How To Clean A Stone Fireplace Front? – The Easiest Steps

Cleanliness is a very desired trait and knowing how to clean a stone fireplace front is not only desired but also crucial. 

With winter fast approaching, our fireplace would be used more often than before.

And, of course, with constant use of something comes maintenance which in this case would be cleaning your fireplace. 

Thankfully, this writer is well-equipped with the knowledge of the best way to clean a stone fireplace front.

Cleaning a stone fireplace is quite easy using various simple steps that would be discussed in the article. The equipment used is also accessible to all if not most like vacuum cleaners, cleaning cloths, and some soap.

Why Clean A Stone Fireplace Front

Before we jump into the cleaning, I know most of you are wondering what the fuss is all about.

The regular cleaning of your stone fireplace, in general, is not only hygienic, but it is also important, especially the front and the chimney.

Reason #1: For Health Safety 

The main reason for all this fuss about wanting to know how to stone fireplace fronts is safety.

Well, this is aside from the fact that it would look much better when cleaned. 

Your inability to clean the fireplace front properly can lead to blockage in some cases, soot buildup, creosote, and so many more. 

All these can harm the people living in the house and can cause death by carbon monoxide poisoning or other toxic gasses.

I know you are wondering how not cleaning the front can lead to all this.

But the dirt and other things left unchecked can be blown into the fireplace causing all the things listed above. 

Note: This is why it is important to clean the fireplace front regularly to avoid all these and more.

Reason #2: Permanent Dirt Stains

Asides from that, if the fireplace front isn’t cleaned regularly and properly, the stains will set on the stone.

The stain can become somewhat permanent and become hard to get rid of. 

Note: Permanent stains would be stressful for you and would make the fireplace look bad and constantly dirty.

How To Clean A Stone Fireplace Front? – Steps

As I said earlier on in this article, there are several methods of cleaning a stone fireplace front.

Since it is a stone fireplace, the cleaning procedure is different and a bit more complicated. 

You would have to consider the stone for any cleaning products you decide to make use of. 

Here are the steps involved.

Step #1: Prepare The Fireplace For Cleaning

Some fireplaces have a covering that keeps the wood ash and other things from coming out but not your stone fireplace front.

It is rare to have a covering in front of a stone fireplace. 

This is why you have to clear everything in the fireplace before trying to clean the front so as not to get messy.  

This would involve cleaning the inside of the fireplace itself by sweeping out or vacuuming the wood ash left behind. 

You have to be careful when doing this so as not to stain the fireplace front further.

You can make use of a sellotape or something on the fireplace front before clearing out the fireplace.

After clearing out the inside of the fireplace and making sure there’s no solid dirt left, you can then remove the tapes used. 

Step #2: Clean The Fireplace Itself 

This part is totally optional, depending on how far you are willing to go to clean your stone fireplace front.

You have to dust the inside of the fireplace with a rag, making sure you get all the soot stuck on the surfaces. 

After dusting to the best of your abilities, you can then proceed to clean with soap and water and an entirely different rag. 

Tip: You only have to clean the inside of the fireplace if there is soot buildup, if not, you can skip this part.

Step #3: Get Your Gears Ready!

This is the part where we get down to the real business.

Get your gloves, face masks, and maybe safety goggles just to be on the safer side, and also your cleaning equipment ready. 

You need your brush, a bucket, soap, and some other cleaning agents. 

Before we jump into anything, you need to have your cleaning solutions on standby cause you have to use most of them simultaneously. 

The first thing to have is a multipurpose cleaner. Then you need a solution of soap and water.

The last one that would come in handy for our last step is trisodium phosphate. 

Considering how strong it is, for every cup of trisodium phosphate, you need a gallon of water to balance it.

Tip: It is important to make use of a glove because the cleaning chemicals can be harsh on the skin.

Step #4: Start Cleaning

You start cleaning with the multipurpose cleaner by using it and a sponge to wash the dirt buildup on the stones, so you spray and scrub. 

After that you’re going to make use of the cleaning solution you can earlier and the brush to scrub the stubborn parts on the stone.

After that, you make use of the multipurpose cleaner one last time and the sponge to see the progress. 

You can repeat the process if you are not satisfied with the result. If you are pleased with what you have, you can then proceed to the last part. 

This part involves our last special mixture of trisodium phosphate. I call it the final cleaning because it is obviously the last unless you want to repeat the process.

Tip: Your fireplace can be cleaned by a professional cleaner at least twice a year or more than that if used often. 

Step #5: Rinse Off Properly

After all the chemicals used, I think we all know why it is important to rinse the area properly to avoid leaving residue.

So rinse off as often as possible until you are sure there’s no cleaning chemical left.

Step #6: Dry Off

It is important to leave the front of the fireplace as dry as possible. Leaving it wet is more likely to make it get dirty faster.

So dry it off with a cloth and leave it for some time before doing anything else.

How To Keep A Stone Fireplace Clean

We are now familiar with the why and the how of cleaning a stone fireplace front but that doesn’t mean that’s all there is to know.

It is one thing to know how to clean the front of a stone fireplace is one thing, to be able to keep it clean is another.

Your fireplace’s dirt and smoke are sure to stain the stones around it quickly.

Once the dirt settles on the stone and the tiny corners, it might be a little hard to get rid of the stains. 

We can prevent the dirt, but to reduce the chances of it permanently setting in on the stone, it is best to seal the stone.

You can make use of a spray sealer since it is the easiest to make use of.

By sealing the stone, the front of the stone fireplace wouldn’t get dirty easily.

Also, cleaning it would be very easy with little to no complications.

Tip: You can also make use of fireplace screens when making use of the fireplace.

Conclusion

Cleanliness is ideal not only because it makes everything look better, which, I must also say, is just quite divine. 

It is because it keeps us safe from a lot of things that could harm us, like germs and other toxic things. This is why it is important to know how to clean regularly. 

So, in conclusion to all that has been said so far, we can all see the importance of knowing how to clean a stone fireplace front properly and regularly.

We should be able to enjoy the coziness of our fireplace without being at any risk.

I hope this article has been helpful. Thank you for your time and patience. Stay safe!

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