Tired of having a wall blackened by chimney soot?
It's true that it's not very nice to have stains on bricks and stones...
So, how to clean them easily and quickly?
Every winter, we ask ourselves the same question, but this year it's the right one!
My grandmother gave me her best and most effective and easy tips for cleaning chimney soot.
Here are 12 tricks to easily remove traces of soot on the floor and the wall of the fireplace . Watch:
Let's start with the simplest! The vacuum cleaner.
It is in any case an essential step to know the extent of the damage.
A good vacuum cleaner removes as much soot as possible.
Be careful, the nozzle of the vacuum cleaner must not touch the surface.
Hopefully you won't need to do more!
This will be all the more effective if the stains are recent.
It is better that the soot has not had time to become embedded.
Hence the interest of doing this household chore regularly.
Are there any traces left?
I admit that my first reflex to clean the soot is to use a damp sponge.
Well, that's just what you should NEVER do.
Believe me, if you do that, you'll spread the soot marks on the walls or the floor.
And there, hello the hassle to make them leave. Especially on a white wall!
Just take a dry sponge and pass it over the soot to remove it.
You can also use a soft cloth.
Are the traces embedded?
There is a surprising trick to cleaning them.
The trick is to use talcum powder . It's also very easy.
Put talcum powder on all surfaces.
How will you ask me?
By simply using a large brush or a washcloth.
Leave it on for 5 minutes then remove it with a vacuum cleaner or a dry sponge.
This is probably the most unusual trick of all.
The loaf of bread is an effective grandmother's trick for removing soot without water.
Imagine that it shares an interesting property with talc.
It has absorbency very important.
Just knead it between your fingers to make a ball.
Then dab dirty areas with it to remove stains.
In general, we use soda crystals in difficult situations.
It is an effective multi-purpose cleaner and a degreaser fearsome.
It is therefore perfect for cleaning very dirty surfaces.
To clean the soot, put 1 liter of hot water in a basin.
Then put on household gloves.
Add 1 cup of soda crystals to the basin of water and stir.
Dip a nylon brush into the mixture and scrub the stains.
All that remains is to rinse.
Never overlook the power of white vinegar to get rid of stubborn stains.
In a basin, put lukewarm water. Then add white vinegar.
The proportions to respect are 1 liter of water for 3 glasses of white vinegar.
Now dip a rag into the mixture.
Pass it on the traces and rinse.
Be careful, white vinegar is very acidic.
Therefore, this solution should not be applied to bricks.
But on the other hand, it is perfect for finding perfectly clean tiles.
A variant is to use soapy water with vinegar.
We proceed in the same way, but we add a little dishwashing product in the vinegar water.
As always, baking soda comes to the rescue to remove the most stubborn stains .
To remove soot stains from the fireplace mantel, wall or floor, wet a stiff brush with lukewarm water.
Sprinkle it with baking soda.
Rub traces with it and rinse.
Not only is baking soda an excellent cleaner, but it is also an outstanding deodorizer.
Handy for getting rid of soot odors!
Black soap is a powerful natural product to clean and degrease any surface.
Want some advice? You should always have some at home.
It is an essential multi-purpose product, especially for cleaning soot.
To do this, put hot water in a basin.
And add a few drops of black soap.
Soak this mixture in a stiff brush or sponge.
It all depends on the surface to be treated.
Then rub the traces. Rinse quickly.
If you have a metal surface full of soot, you can give preference to this option using a sponge.
Clay stone or silver stone is an unknown natural product.
And that's a shame. Because in many cases, it is incredibly effective against dirt.
Here there is little risk that traces of soot will resist it!
Dampen a sponge and rub it against the clay stone.
Then pass the sponge over the stones of the fireplace and rinse them before drying them before a cloth.
Do you know that you can make your own clay stone with this recipe?
For cleaning very dirty stones and bricks , there is a formidable solution.
With this recipe, you don't have to buy chimney cleaner!
In a basin, put a cup of baking soda, 2 tablespoons of soda crystals and a tablespoon of citric acid.
Add a teaspoon of liquid soap (Marseille soap, black soap, etc.).
And mix well with a spatula.
Add 1/2 cup of water and mix again.
With a stiff brush, take the mixture and scrub the stains.
Then rinse.
This is a solution to be used only as a last resort...
As you probably know, bleach is a chemical product that is dangerous for health and the environment.
But if you have no other options, pour a few drops of bleach into a basin of cold water.
Using a sponge soaked in this mixture, rub the stains then rinse.
You can also use an oven cleaner.
But you know, this product is quite toxic .
Put on gloves to use it. And open the windows wide.
Then spray the product on the stains.
Leave on for 15 min.
Brush through and rinse.
And they should not be used on bricks. Think about it!
Small detail that is very important...
All of these cleaning tips can be used when the fireplace is off and the soot is cold .
Here is a thorough cleaning of your chimney to do at the end of the season...
When you are sure not to use your fireplace anymore , follow this routine:
1. Soak a brush in pure bleach, then brush off the dirty stones.
2. Boil water and pour it into a basin. Add 1 capful of black soap for 0.5 liters of water.
3. When the mixture is less hot, dip the brush in it and rub the stones with it.
4. Are there still traces of soot? Add 10 cl of ammonia per liter of water to the soapy water.
5. Spread the mixture on the stones using a large brush.
6. Leave on for several hours.
7. Use a pumice stone to scrub stubborn stains.
8. Mix water and black soap again. Dampen the brush with the mixture and scrub the stones.
9. Rinse with clean water.
