Home chimney causes a distinctive aroma that is usually enjoyed by everyone in the home, but sometimes the smells are too much. This can happen when you have guests over and they feel ill the next day. Furthermore, a dirty chimney will not operate at its full capacity, which means that you lose on efficiency and energy savings.
Rather than considering a replacement of your home chimney, it would be more convenient to clean your chimney filter at home with baking soda.
One of the most common issues with a wood burning stove is its filter. Before you decide to call a professional chimney sweep, it might be a good idea to take care of it yourself to avoid spending money on labor.
Instead of letting your chimney deteriorate and harming your health, you should start looking for ways to clean chimney filter at home. It will make your fireplace system functional as well as safe.
Table of Contents
Collect the required cleaning tools and materials
To start cleaning the chimney filter, prepare all the required tools and materials first. Cleaning the chimney filter requires a lot of effort, so it’s best to have all the necessary tools and materials at arm’s length before starting. Here are the items that you need:
- Chimney (or gas stove)
- Cleaning brush (for scrubbing)
- Baking soda
- Dishwashing soap
- Water containers
- Old rags or newspaper
Remove the chimney filter
If you want to know how to clean chimney filter at home with baking soda then here are the steps that you need to follow.
- Remove the chimney filter.
- Apply Baking Soda on it and scrub it with a toothbrush.
- Rinse it under tap water until all the dirt is removed.
- Air dry it and place it back in the chimney.
- It is recommended to clean the chimney filter once in a week to maintain its efficiency.
Soaking chimney filter in water
If your chimney is being affected by the smoke, smell, and stains then it is the time to clean it. A dirty chimney filter can cause various health-related issues such as respiratory problems, allergies, and cancer. The oil and grease buildup in the chimney filter causes bad odor in your kitchen.
The cleaning of the chimney filters should be done at least once a month to avoid these issues. You can use baking soda for cleaning these filters as it is very easy to use and is easily available at home.
Sprinkle baking soda on the filter
Cleaning chimney filter is one of the most important things. Baking soda and water are the most effective and safe ways to clean the filter. To clean chimney filter with baking soda, you need to follow these steps:
- Sprinkle baking soda on the filter.
- Apply a little bit of water to it.
- Leave it for 10-15 minutes.
- Clean it using a brush.
Mix vinegar in a bowl
Cleaning the chimney filter is not a difficult task, but most homeowners don’t know how to clean chimney filter. In this article, we will tell you how to clean chimney filters at home with baking soda.
Chimneys are the most important part of your kitchen. They let the smoke out of your kitchen and keep your kitchen environment fresh. It also keeps your kitchen free from smoke and bad odor.
There are several things that can cause a bad odor in your kitchen such as oil left on the chimney filter or grease stuck on it. Cleaning the chimney filter regularly will help you keep your kitchen fresh and odor-free.
Scrub the baking soda and vinegar mixture on the chimney filter using your hands
The baking soda and vinegar mixture should break down the grease and grime on the filter. Wait for about 5 minutes before scrubbing the mixture on the chimney filter using your hands. If you have a grime-free chimney, then you can skip this step.
Rinse the Chimney Filter Using Your Hands
Rinse the chimney filter using cold water from a faucet. You can also use a handheld shower to rinse off the chimney filter if it is covered in dirt and grime. After rinsing, you can now dry it with a clean cloth.
Repeat these steps until all the grease and dirt are gone from your chimney filters. If you have stubborn stains on your chimney filters, then you should leave them to soak with hot water overnight before washing them out the next day.
If your stove is electric or gas-powered, then you should avoid cleaning it while it is still plugged in or turned on. Disconnect the power cord from its outlet if your stove is electric-powered. Unplug the gas cylinder from its outlet if your stove runs on LPG or natural gas.
Wash the chimney filter with water
Clean chimney filters every 1-3 months. How often you need to clean the filters depends on how often you cook on a regular basis. If you are using the stove daily, it is recommended that you wash it every week.
Pour some water in a large bowl and put the filter in it. Make sure that the entire filter is submerged in water. Add baking soda (2 cups) to this water and stir well so that baking soda dissolves completely.
Let the filter soak for at least 15 minutes but not more than 15 hours.
After soaking, remove the filter from the bowl and rinse it with warm water. You can also scrub it with a brush gently to remove any grease or stains on it. Let the filters air dry completely before placing them in the chimney again.
Dry off the chimney filter and re-install it in your home
Chimney filters are one of the most essential parts of a kitchen. A chimney filter helps in purifying the air in the kitchen by sucking the fumes and the smoke generated while cooking. If you have a chimney filter in your kitchen, you must be aware of how it takes away all the smoke and odour that arises while cooking.
But what most people don’t know is that the chimney filter also needs to be cleaned at regular intervals so that it can work properly. If you refrain from cleaning your chimney filter, there will be some dire consequences.
To clean your chimney filter, first, take out all the screws that hold it. Then, soak the filter and its components in a solution of dishwashing detergent mixed with warm water for about half an hour.
When you take out this solution, scrub it gently with a brush to remove all the dust and grime from it. Once you’ve done that, soak it again in a solution made from baking soda mixed in warm water for about 20 minutes. This will help to remove any smell that might be lingering on the filter.
Dry off the chimney filter and re-install it in your home
Last Words
This is really all there is to it. It’s an easy, cost effective way to clean your chimney filter and keep your fireplace or wood stove operating safely, efficiently and without the harmful effects of creosote buildup. If you have any questions or need clarification on how to clean chimney filter with baking soda, please leave them in the comments below. I’ll try to be available to help out. Thank you and happy cleaning!
