2006-12-13 14:42:11 · 5 answers · asked by wild c 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
You can clean your chimney but the smell is part of having a fire place.
2006-12-13 15:03:14 · answer #1 · answered by blue_eagle74 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
tri sodium phosphate (TSP) or- if you can find it- Fresh Start laundry detergent which is also TSP. Use 3 capfulls fresh start in a pitcher of hot water . wisk it to dissolve it. wipe on with old terry cloth towels and leave it on for 10-20 minuites and then wipe it off. Thats all! Throw the rags in the washer and do it again until you've got it clean. Works great on walls that are yellow from smokers and cooking grease too. It won't be fumey or toxic .It will also clean a very dirty kitchen floor. Throw some on the floor swish it around with the broom and leave it for 30 minuites. Then just wipe it up with a lot of old towels. Throw 'em in the washer. They come out clean. Very easy and fast. No bad smells at all and no work, no scrubbing. Wear rubber gloves and old clothes.You should not get soot on your skin its got carcinogens in it. Oh TSP ! It's green. You can fertilize trees with this stuff just so long as you don't use any bleach or detergent. The way you do this is put the washer outside and hook the cold water up to the yard faucet. Cap off the hot water. Then run the out hose down to the ground and run the grey water into your irrigation ditch or tree berm. You can't do this if you use chlorine It will kill every liveing thing. I would also not use detergents or softners. But trees love TSP.
2006-12-13 23:00:19 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the sooty odor permeates the room you may have problems with downdrafts. Closing or installing a flue may help this problem. If it is just an odor within the fireplace, keeping the ashes swept and disposing of them outside will help keep it to a minimum. If neither of these is a possibility call a sweep and ask their opinion, they may know a good product to remove the creosote (sp?), black deposit of the smoke that cannot be removed with household cleaners.
2006-12-14 01:00:25 · answer #3 · answered by tkmhill 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Moisture in your chimney,which is absorbed into the soot is the largest factor in your odor filled fireplace.I would recomend having a pro chimney sweep clean it out and than install a chimney cap to keep out excess rain water.
2006-12-17 12:17:59 · answer #4 · answered by Richard G 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Aren't they supposed to smell that way. Call a chimney sweep and have your chimney cleaned to make sure it's safe and that there's nothing stuck in there. Ask the sweep what to do. Good luck.
2006-12-13 22:46:25 · answer #5 · answered by Darby 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋