We all love the coziness of a burning fire in the fireplace. And only few of us are entitled to do the clean up afterwards.

Before you begin the cleaning, make sure that the fireplace and any ashes in it have completely cooled. Always put on protective clothing, rubber gloves, eyewear and a dust mask. You may also want to put some newspapers or a plastic drop cloth in front of the fireplace, especially if you have carpeting near it.

First, remove the hearth. Next, shovel, or sweep away any ashes and make sure that you dispose of them safely. Then go over the surface with a hard bristle brush and very hot water. A Soot Eraser can clean the soot from the walls around your fireplace. For the firebox itself you can use specialized commercial cleaning products or the following homemade solutions.

Mix up some soap, table salt and a little water until the solution has a cream like consistency. Rub the solution onto the bricks using a cloth and leave it for about ten minutes. Scrape the cream off with a hard handled brush.

Or you can mix some soap, pumice, a small amount of ammonia and hot water together into a thick solution. Again apply the solution over the bricks and let it dry for a few minutes. Scrape it off with a brush.

Finally, rinse the cleaned surfaces with lots of warm water and let them dry. Vacuum thoroughly around the fireplace to remove the soot.

Sweeping the hearth regularly during the time period of usage will keep the soot at minimum and the deep cleaning of the fireplace will be fairly easy in the springtime.