Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Who doesn't love a warm, cozy fire? But the maintenance and clean-up that goes with hit? Not so much. And while chimney cleaning ...

Brick fireplaces may be cozy and charming, but they also blacken easily. Smoke and ash penetrate the brick during every fire and leave behind dark stains. Cleaning brick can be very challenging ...

An outdoor home maintenance tip you can't forget to do is to clean your home's exterior brick. After years of withstanding seasonal temperatures, weather, pests, and grime, our houses can get pretty ...

It’s the time of year when folks start migrating towards their fireplace in the evening, if they’re lucky enough to have one. There is something deep in us that finds warmth and comfort, not just in ...

Q. I tried to wash bricks above a fireplace with soap and water, but I got an uneven result. How can I do a better job? A. If you didn’t saturate the bricks with water before you applied the cleaning ...

Q: I have brick that runs floor to ceiling (about 15 feet high). In the living room it's part of the fireplace and in the kitchen it's part of an indoor barbecue. How can I clean the brick surface? On ...

Q: We painted our brick fireplace white. But after some use, smoke has stained the brick. What’s the best way to clean it? A: Soot is mostly carbon particles, but it often has a greasy nature that ...