3 Coal Fireplace Insert Cleaning Supplies You Need

While a coal fireplace insert purchased today burns much cleaner than their counterparts even a few years ago, there are still some cleaning supplies and tips that will come in handy.

Naptha Soap
This cleaner is an old favorite of grandmothers. It works wonders as a prespot cleaner on whites, but it also works great on a coal fireplace insert. It is sometimes marketed as Fals Naptha Soap

Even though the coal inserts of today are cleaner than those in the past, there are still surfaces in the insert that become covered with soot. Once the season is done, try cleaning all sooty surfaces with this cleaning solution and an old nylon brush.

Mix 3 quarts of water, one bar of naptha soap, shaved or grated into the water in a pan. Boil and add 1 c. ammonia and 1 lb. pumice. Cool. Using the stiff brush, apply the substance to any surface that is covered with soot.

Let the mixture stand for 1 hour or longer, then rinse with warm water and brush off “gook” that remains.

Dish Soap
It sounds almost too simple, but dish soap actually works wonders on the slightly greasy smoke and soot that coal produces.

Those same ingredients that cut through bacon grease work for the sticky coal ash on the fireplace insert.

Using a solution of warm water and a few drops of dish detergent, wash the surfaces of the insert to remove any residue.

Chimney Cleaning Brush
It’s important to keep your chimney clean of creosote build up and soot. A stiff chimney brush helps in the process.

While you can clean chimneys yourself, it may be safer to hire a professional, insured chimney sweep to do the annual chimney cleaning on your liner to prevent accidental fires.