How to Clean a Fireplace Insert?
Maintaining a clean and well-serviced fireplace is crucial for any home, as it provides a warm, cozy atmosphere and a stylish appearance to any room. However, cleaning a fireplace insert can be challenging and messy, so it’s important to follow a few proper techniques to ensure its safety and longevity.
Regular cleaning of the fireplace insert helps prevent the accumulation of creosote, a black, tar-like substance that builds up inside the chimney. Also, it is recommended to clean the fireplace insert at least once a year or more frequently if you often light fires.
But before jumping into the cleaning phase, ensure that the installed gas fireplace insert in your home is not old and functioning properly. This blog provides a list of tools that are required for cleaning fireplace inserts and tips to clean it on your own.
Tools You Need to Clean a Fireplace Insert
To get the job done right of cleaning a fireplace insert, you’ll need the following tools;
1. Newspaper/Tarp: Before starting, it’s important to cover the surroundings with the help of old newspapers/tarp sheets.
2. Fireplace Shovel: A fireplace shovel is a flat-ended shovel specifically designed to remove ash and debris from your fireplace. It’s an essential tool to clean your fireplace insert, making it easy to shovel the ash and debris without making a mess.
3. Ash Vacuum: Ash vacuum is a special vacuum cleaner designed to remove ash from your fireplace insert. This tool prevents the mess from spreading to other parts of your home.
4. Small Wire Brush/Toothbrush: There are three types of small wire brushes, which are; nylon bristles, brass bristles, and stainless steel bristles. The purpose is to clean all the small & narrow spaces inside the fireplace inserts.
5. Heavy-Duty Brush: A heavy-duty chimney brush is a long-handled brush that helps you reach deep into your chimney to remove soot and creosote buildup. It’s important to use the correct size brush for your chimney to ensure that you can effectively clean it.
6. Dishwashing Soap (1 tsp): Dishwashing soap is a part of the solution that you can use to clean the fireplace insert, firebox glass, or chimney.
7. Baking Soda (1/2 cup)/Vinger (1 tsp): Again, a part of the solution that is used to scour the fireplace insert.
8. Warm Water (1 gal): Add the solution prepared with dish soap, baking soda, and vinegar to warm water of 1 gallon.
9. 2 Buckets: We need 2 plastic buckets.
10. Gloves: Cleaning your fireplace insert can be dirty, so it’s important to wear gloves to protect your hands from ash and soot.
11. Dust Mask: A dust mask is a must when cleaning your fireplace insert, as it protects you from inhaling ash and soot.
12. Rags: For the final step, you need rags to wipe down the fireplace insert.
Step-by-Step Tips for Cleaning a Fireplace Insert
Fireplace inserts are specially designed to fit inside a pre-existing firebox and offer greater insulation and efficiency compared to traditional masonry fireplaces. These inserts are constructed to easily integrate into your existing fireplace with improved heating energy efficiency.
Suppose you light a fireplace on a daily basis, then it requires regular cleaning. And if you are doing it on your own – follow these step-by-step tips for Fireplace Insert cleaning.
1. Prepare the Area: Start by laying down a plastic tarp or several layers of newspapers in front of the fireplace to protect your floor from dirt and debris.
2. Remove Items: Take out any wood, grates, and tools from inside and around the fireplace.
3. Clean Loose Debris: Use a small shovel to remove ash and debris, or vacuum up loose grit as much as possible.
4. Scrub the Fireplace: Use a heavy-duty wire brush to scrub the inside of the fireplace, focusing on removing creosote from the walls. Clean the door and hinge with the help of a small wire brush, baby bottle brush, or toothbrush.
5. Vacuum the Surroundings: An ash vacuum with a long hose helps to clean up the loosened dirt and creosote in the surroundings of the fireplace.
6. Clean with Cleaning Solution: Mix a teaspoon of liquid dish soap, half a cup of baking soda, a teaspoon of vinegar, and one gallon of warm water in a bucket. Use the solution to clean the entire fireplace insert inside out. Rinse with clean water and dry with a cloth.
7. Use Rags to Wipe the Creosote: Use a rag to clean all the creosote and grime that have built up inside the fireplace insert.
8. Dry the Fireplace Insert: Make sure to dry the insert with a clean cloth.
9. Clean Firebox Glass: Spray a window cleaner or white vinegar on the glass parts of the fireplace insert. Wipe away any grime that has accumulated on the doors. If the debris is tough, use a brush to scrub and then wipe the cleaner with a towel paper.
10. Reassemble & Dispose: Put back the grate, logs, and tools, and dispose of the plastic tarp or newspapers.
Receive Full Assistance for Your Fireplace Insert Needs
If you’re planning to get service of gas insert fireplace installation in your home, then consider hiring a professional expert from Complete Chimneys. Our experts provide you the full-service assistance to install a gas fireplace insert and guide you about the fireplace cleaning and sweeping. Also, ensure you that it will operate safely and efficiently throughout the year.
