How to Ruin Fireplace Shelves

A fireplace mantel is lovely to have above your fireplace. It allows you to accent your hearth by resting candles, pictures, statuettes, trophies, and other personal effects that add emotional warmth to your home.

However, if you're not careful, you can ruin fireplace shelves very easily. And here's how…

Three Easy Ways to Ruin Your Fireplace Mantel

#1 Let Your Candles Burn

If you have a fireplace mantel shelve, you probably have at least one candle on it. It's a traditional item to have on a mantelpiece. Lighting candles on fireplace shelves can add a touch of romance to the room and set the perfect mood. However, if you let your candles burn for a prolonged period of time, wax can end up on the surface of your beautiful mantel, leaving stains and a general mess. So when it comes to fireplace shelves, keep an eye on the candles you place on them.

#2 Use Your Mantelpiece as a Coaster

Around the holidays, it's traditional to light a fire, put on your best holiday sweater, have a cocktail, and sit/stand by the fire. It's just the thing to do. However, if you have that one uncle or grandfather that likes to have a drink, stand by the fire and tell old family stories, he undoubtedly rests his drink on your fireplace mantel. If you have a wood fireplace mantel, then this activity can quickly start to ruin its finish. The last things you want are drink rings on your fireplace shelve. And if you allow such activity to continue, before you know it, your mantel is riddled with rings from cocktails of holidays past.

#3 Don't Clean Your Fireplace Mantel

Believe it or not, but some people never clean their mantel. They put a few knickknacks on it and never touch it again. They don't dust or polish it. Letting dirt build up on fireplace shelves will eventually dull its finish and cause irreversible damage. So if you don't want to ruin your fireplace mantel, clean it from time to time.