. Use the cleaning solution to clean the inside area around the fireplace, and get rid of any burnt bits of wood or other debris that might be visible. You can also use the cleaning solution to get rid of any buildup that’s on the inside of outside of your fireplace gate, and just wipe that area with a clean cloth following the application of the solution.
If you have bricks that surround the outside of your fireplace, I’m going to caution you against using any harsh chemicals on this area until you know how old the bricks are. Bricks that are more than fifty years old could actually start to disintegrate with today’s harsh chemical cleaners, so do keep this in mind. The best way to clean any older bricks is with a gentle solution of soap and warm water (dish or laundry soap works well).
The Inside of Your Chimney
While it’s okay to clean both the outside and inside of your fireplace, you should not attempt to clean the inside of your chimney on your own. If you do not know when the last time that the chimney was cleaned was, try and figure this out by asking the old owners, or hire a chimney cleaning company to make sure that the area is cleaned out properly. You don’t want to make the mistake of using the wrong cleaner, or of not cleaning the chimney properly, since this could cause a soot fire.
If you’ve just moved into a place, have the chimney cleaned before you start a fire. As tempting as it might be to cozy up to a fire, it’s a lot safer if you know that the area has been cleaned first! Once that’s done, enjoy your fireplace all winter long – and consider yourself lucky, since fireplaces are a rare thing these days!
Hiring Denver Moving Companies
When it comes to hiring Denver moving companies, make sure to choose one that you can trust. Exodus has been around for many years, and we pride ourselves on being one of the best Denver moving companies in the area. Are you moving to Cherry Creek? Whether you are moving to Cherry Creek or to any other area in Colorado, we’d love to help. Contact us today for rates or for more information, and find us on Facebook to connect with us directly.