Safeguard Your Home with Thorough Chimney Cleaning

Many homeowners pay little attention to the cleanliness of their chimney.  However, an unexpected chimney or house fire will surely get their attention quickly.  Keeping your chimney clean will help prevent problems from developing in the future.

Every homeowner will have different burning habits, which will dictate how often the chimney will need to be cleaned.  If you tend to have slower-burning fires, then your chimney will need to be cleaned out more often.

More solids are combined with the smoke traveling up your chimney whenever the fire burns slowly and is deprived of oxygen.  If you regularly burn hotter fires, then your chimney will only need to be cleaned out once a year.

In order to clean your chimney you will need to brush the inside of it to get debris out.  You will need a chimney brush to do this.  The particular size you need will depend on the size of your chimney.  You will also need other equipment such as ropes.  All of the equipment you need is available at your local hardware of fireplace equipment store.

Homeowners have to go up on their roof to clean their chimney.  This is very hazardous, so you will need to be extra careful.  A steep roof and carelessness is a bad combination.  It is best for you to wear shoes which have rubber soles since they will provide more traction.  You should clean your chimney before the winter rolls around since it will be cold and probably icy by then which will only increase the danger of working on your roof.

Whenever you clean your chimney you do not want all of the debris and soot to get over your furniture.  Therefore, you need to secure the opening to your fireplace by shutting the glass doors if you have any or using a large plastic sheet to cover the opening.

Now would be the perfect time to get excess ashes out of your fireplace too.  Make sure you give the ashes enough time to cool down, preferably a few days.  Ashes can retain a lot of heat and can burn through paper and plastic bags with ease.

The easiest way to ensure your chimney stays clean is to call a professional to come clean it.  These professionals will be able to detect chimney problems which can cause issues in the future.  Make sure you hire a chimney sweeper who is licensed, bonded, and insured.