Cleaning Your Chimney
with a Chimney Brush

Using a chimney brush is one of the best ways to clean your chimney. These tools are specifically made for the task of removing build up of potentially harmful materials from chimneys. These build ups, usually found in wood burning chimneys, may also impair the performance of the chimney. Thus, regular cleaning and maintenance is a must to ensure both safety and optimal chimney performance.

One way to clean your chimney is simply to have it cleaned by a professional chimney sweep. These professionals will be sure to do a through job of cleaning out your chimney, but of course their services would come at a price. And even if you plan to do the rest of your next chimney cleaning sessions by yourself, it would be a good idea to hire a professional first and see how they do it. Wielding a chimney brush is not as easy as it might seem, and watching an expert at work would surely be fruitful.

Chimney brushes are available in a few different types. Some are meant to be used from the bottom of the chimney and pushed upwards. These are convenient in that you do not have to go up to the roof to use the chimney brush. But these also create the most mess - you would not be able to block off the furnace or fireplace.

Another kind of chimney brush consists of a long brush attached to a rope. These brushes are meant to be lowered from the top of the chimney. In some cases this is done by having someone else pull it down from the bottom. In others, it can also be done by attaching a weight to the end of the rope and letting it fall slowly down the chimney.

Cleaning a chimney is a task that any physically fit person can do - moving a long chimney brush can be a bit of a workout! Just be sure to use the right type and size of brush, as well as to block off the fireplace or furnace if possible so as not to make a mess inside the house.