Fireplaces, Heating Stoves, Flues and Chimneys - Dirty BRICK -- how to clean it?

This is my first post.

I just bought a pre-owned house and it has a brick fireplace (with a pellet stove insert) that takes up one of the walls in our family room.

The brick looks dirty and very dull (previous owners were heavy smokers -- maybe that's why) and I am hoping someone can tell me the best way to ----

1 - Clean the exposed brick

2 - Care for the exposed brick

3 - hang stuff on the brick (mantels, etc.)

4 - let me know if there's anythig else I should know about interior brick

Thanks....

Chesapeake

I have moved your thread here in hopes that some of the pros that hang out here can better answer your question. Doc

I had the same situation when I got my home. My surround is made of sandstone and was in really bad shape as far as smoke stains go. I bought this stuff from the local fireplace dealer but cannot remember the name. It's pretty generic though. Look for something that contains muratic acid. Spray it on, let it sit for a while, (in my case it was only for a minute or less), then take a spray bottle full of plain water and rinse it down. Worked great for me.