House Cleaning and Stain Removal Forum

[cucura]

I was wondering if it is possible to remove dark brownish staining from the surface of a stone fireplace. It looks like the stain is from the time when it was a wood burning fireplace, now it is converted to gas.
Thanks you,
CC

[mrscleannw]

Hello cucura,

You are right about the stain coming from the wood fireplace.

As a fireplace burns, it will emit soot and dust which will transfer onto the stones of the fireplace. A good place to start is by using TSP, Trisodium Phosphate, you can purchase this at your local hardware store. This can be highly effective for cleaning the stone but some care should be taken as it is a very powerful cleaner.

Follow the steps below to clean the your fireplace stone:

1. Wear a pair of heavy duty rubber gloves to protect your skin and a pair of goggles to protect your eyes as TSP is caustic and can cause burns if it comes in contact with your skin.
2. Vent the room you are working in as TSP’s fumes can be overpowering.
3. If you have pets or children, keep them out of the room until the fumes from cleaning have dissipated.
4. Have a scrub brush ready.
5. Mix the TSP in a bucket of warm water, following package instructions for mixing.
6. Scrub until the stains from the soot are gone making sure to dip your scrub brush a few times during the process.
7. Using a clean bucket of plain, warm water rinse the stones again with your scrub brush to remove any leftover soot.
8. Dry the stone with a clean cloth to prevent molding.
9. Repeat the process if necessary.

Mrs. Clean

[cucura]

thank you for the help. i will try this and report back. cucura