A homeowner in Portland once told me my soot cleanup was 'like a raccoon with a vacuum'

I started using a drop cloth and a small brush first, which cut my final wipe-down time in half. Anyone have a better method for keeping that black dust contained?

3 comments

3 Comments

river32025d ago

Remember that time I tried to clean my fireplace bricks with a shop vac? It just blew a cloud of fine ash all over the living room like a tiny black snow globe. I had to wipe down every single surface twice. Sometimes the simple tools, like that dry brush you mentioned, just cause less of a mess from the start.

sean_torres711mo ago

Try a slightly damp microfiber cloth for the first pass instead of a dry brush. It grabs the soot way better without smearing. Then go over it with a dry one to get any leftover streaks. Makes a huge difference on textured walls.

grace_gonzalez461mo ago

Damp cloths on textured walls just push soot deeper into the cracks. You need a dry brush first to lift the loose stuff, then a light cleaning spray. Starting wet makes a muddy paste that sets into the texture. It looks clean at first but the shadowing comes back in a week.