Light My Fireplace
Dear Home911,
Our house in Tagaytay has a fireplace. Though we rarely use it (only in December and January, when it’s cold), it has become so dirty. How do you clean a fireplace?
Answer : By Tanya T. Lara
You clean a fireplace the same way you clean a grimy oven: With a lot of grumbling and complaining. Seriously, Haley’s Cleaning Hints by Graham and Rosemary Haley suggests that when sweeping ashes from a fireplace, sprinkle, wet coffee grounds on the ashes to keep the dust from spreading. Scrub the stone fireplace with two cups of distilled white vinegar, one cup of ammonia and 1/2 cup baking soda. If your fireplace has glass doors, clean them with an oven cleaner and rinse with water. Oven cleaners are available at hardware stores. If they’re not specifically labeled “oven cleaner,†look for orange-based cleaners that work well on ovens.
