The vast majority of us have moved from log or

Soot is undoubtedly the biggest cleaning problem that somebody with a fireplace will face. It forms on the surfaces above and surrounding where the fire has been built, though is normally contained to the interior walls of the chimney chute. Unfortunately it's very difficult to remove and is made even more difficult because of the tricky location. Going into this task you'll want to be armed with an arsenal of cleaning weaponry, including a stiff brush, rubber gloves and some specialist cleaning product for soot.

The first step is cleaning out the fireplace itself. Take a shovel and remove all of the remaining coals, wood or other fuel and dispose of it safely. Sweep or hoover up all of the ash so you have a fire floor free of debris. You then want to lay newspaper to catch the soot which will be falling as you scrub. Here's where your wire brush comes in handy, did I mention to bring lots of elbow grease? Get yourself into the fireplace and scrub, scrub, scratch away at the soot.

Once you've removed the soft layer of soot on the walls, you'll find yourself scrubbing away at something which looks very similar but just won't shift. This is still soot, but it's older soot which will have bonded to the bricks from the intense heat and age. Now you want to break out that specialist cleaning product, which will most likely be a caustic chemical including sodium phosphate. Be very careful when using this, I strongly recommend wearing goggles and gloves. Prepare and mix the solution as outlined on the bottle or packaging and follow the instructions carefully.

You will start to see the older soot melt away and you will be able to scrub it off, be sure that it's landing on those newspapers. When you've done everything you can, it's time to carefully gather up the newspapers with all the soot inside and dispose of it. Then you can give the fireplace surround and the floor a similar treatment, though you probably won't need to use the chemicals. Fireplaces get dirty and there will be stains you can't move, but who likes the look of a brand new fireplace anyway? Their beauty lies in rustic use, so don't beat yourself up about those marks that just don't budge.