• Aluminium
• Barbecue
• Baths
• Blinds
• Brass & Copper
• Cane Furniture
• Canvas
• Carpets
• Cast Iron Cookware
• Chrome
• Clothing (Stains & Smells)
• Dusters
• Enamelware
• Fireplaces
• Floors
• Furniture
• Gilt Frames
• Glassware
• Irons
• Kettles
• Linen
• Mahogany
• Marble
• Mirrors
• Silver

Protect against the mess. Wait at least until the next morning after your last fire and check in the ash that the fire has completely died out. Dress in old clothes and put on a pair of gloves, since you’re going to be touching moderately toxic substances. Sturdy leather will do but rubber household cleaning gloves are best.

Put some sheets of newspaper on the fireplace floor, arranging them so they go up the fireplace walls by several inches (centimeters); they will catch the soot you dislodge. Protect your furniture, carpet, and floors with a cheap plastic drop cloth. A large bin lined with at least two plastic bags will also prove helpful.

Pick up the fireplace grate or andirons and take them outside for later cleaning. Slowly shovel the ashes into a metal bucket or use a shop vacuum.

Clean deeply. Choose a wire brush used for cleaning barbeque grills or a heavy nylon brush. In a plastic bucket, mix six tablespoons of trisodium phosphate (TSP) or TSP substitute and a cup of chlorine bleach in a gallon (3.8 liters) of warm water. You could also use baking soda or vinegar if the caustic nature of the previous substances bothers you.

You may be bothered by how much gunk there is but that will soon be offset by how happy you’ll be when the fireplace walls are clean.Clean up and rinse. Carefully pick up the newspapers, now full of various carbon compounds no longer capable of harming you, and place them in the trash can you put nearby. With a sponge, rag, or paper towels, rinse the chimney walls and fireplace floor with clean water