What Good is a Fireplace in the Spring?

written: 3-19-10

Spring is just around the corner. Yeah! So now the fireplace season is starting to wind down. But don't think that means that your fireplace must therefore go unused during the warmer months. Quite the opposite! Keeping your fireplace as the centerpiece of your home is easy with a few decorating tips.

1. Knock down any loose soot from the inside of the firebox walls and flue. You can use a brush to gently sweep the walls of the firebox.

2. Give your fireplace one last good cleaning to end the cold season. Sweep up all the ash with your fireplace tool set and place it in an ash bucket using your ash shovel. Ash buckets are great for transferring that dusty mess to an outside garbage. Make sure all those embers are completely cold before doing so! Tip: Use an ash vacuum to make cleaning super easy and fast.

3. Close the flue to prevent any drafts and to keep your firebox free from debris.

4. Decorate your fireplace with a beautiful fireplace screen and coordinating fireplace tool set.

5. For those romantic evenings, try placing a fireplace candelabra into the firebox and lighting the candles. It creates the ambiance without the heat!

Enjoy your fireplace year round, not just during the winter. It's a beautiful addition to your home that should not be forgotten!

Fireplace Accessories – Sucking Away Your Fireplace Ashes Blues

written: 2-19-10

Are you tired of sweeping and sweeping and sweeping and feeling like you‘ll never be able to get rid of all those ashes? Learn about a great way to get rid of fireplace ashes, without the mess of sweeping.

I remember when I was young; one of my household chores was to clean out the fireplace. Sitting there with the fireplace brush and pan in hand, I dreaded the thought of going over and over the same spot with the brush, never able to quite get all the ashes. The ashes just seemed to magically slip through the bristles of the fireplace brush! As I would try to sweep the ashes onto the fireplace pan, they would strangely find their way under the ash pan, instead of inside it.

The clouds of tiny ash particles also bring back memories of holding my breath for as long as I could while sweeping. I would then turn aside my head and gasp for air, only to gulp down an ash-flavored puff of dust. After hours of trying to get every last particle of ash, the next task was to get rid of all of it. As I recall, I used a paper bag with the edges rolled down as the catch-all for my ashes. The problem with using that came when I would try to close the bag carefully without letting any of those pesky ashes escape.  Most of the time, another ash-laden puff would mysteriously arise out of the bag, just as I was getting the top rolled back down on itself.

Another memory of this childhood chore was the black soot that would inevitably find its way onto every bit of exposed skin, not to mention the lovely mess it made out of my clothing. Taking a shower after this unpleasant chore was an absolute must, for even after cleaning off the visible black soot marks, there was still an almost invisible dusting of ash over everything. But before the shower could be taken, there was the mess of ash that was now on the floor outside the fireplace. A damp washcloth was the item of choice to take care of that.

So now that I’m “all grown up,” does that mean I no longer have to worry about that nasty ash clean-up chore? Well, yes and no. I now live in a house that has three fireplaces. Yes, you read that right…. Three fireplaces! You’d think after memories of that ash cleaning chore I’d pick a house with no fireplace, right? Wrong. I absolutely love fireplaces, especially the good old wood burning kind. The sound of the crackle and the smell of the wood just cannot be replaced. It’s so romantic and heartwarming. In fact, in my mind, Christmas wouldn’t be complete without a roaring fire in the fireplace. So yes, I do still have to clean up the ashes in my fireplaces; but no, I don’t have to worry about it anymore. Thankfully, there has been a great new invention since my childhood, called the ash vacuum. Okay, maybe it was around when I was little, but apparently my parents didn’t know about it, and certainly I didn’t know about it.

These ash vacuums are a godsend. They are specially designed with a fire-resistant hose so that you don’t even have to wait until your ashes are completely cold before neatly sucking them up. Some of them use double filter systems, so you won’t have tiny ash particles floating all over your house after using the vacuum. Unlike regular shop vacuums, these specialized ash vacuums can filter down to 5 microns and can move air 7 to 10 times more than the typical vacuum. Some of them even come with decorative paint, so you can leave them on your hearth as part of your home décor. They typically measure only twenty to thirty inches in height and around 20 inches in diameter, so they can easily be stored in a small closet.

So give yourself a break from the difficult job of cleaning out your fireplace after you have taken the time to enjoy it. Get yourself a time-saving tool that will make this necessary evil not quite so tedious. You’ll be able to enjoy your fireplace more often without the dread of having to clean up afterwards.

Matching Fireplace Accessories

written: 1-26-2010

The fireplace can be a great focal point in your home. Enhancing this focal point with accessories is a great way to add to the warmth of your home. When adding accessories, many people think of decorative items such as flower vases or frames or candles.
Another idea that can add a great statement is a fireplace screen. These fireplace additions come in many different sizes and colors and materials. Some of the most popular materials in recent times are pewter, black wrought iron or antique brass. Fireplace screens also come in a variety of styles, such as classic, contemporary or decorative. Putting time and thought into what type of fireplace screen would look best with the style of décor in the home can be very rewarding.

Although many people think of fireplace tools as purely functional, these useful tools can also add a decorative touch. They also come in a variety of colors and materials and styles. Again, the style of the home will determine the type of fireplace tools that should be selected. For instance, a pewter fireplace tool set would complement the contemporary home. A polished brass tool set would look better in a classic style home. Black wrought iron, on the other hand, could enhance the fireplace in any home, from modern to country.

Andirons can also be a nice addition to the overall look of a fireplace. Traditionally, these were simply used to keep logs that were settling during the burning process from spilling out of the firebox. They now, however, serve a decorative purpose as well. As with fireplace screens and fireplace tool sets, andirons can be found in many different styles.

When it comes to decorating your fireplace, it is nice to have a matched set. Many fireplace accessories are coordinated to help create a finished and refined look to your home décor. If the home has a contemporary feel, a nice idea would be a floral fireplace screen with matching floral tool set and log holder. For the more traditional look, a cut glass fireplace screen with matching glass fireplace tool set would make a great statement. A matching black wrought iron fireplace screen set would be a beautiful addition to any style home. An example would be attractive matching scrollwork on each piece of the set.

If you do not have a particular style in your home, do not despair. Choosing the right style for your fireplace, after all, is simply a matter of taste. If you like certain styles and tend to gravitate towards them, then go with your instinct and choose something that you will love to look at every day.

Your fireplace doesn’t have to be a dull and drab, forgotten area of your home. Make it a beautiful centerpiece that showcases your unique style. You can use your creativity to combine different looks and make it completely your own. Or you can take advantage of the matched sets to create that sophisticated look.  The possibilities are endless, so have fun making your fireplace the center of attention in your home.