Cleaning and Painting a Fireplace Box


This is a sponsored post on behalf of Tide OXI Multi-Purpose Stain Remover. All opinions are 100% mine. 

With school buses starting to circulate the neighborhood,  the sounds of the marching band wafting over to our house from the nearby high school, and recent unseasonable cool, humid-free summer days, my mind is definitely starting to think of fall and all it brings.

The cool night, beautiful colors, and cozy nights in by our fireplace.

How to Clean and Paint a Fireplace Box | www.rappsodyinrooms.com

In our case, that means an electric fireplace that we love and makes it no less cozy in our warm, color-drenched living room.

However, the fireplace box did need a little sprucing up to get it ready for daily use come September (oh well, let’s be real – the fireplace has been turned on a couple times this summer to up the cozy factor).

Our electric fireplace is basically a black box; a black box that is mostly hidden in the dark fireplace box. However, it was only dark because of the dirty soot stains left behind from its wood burning days. It was a just dirty, uneven mess that I knew could be better.

How to Clean and Paint a Fireplace Box | www.rappsodyinrooms.com

The plan: clean the fireplace box and then paint it a nice even black.

How to Clean and Paint a Fireplace Box | www.rappsodyinrooms.com

Step 1 was cleaning out the fireplace box. I decided to use Tide OXI Multi-Purpose Stain Remover (purchased at The Home Depot). I love that Tide is branching out from the laundry room and making a product that can be used to clean just about anything around the house. It can be a laundry booster, a upholstery cleaner…or a fireplace box cleaner!

How to Clean and Paint a Fireplace Box | www.rappsodyinrooms.com

After taking out the electric fireplace and vacuuming out the dead bugs hiding under it (ew!), I made sure to protect the slate around the fireplace by putting down a plastic drop cloth and then another fabric one on top (just because I kept sticking to the plastic one).

How to Clean and Paint a Fireplace Box | www.rappsodyinrooms.com

Then I mixed the Tide OXI Multi-Purpose Stain Remover according to the instructions on the box (basically one scoop of cleaner for every 4 scoops of warm water). Make sure you use warm water to help dissolve the powder to get a really good solution.

How to Clean and Paint a Fireplace Box | www.rappsodyinrooms.com

Once I had my solution mixed in a bucket, I used a bristle brush to scrub, scrub, scrub! It was a continual process of dip, scrub, dip, scrub. I changed the solution a couple of times as the water blackened. It was definitely an intense little scrubbing session but the Tide worked like a charm!

How to Clean and Paint a Fireplace Box | www.rappsodyinrooms.com

Here you can just see the dirt dripping down (and off) the brick!

How to Clean and Paint a Fireplace Box | www.rappsodyinrooms.com

After my last Tide scrub I did one pass over with the bristle brush and plain water just to get everything washed away. It really was an incredible difference!

How to Clean and Paint a Fireplace Box | www.rappsodyinrooms.com

Step 2 was painting the fireplace box.

Now, a word of warning for this step. Since we use an electric fireplace it doesn’t get all that hot in the fireplace box. However, for those of you who use gas or regular logs, you may just want to clean it and be done.

I used Rust-Oleum’s High Heat paint in satin black (also bought at The Home Depot) that is meant for temperatures up to 1200 degrees.

How to Clean and Paint a Fireplace Box | www.rappsodyinrooms.com

After I taped around the slate, I used a cheap paint brush that I could just throw away after using it and started painting. It was a fairly quick process, even with all those mortar seams. Here was my first coat, splotchy but still looking nice!

How to Clean and Paint a Fireplace Box | www.rappsodyinrooms.com

After my second coat I was finished!

How to Clean and Paint a Fireplace Box | www.rappsodyinrooms.com

I love the look, especially after I loaded our electric logs back in. The black box almost disappears – just like I was hoping!

How to Clean and Paint a Fireplace Box | www.rappsodyinrooms.com

How to Clean and Paint a Fireplace Box | www.rappsodyinrooms.com

How to Clean and Paint a Fireplace Box | www.rappsodyinrooms.com

Now we are definitely ready for those chilly fall nights so we can curl up in our cozy living room with the fire on!


  • Wow, what a difference! I saw Tide Oxy on a commercial and have been wanting to try it on a vintage chaise lounge I got from my grandmother. It’s vinyl, cream upholstery that is very dingy from years of dust and not being cleaned regularly.

    Can’t hurt to try!ReplyCancel

    • Thank you Sharon! You should definitely try Tide on your chaise lounge! I was so pleased on how it worked on the fireplace. Plus, they said it can be used on upholstery and various other surfaces. Just make sure to make the solution with very warm, almost hot water to help dissolve the Tide.ReplyCancel

  • That had to be a dirty job and now your fireplace looks so good! I am really impressed with all of the jobs around the house that I’ve tried with Tide Oxi. It worked so well on my bathroom tile that I volunteered myself to help my friend clean hers.ReplyCancel

    • Thank you so much! I definitely need to try the Tide with grout. Although I don’t know if I would ever offer my service to someone else for it! I’m impressed!ReplyCancel