How to: Clean a slate hearth

Flamecraft • 23 November 2018

A guide to keeping your slate hearth in tip top condition.

Keeping any natural stone clean can be tricky. Natural stones are porous so soak up liquids with ease, and the wrong cleaner can stain or eat away at the slate. To help you avoid making these mistakes, we decided to put together a quick guide to cleaning slate hearths.

When it comes to how often you should clean your slate hearth, it does depend on how often you use your fire. Someone who lights their fire every day will have to clean their hearth more often than someone who only lights their fire occasionally. It is also worth noting that due to the reduced use of a fire in the summer you will not need to clean your hearth nearly as often as in the winter.

Quick, simple and effective.

One of the simplest ways of caring for slate is a quick sweep or hoover, it also makes it easier on you when it comes to weekly cleans.

You will need:

  • A soft brush.
  • A dustpan.
  • A hoover with brush adapter.

Our advice for quick clean-ups is;

  • Sweep with a soft brush.
  • Hoover using brush adapter.

Doing this daily (or before/the day after you light your fire) will keep dust, ash and other residues to a minimum, as well as keeping your hearth looking tidy.

It is important to clean your slate weekly.

Preventative maintenance is a term we use a lot at Flamecraft. This is because it is so important. It is always better to preform regular maintenance to your hearth to help prevent any issues arising later. A weekly clean is one of the best forms of preventative maintenance, because it helps protect against build ups of dust, ash and other residues. For this reason, we advise that you clean your slate hearth with a very dilute solution of warm, soapy water once a week.

You will need;

  • A soft brush.
  • A dustpan.
  • Bucket.
  • A non-abrasive cloth.
  • A mild washing up liquid.
  • A dry non-abrasive cloth/towel for drying.

Our weekly cleaning directions are as follows;

  • Sweep hearth with a soft brush to remove any dust or debris.
  • Fill a mop bucket with hot water and a few drops of a very mild washing up liquid.
  • Wipe down hearth with a non-abrasive cloth. Do not be afraid to scrub hard, this is fine so long as the cloth is non-abrasive.
  • Empty & rinse bucket before refilling with clean water (No soap this time).
  • Wipe down hearth with clean water, ensuring no soapy residue is left behind.
  • Gently wipe/pat down hearth with a dry cloth. Try and get the slate as dry as possible.
  • Leave to dry overnight.

If you only light your fire once or twice a week then we advise doing this once a month instead of weekly, so long as you sweep the hearth regularly.


Deep cleaning.

You can purchase specialist cleaners designed specifically for cleaning the slate. When purchasing, it is best to check that the cleaner can be used on slate hearths. Please be aware that some specialist slate cleaners can alter the natural state of the stone, such as changing the colour. So please take this into consideration before using a specialist cleaner.

When you deep clean, ensure you sweep your hearth to remove any debris. We do recommend having done a clean with hot soapy water (weekly cleaning advise) a couple of days before deep cleaning. Always follow the manufacturer’s directions when using a specialist slate cleaner.

If you light your fire daily in the winter, we advise a deep clean once a month. If you only light the occasional fire (once or twice a week) then you can stretch this to once every three months, so long as you sweep and clean with dilute, warm, soapy water regularly.

Slate oil.

You can apply slate oil to your hearth, which will provide resistance to water, spillages and staining. However slate oils and sealants can change the natural effect of slate, such as darkening it in colour.

When using slate oil or sealant on a slate hearth:

  • Ensure hearth is clean, we recommend a deep clean before sealing any natural stone.
  • Once hearth is completely dry, use a purpose made granite sealant and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Spillages & Watermarks

Liquid spillages, food spillages and watermarks are the most common issues when it comes to cleaning a slate hearth. It is important that any spillages are cleaned up as soon as possible using dilute, hot soapy water. This will help to prevent any liquids, or oil from foods soaking into the slate and causing a stain. Follow the same advise as a weekly clean when it comes to cleaning any spillages or watermarks.

Warnings


  • Do not use acidic cleaners such as bleach on the slate as it can cause irreparable damage.
  • Do not use sharp objects or abrasive materials whilst cleaning slate, this can cause irreparable damage and scratches.
  • Sealing and deep cleaning can change the natural effect of the slate, such as colour or pattern.
  • If stains & markings persist after wet cleaning, please contact the showroom and we will advise how to proceed. Do not apply a sealant as this can seal the stain into the stone.
  • Due to slate being porous liquid spillages can soak in and stain slate, all liquid should be cleaned off as soon as possible to avoid this.

December Opening Times

by Flamecraft • 3 December 2020
We all made it through second lockdown and are pleased to be open to the general public once more. We welcome customers to come visit us, but kindly ask they adhere to the government guidelines regarding social distancing. While we understand lockdown was frustrating, we are in a tier 3 area and therefore we also ask that our customers shop responsibly and only come into the showroom for essential purposes when possible. We are still able to take orders for stove spares over phone and email and in many cases out manufacturers will deliver these directly to our customers to help us to reduce the need for people to put themselves at risk of Covid-19. We know we sound like we are lecturing, however we want to ensure all our customers have a very happy and healthy Christmas. With all this in mind, we have reduced the hours the showroom will be open. We will review these regularly and open for longer if needed, we are also able to arrange appointments to visit the showroom at Baytree outside these hours, Our December opening hours are as follows: Monday: CLOSED (Pre-booked appointments available) Tuesday: CLOSED (Pre-booked appointments available) Wednesday: CLOSED (Pre-booked appointments available) Thursday: 10am - 2pm (Pre-booked appointments available till 5pm) Friday: 10am - 2pm (Pre-booked appointments available till 5pm) Saturday: 10am - 5pm Sunday: 10am - 4pm We kindly ask when pre-booking appointments Monday - Wednesday that customers give 24 hours notice and Pre-booked appointments are available between 10am - 5pm. On Thursdays and Fridays appointments can be pre-booked on the day before 1:30pm via calling 01406 373600. We are available via emailing flamecraftuk@aol.com outside our opening hours and will try to reply to customers as quickly as possible.

Call & Collect Available during Second Lockdown

by Flamecraft • 3 November 2020
With second lockdown looming many of our customers are concerned about being able to purchase fuel and spare parts during second lockdown. We completely understand this and whilst our showroom wont be open to the general public we are running a 'Call & Collect' service.

Introducing Saltfire & Ekol stoves!

by Flamecraft • 1 November 2020
In October we teased that we were going to expand our range of wood burning and multi fuels stoves to give our customers a bigger range of Ecodesign Approved stoves that would suit a range of budgets, and we are excited to finally be able to introduce our two new brands to you.

What is Clear Skies?

by Flamecraft • 30 October 2020
The clearskies scheme has been recently introduced, and many of the wood burners and multi fuel stoves we sell have a clear skies mark. However many of our customers see this logo and are left wondering what it actually means. Therefore we have put together the basics explaining what clear skies is, and how this potentially will effect choosing a wood burner or multi fuel stove.

EcoDesign 2022: What do I need to know?

by Flamecraft • 23 October 2020
EcoDesign 2022 is changes to regulations for the Stove Industry.

Our range of wood burners & multi fuel stoves is about to get bigger!

by Flamecraft • 16 October 2020
It is the season for hot chocolate, fluffy blankets, hot water bottles and curling up in front of a roaring fire. With the days getting sorter and the nights getting longer it means we are busy installing wood burning and multi fuel stoves in homes. Like for many this year has been challenging, and we have worked tirelessly to ensure our customers will still receive the best service possible from us. We also understand that with the challenges of the past year many of us we are looking for more affordable heating options for this winter. Over the summer we have had many discussions about the issues we are all facing, and we knew we wanted to do everything we could to ensure our customers can still enjoy owning a wood burner or multi fuel stove. On top of the challenges this year has brought us all we are also very aware that since the announcement of the incoming Ecodesign regulations more and more of our customers are coming to us looking for Ecodesign 2022 Approved wood burners and multi fuel stoves. While we had Ecodesign stoves available, we wanted to give our customers more options to choose from. So, we knew we had two targets: 1. Have wood burning and multi fuels stove options available for a range of different budgets. 2. Expand our range of Ecodesign Approved stoves. We went through many different ideas until we finally realised the solution was in front of us (literally in a pile of brochures we had from a trade show we visited last year). A manufacturer that had a huge range of Ecodesign 2022 approved wood burning and multi fuel stoves that meet our own guidelines for quality and design (as well as being manufactured in the UK), and to top that off offering a range of price points that would allow us to offer more affordable stoves. So of course we gave them a call.

Winter Opening Hours

by Flamecraft • 9 October 2020
With the cold weather rolling in we are extending our opening hours to the following: Monday: CLOSED Tuesday: CLOSED Wednesday: 10am - 5pm Thursday: 10am - 5pm Friday: 10am - 5pm Saturday: 10am - 5pm Sunday: 10 - 4pm We look forward to seeing you.

Traditional wood burning with a modern look.

by Flamecraft • 9 October 2020
Everyone has their own style and taste, and they develop and change over time. In recent years our customers are coming to us wanting more sleek and contemporary designs that allow for a full view of the flames within a wood burner or multi fuel stove. We have put together a selection of stoves that have been designed for modern living with a contemporary aesthetic. Every wood burner and multi fuel stove on this list are Ecodesign 2022 approved.

My house comes with a Wood Burner/Multi Fuel Stove, what do I need to know?

by Flamecraft • 11 September 2020
Inheriting a wood burner or multi fuel stove can be confusing, but we have put together a checklist of the things you should know when buying a house with a wood burner or multi fuel stove already installed.

Update: When visiting our showroom

by Flamecraft • 25 July 2020
We are open again and ready to welcome customers back into our showroom. However following government guidelines and to keep our team and customers safe we kindly ask customers to adhere to the following: When visiting please follow Baytree Garden Centre's one way system. Due to the width of our showroom and the positioning of our doors we are only able to accommodate one household at a time whilst adhering to social distancing. We are unable to ensure that there is a 2 meter distance between households due to our built in displays which allow for less than a 2 meter gap between them. Therefore we may politely ask customers to wait outside with a 2 meter distance from the door if we are already serving a household in the showroom, or return later. Please sanitise you hands upon entering the showroom. We are doing our best to sanitise the door handles, card machine and any handles on the stoves between customers. We kindly ask customers are patient with us as during busy periods they may be asked to refrain from touching the handles on the stoves until they are sanitised. We politely ask that you speak to a member of the team before touching any accessories or care products in the showroom, as this will allow our team to sanitise the products to ensure they are safe for the next customer to handle. Update: We kindly ask you wear an appropriate face mask/covering when visiting our showroom. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience at this challenging time.
Show More