How to: Clean a slate hearth
A guide to keeping your slate hearth in tip top condition.
Keeping any natural stone clean can be tricky. Natural stones are porous so soak up liquids with ease, and the wrong cleaner can stain or eat away at the slate. To help you avoid making these mistakes, we decided to put together a quick guide to cleaning slate hearths.
When it comes to how often you should clean your slate hearth, it does depend on how often you use your fire. Someone who lights their fire every day will have to clean their hearth more often than someone who only lights their fire occasionally. It is also worth noting that due to the reduced use of a fire in the summer you will not need to clean your hearth nearly as often as in the winter.
Quick, simple and effective.
One of the simplest ways of caring for slate is a quick sweep or hoover, it also makes it easier on you when it comes to weekly cleans.
You will need:
- A soft brush.
- A dustpan.
- A hoover with brush adapter.
Our advice for quick clean-ups is;
- Sweep with a soft brush.
- Hoover using brush adapter.
Doing this daily (or before/the day after you light your fire) will keep dust, ash and other residues to a minimum, as well as keeping your hearth looking tidy.
It is important to clean your slate weekly.
You will need;
- A soft brush.
- A dustpan.
- Bucket.
- A non-abrasive cloth.
- A mild washing up liquid.
- A dry non-abrasive cloth/towel for drying.
Our weekly cleaning directions are as follows;
- Sweep hearth with a soft brush to remove any dust or debris.
- Fill a mop bucket with hot water and a few drops of a very mild washing up liquid.
- Wipe down hearth with a non-abrasive cloth. Do not be afraid to scrub hard, this is fine so long as the cloth is non-abrasive.
- Empty & rinse bucket before refilling with clean water (No soap this time).
- Wipe down hearth with clean water, ensuring no soapy residue is left behind.
- Gently wipe/pat down hearth with a dry cloth. Try and get the slate as dry as possible.
- Leave to dry overnight.
If you only light your fire once or twice a week then we advise doing this once a month instead of weekly, so long as you sweep the hearth regularly.
Deep cleaning.
You can purchase specialist cleaners designed specifically
for cleaning the slate. When purchasing,
it is best to check that the cleaner can be used on slate hearths. Please be
aware that some specialist slate cleaners can alter the natural state of the
stone, such as changing the colour. So please take this into consideration before using a specialist cleaner.
When you deep clean, ensure you sweep your hearth to remove any debris. We do
recommend having done a clean with hot soapy water (weekly cleaning advise) a
couple of days before deep cleaning. Always follow the manufacturer’s
directions when using a specialist slate cleaner.
If you light your fire daily in the winter, we advise a deep clean once a month. If you only light the occasional fire (once or twice a week) then you can stretch this to once every three months, so long as you sweep and clean with dilute, warm, soapy water regularly.
Slate oil.
You
can apply slate oil to your hearth, which will provide resistance to water,
spillages and staining. However slate oils and sealants can change the natural
effect of slate, such as darkening it in colour.
When using slate oil or sealant on a slate hearth:
- Ensure hearth is clean, we recommend a deep clean before sealing any natural stone.
- Once hearth is completely dry, use a purpose made granite sealant and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Spillages & Watermarks
Liquid spillages, food spillages and watermarks are the most common issues when it comes to cleaning a slate hearth. It is important that any spillages are cleaned up as soon as possible using dilute, hot soapy water. This will help to prevent any liquids, or oil from foods soaking into the slate and causing a stain. Follow the same advise as a weekly clean when it comes to cleaning any spillages or watermarks.
Warnings
- Do not use acidic cleaners such as bleach on the slate as it can cause irreparable damage.
- Do not use sharp objects or abrasive materials whilst cleaning slate, this can cause irreparable damage and scratches.
- Sealing and deep cleaning can change the natural effect of the slate, such as colour or pattern.
- If stains & markings persist after wet cleaning, please contact the showroom and we will advise how to proceed. Do not apply a sealant as this can seal the stain into the stone.
- Due to slate being porous liquid spillages can soak in and stain slate, all liquid should be cleaned off as soon as possible to avoid this.
