How to Clean a Chimney

Posted on April 2nd, 2009 by Marck

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Back in the days when everyone had chimneys, the chimney-sweep was one of the lowliest occupations in the village. The job of the chimney sweep was to go to a customer’s house and clear out all the grime and soot that built up inside the chimney. While the days of broom-carrying chimney sweeps in grimy clothing have come and gone, cleaning your chimney is still a very important part of routine home maintenance.

Why Clean a Chimney?

Whether it’s found on top of a fireplace, a furnace, or a stove, chimneys are an important part of any appliance used for heating. Chimneys help ventilate your home, as well as trap some of the harmful chemicals and substances found in soot and smoke.

If you use the chimney a lot, the soot and grime that builds up inside the walls of the chimney can cause serious health problems. The particles that build up inside the chimney undergo chemical change from heat and exposure, and the substances may make their way into the air you breathe. The chemicals can cause illnesses like respiratory damage and cancer. It’s important to inspect and clean your chimney at least twice a month if you use it regularly.

Tools

To clean a chimney, you need the following tools:

Ladder
Chimney broom or chimney brush
Flexible rod or handle
Flashlight
Plastic sheeting or newspapers to protect furniture
Protective clothing

Steps

While you can clean the chimney from inside your home, it’s best to work on cleaning the chimney from the roof. Always remember to wear protective clothing like goggles, a face mask, and gloves to prevent yourself from inhaling or coming to contact with the dirt and soot particles.

Protect your furniture and appliances first by covering them in plastic sheeting or newspapers.
Get up on top of the roof. Make sure you’re perched on a safe, stable position on the roof.
Attach a long, flexible rod on one end of the chimney broom. Attach as many handles as needed to make sure that the brush descends completely into the chimney.
Lower the broom and the handle into the chimney, making sure that all sides of the brush come into contact with the inside walls.
Carefully lift up the brush, and shine a flashlight into the chimney. The inside walls don’t have to be completely clean, but you shouldn’t see big lumps or chunks of soot built up on the inside walls. If you still see some big chunks of grime, lower the broom into the chimney again and clean out as much of the grime as you can.

While you’ll still need to hire the services of a chimney sweep or a home maintenance crew every now and then, regular maintenance of your chimney is an easy task. With these steps, you can breathe easier and maintain a healthier lifestyle with a clean chimney.