This fall one of the most important jobs to do around the house is to sweep your chimney. But how do you sweep a chimney safely and properly? Home Depot has all the tools and materials you need to clean your chimney properly and with a Home Depot Money Off Coupon from We Are Coupons you can clean your chimney for less!
Safety First
Safety is always the first priority when it comes to chimney sweeps. They are generally the only ones who have the ability to access your chimney and they are generally the only ones that will be operating within the span of the sweeping. If they get hurt, so do you. I spoke to a chimney sweep about safety and he told me that you need to treat your chimney sweep with the utmost respect and that it is important that you make sure they are well-equipped for the job. "You need to have the proper boots, goggles and suits, as well as some safety goggles for workers," he says. He adds that if you don't treat the job of sweeping your chimney with care and consider your safety, the chimney sweep will not be there to do it in the first place.
How to Sweep Your Chimney
Use a shovel to remove any leaves, grass, or pine needles you might have on the outside of your chimney and chimney flue. Use a long broom to sweep the chimney and clean debris inside the chimney flue. Do NOT use a feather duster or any type of brooms to clean inside your chimney. The brooms can break off inside the chimney flue or turn to mush in your chimney. For wood burning stoves, the chimney needs to be swept two or three times a year. For wood burning stoves that have tile roofs, you need to get out a long broom to scrub the roof of the chimney every six to eight months. If you use a ceramic, composite, or metal roof, you need to sweep your chimney every year. When you get down inside your chimney, make sure that you clean the inside of the chimney out every spring.
Check out the Tools You'll Need
A metal or wooden brush with a pointed end and a circular toothed mop that works well A bucket or watering can full of water A flat broom or dustpan How to Sweep Your Chimney: Safety First You need to be very careful when you sweep your chimney, for one reason, you can accidentally fall through the chimney. There are a couple things you need to keep in mind to keep you safe. First, when you are cleaning your chimney, you need to wear a suit that is flame resistant. You also need to wear steel-toed shoes and eye protection. If you are cleaning a fireplace insert, you need to wear rubber gloves. You should be very careful when you do this task because you could fall through your chimney and end up hurt if your clothing catches on fire.
Get Ready To Start Sweeping
At this time of year with lots of leaves in your yard and the fireplace spitting out warm smoke your chimney can get pretty messy. So let’s get ready to get those dirty grime covers off. First, know where your chimney is located and where the opening is so you can get a clear idea how to approach the cleaning. Step 1: Get your chimney cleaner. I like the Hoover wood floor cleaner. It’s free of chemicals and is sold in a 20-pack at home centers. The dust attachment is easy to clean and can get nasty from all the ash and soot in your chimney. Step 2: Get your chimney brush. This brush is also from Hoover, but is called a chimney brush. It’s a little bit longer than a broom, but the bristles are thick and replaceable.
