What's the best way to get stains off of the brick surround of a fireplace?

Question

I tried a few homemade remedies but nothing helped. I have small pets and do not want to use muriatic acid until it becomes a last resort. Also , the interior (yellow hearth brick) is discolored , what would work on that?

Answer 1

your best bet would be muriatic acid I have a dog as well i kept him away while I done it you dilute it with water I seen at I believe it was home depot whats called a fireplace eraser it eliminates smoke marks or what appear to be that I used it and it worked great it is similar to the one they have to take out coffee and tea stains out of your cups if you use the acid just keep the window open and a fan pushing out the window hoped this helped

Answer 2

It may be difficult to get these clean. You could try some natural type cleaners such as an orange based cleaner, but if you do buy the concentrated type from a specialised cleaning store and try it neat on the bricks. I have not tried this to know if it works, but I do know that undiluted cleaner works a treat on other things in many situations. You could also try some concentrated truck cleaner, but I like the orange one because it is much safer and smells great.

If you cant get them clean consider buying a suitable paint to match and painting it. Go to a good paint store and discuss your needs with them - this is a last resort but may work well too. I had a friend who bought a house with discoloured pale coloured bricks and they would not clean as they were a bit on the porous side, so this is what she did - painted them and they looked great - you can do a few at a time and get a good finish with a smaller brush avoiding the grouting so that it looks natural, but do paint all of them otherwise it may look a bit different. If none of this works for you - make a feature out of the discolouration and put some other furnishings beside the fireplace that make it look rustic - can also be charming in its own way