after fireplace cleaning

Maintenance and Cleaning of your Cast Stone Fireplace and Range Hood

Our customers love the look of their beautiful new mantels and range hoods. What they love nearly as much is the easy upkeep they provide.

After a few years of living with your cast stone mantel, the grit and grime buildup of daily living is inevitable. You may notice that soot and smoke have accumulated in the crevices of your mantel and you’re looking to make a change. Fortunately, cleaning our products is a quick and simple process.

How to Clean Cast Stone

Regular dusting will keep your mantel and range hood maintained and looking healthy. But every few years, a deeper cleaning is necessary.

All you need to proceed is a mild liquid detergent and a soft, non-wire brush. Wet the stone first, then gently scrub smoke and soot marks. Rinse with clean water. It can take a day or two for your mantel to dry completely. After cleaning, it should look like new.

Dealing with Stubborn Stains

Stubborn stains may resist this gentle cleaning process. The good news is, assuming your mantel or range hood was properly sealed during installation, most stains are removable.

If you know what caused the stain, you can research its solvents and determine the best way to remove it. Otherwise, you can try a general purpose stain remover, such as Goof Off, which is used for graffiti removal on cement-based products. You apply Goof Off as described above, scrubbing with your non-abrasive, non-wire brush. Then you rinse and let it dry. A muriatic acid solution (75 percent water, 25 percent acid) is also a stain remover for cast stone. If you’re using these heavier chemicals, be sure to wear gloves and eye protection, just in case of splashes.

Before and After Photos

One of our customers kindly provided us with before and after pictures of her Brunswick mantel. After 16 years of enjoyment, she decided it was time to restore the Brunswick to its natural beauty. All it took was a light scrub with mild detergent. Now she figures she’s set to relax in front of her fire for another 16 years before taking soft brush to cast stone again.

Before

fireplace cleaning

After

after fireplace cleaning

More questions about cleaning or other mantel or range hood-related issues? We’re here for you.