20 September 2010-
Slate fireplaces are popular choice for making a room cozy and comfortable. Apart from that slates are also preferred to make fireplaces as they are resilient, durable as well as are sturdy enough to stand high temperatures. Besides, slate fireplaces also invariably attract the viewer by its natural beauty and the warmth it renders to the entire room. Now, since it attracts so much of attention, it becomes rather mandatory to keep the fireplace and
hearth spic and span. Though how to clean slate fireplace remains a big question. The cleaning should be done in a proper way. Here is the step by step procedure to clean a slate fireplace correctly, have a look:
Material Needed
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Dish Detergent
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TSP Cleaner
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Teak Oil
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Water
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Wash Rug
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Bowl/Bucket
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Towel
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Cloth
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Furniture Polish
Procedure
Step1
Slates are rendered clean with dish washing detergents, hence, for cleaning slate fireplace first of all add two drops of mild dishwasher in a bowl full of warm water.
Step 2
Next, soak a washrag into this warm detergent solution and rub off all the dirt and grime from the
slate fireplace. Make sure you clean through every nook and corner of the fireplace as the accumulation of dirt at such corners can be really difficult to get rid off in a longer run.
Step 3
Now, allow the fireplace to dry. Air drying would not be a very good option as it can take several hours of tiring efforts. Hence, let it dry overnight before applying any other additional cleaner.
Step 4
Once the fireplace is dry, use a soft piece of cloth to apply a thin coat of teak oil onto the fireplace and slate hearth. Teak oil is easily available at most of the hardware stores at inexpensive rates. Trisodium Phosphate or TSP is the alternate for teak oil thus, in case teak oil is unavailable, one can use a cleaner containing TSP to breakdown dirt and grime. Besides, TSP cleaners are slate friendly too.
Step 5
Next, clean the fireplace by wiping down extraneous cleaner with a dampened cloth. Make sure the cloth is dipped in clean water before wiping the fireplace.
Step 6
Let the fireplace dry again and then add a coat of furniture polish onto the slate for extra shine.