Asked on Oct 02, 2015
Real brick fireplace
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My fireplace hearth has something on it that shows as white dust. It truly isn't though. I have tried sweeping, vacuuming and many cleaners but can not get it back to its original color. Can anyone help? Thanks
You can see the variation on the wall and on the hearth
The hearth and wall of the fireplace were all the same
This fireplace is 34 years old
2 answers
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Mineral deposits leaching to the surface of the brick due to moisture is apparently the cause and the term for it is "efflorescence." I googled "cleaning efflorescence on brick" and apparently there are several ways to get rid of it; using muriatic acid seems to be the most common but you may want to do some more intensive research to see if there is something effective that is less caustic than muriatic acid.
Shari
on Oct 02, 2015
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I have the same siuation and although its looks terrible I have not cleaned it because the only way to get rid of this is using harsh chemicals and I do not want that awful smell in the house. Eventually I am opting to paint over the fireplace.
Janet Pizaro
on Oct 02, 2015
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