Found a trick for cleaning soot off brick without water

I was up on a job last Friday at this old house on Maple Street where the flue was caked with wet soot and the brick was a mess... tried my usual wire brush and it just smeared everything. Then I grabbed some sawdust from the truck and rubbed it into the brick dry with a rag. It soaked up the black grime like magic and left the brick looking clean. Anyone else got a go-to for dry cleaning brick when water's not an option?

2 comments

2 Comments

olivia_webb1d ago

@leohart the sawdust trick saved me too on a flue job last week!

leohart1d ago

Yep sawdust is a good one. Ive also used plain cornmeal on some lighter soot stains, just sprinkle it on and rub it in with a soft rag. The grit helps lift the grime without scratching the brick. For really stubborn spots Ive mixed a little bit of drywall mud powder (the plain stuff) into the sawdust. It makes a kind of paste that dries and pulls out the soot when you brush it off. Works great on old fireplaces where you cant get water near the mortar.