Mondays With the Maid

My husband is a pyro.  When we were house hunting a couple of years ago, his one requirement was that the house we purchased HAD to have a wood burning fireplace. 

His condition is genetic. My father in law was knocked on his butt by an explosion while starting a bon fire... with gasoline.  My brother in law lost most of his arm hair and part of an eyebrow burning who knows what in a chimnea.  I witnessed that one.  The flames shot a few feet out of the top spout.

Because my husband uses our fireplace so often (to feed his habit), it had gotten pretty grungy.

 

I read the best way to clean the brick around your fireplace was with cola.  Seriously?  The instructions were to soak the brick with cola and use a stiff brush dipped in hot water to scrub the area.  I filled a spray bottle with old Pepsi and had at it.

 

 

It worked ridiculously well.  I was absolutely shocked.  Who knew?