Spring is the perfect time for deep cleaning and freshening up your home. Don’t forget about chimney cleaning during your spring cleaning routine. Regular chimney cleaning is crucial to maintaining the cleanliness and safety of your fireplace and chimney, allowing you to use them safely year after year.
Spring cleaning is especially important because, over the summer, small critters and birds may build nests in your chimney, creating a serious safety hazard that can cause structural damage. To avoid fires, it’s crucial to regularly remove the creosote and soot buildup from the inside of your chimney. Failing to do so twice a year can result in an extreme fire hazard due to the rapid accumulation of these materials. Additionally, neglected fireplaces can produce unpleasant odors, emphasizing the need for regular chimney cleaning.
Let’s explain why spring cleaning your chimney and fireplace is essential and the steps you should take.
Initial Steps
Truthfully, the best thing you can do when it comes to chimney cleaning is to hire a professional chimney sweep. They should be able to use their tools and expertise to get every nook and cranny of your chimney, though if you decide to do it yourself, here’s the rundown.
First, prepare your supplies. That might be a vacuum, a broom with a long handle, plastic bags to put debris in, wire brushes for scrubbing, and gloves and face masks to keep yourself safe. Make sure you’re wearing safety gear before following any more steps.
Basic Cleaning
Start by removing all of the debris you can from your fireplace. Sweep up the ashes and scrub the soot away. Once it’s clean enough, you can scrub everything with your brush and a bit of soap and water. This should help you remove the remaining soot, resulting in a clean chimney and fireplace. However, you may also want to use a vacuum to clean up anything that wasn’t caught in your initial pass.
Further Inspection
Once you’re done, take a look at your chimney to see if there are any additional issues. That might be obvious, like a bird’s nest, or it may be less obvious, like damage to your mortar. Spring cleaning for your chimney and fireplace is definitely a necessity in keeping it in its best condition, but don’t be afraid to reach out and get your chimney professionally cleaned and inspected. Especially if it’s been quite some time since a pro took a look inside your chimney!
Schedule Your Chimney Cleaning from Champion Chimneys, Inc.
When you need a trusted company for your chimney inspection and chimney cleaning, you can trust our team. Champion Chimneys, Inc. is a fully licensed, bonded, and insured chimney service company that has served customers in Baltimore County, Howard County, and Anne Arundel County, Maryland, since 2001. Our team is trained and certified by Certified Chimney Professionals, Inc. (CCP, Inc.). We specialize in all aspects of your chimney system. Whether you need chimney and flue cleaning service or a full chimney rebuild or inspection, contact us at 443-Chimney today and let us fix all your chimney problems. Also, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.