Cozying up to the warmth and flickering light of a roaring fire feels amazing, especially after a long day of shoveling snow. To be able to do so with peace of mind, though, you need to know how to clean the chimney, as a build-up of soot can decrease your indoor air quality and put you at risk of a devastating fire. In this guide, we’ll discuss how to clean a chimney in just five steps.
How to Clean a Chimney and When to Call in a Pro
It’s called a chimney sweep, but there’s a lot of scrubbing involved
![chimney outside house rooftop](https://media.angi.com/s3fs-public/chimney-outside-house-rooftop-522880934-.jpg?impolicy=leadImage)
![chimney outside house rooftop](https://media.angi.com/s3fs-public/chimney-outside-house-rooftop-522880934-.jpg?impolicy=leadImage)
Difficulty
Only pros have the unique expertise to complete this job safely.
Time to complete
Cost
Just a short shopping trip (or online order).
What you'll need:
- Wire or polypropylene chimney brush
- Flexible chimney extension rods
- Shop vacuum
- Ash bin
- Fireplace tools, including a broom
- Portable lighting or large flashlight
- Inspection mirrors
- Extension ladder
- Safety harness
- Cordless drill with screwdriver bit or screwdriver
- Full-face respirator
- Breathing mask
- Safety goggles
- Drop cloths
- Plastic sheeting
- Duct tape or painter’s tape
Prep the Area
After you collect all the tools needed to clean your chimney, you’ll want to prep the fireplace. Wear a mask and safety goggles to protect yourself from airborne dust and debris throughout the entire process, starting with the preparation.
Use drop cloths to cover the area around the fireplace and any furniture in the room so that they don’t get dirty. Use a shop vacuum or a broom to remove ash from the interior of the fireplace.
Remove the grate and any fireplace tools and detach or open the damper. Once you finish these steps, shut the doors to the fireplace and cover them and any vents with plastic sheeting. This plastic seals the interior of the fireplace to prevent dust and creosote particles from escaping into the room.
Secure the plastic with duct tape or painter’s tape.
Bring Your Chimney Cleaning Tools to the Roof
Most of the remainder of the steps to clean a chimney occur while you are standing on the roof. If you don’t like the idea of working on the roof for multiple hours, hiring a chimney sweep is a good idea. You really should make use of a roof harness attached to the chimney, just to be safe. Also, avoid heading up onto your roof in the winter or in inclement weather, as rain and snow can make the roof slippery.
Make sure your ladder is securely in place since you must carry the cleaning tools to the roof with you. You may need to make multiple trips up and down the ladder.
Identify and Remove the Chimney Cap
Photo: Michael Vi / iStock / Getty Images Plus / Getty ImagesThe chimney should have a cap over the top. So what is a chimney cap? It’s a piece of hardware that attaches to the top of the chimney. When installed properly, it blocks rain, debris, and animals from going inside the chimney while allowing smoke and air to escape.
Depending on your chimney, you might have a chimney cap or a flue cap. The process to remove both is similar. Detach your chimney cap or flue cap to gain access to the inside. In most cases, these caps are attached with sheet metal screws, so use a power drill or screw drive to detach the cap and set it aside. Keep track of the screws so that you can reattach them later.
Clean the Chimney Flue
Photo: gabort / Adobe StockThe flue and flue liner—also called the chimney liner—is a tube installed inside the chimney that directs smoke and heated particles outside the chimney. It protects the materials used in the construction of the chimney, like brick, from the heated air, soot, and creosote rising out of the fireplace.
Insert your chimney brush inside the flue. You need to use a brush that has a diameter that matches the diameter of the flue.
Scrub hard with an up-and-down motion. Attach extension rods to the end of the chimney brush as you insert it into the flue. Slowly continue scrubbing downward through the interior of the flue until reaching the smoke chamber and damper.
You must stand near the opening of the flue for this step, so wear safety goggles and a respirator for this job. You don’t want to expose your eyes and lungs to dangerous particles. Creosote particles can cause light sensitivity after an eye exposure, chemical burn after contact with the skin (even brief exposure), and respiratory problems if inhaled.
Inspect the Chimney
Once you’ve given the inside of your chimney a good scrubbing, pull your chimney brush out and set it aside. Now, shine your flashlight or exterior light down into the chimney, and check the inside walls for additional soot. You can use an inspection mirror to get a closer look, especially toward the upper portion of the chimney.
If you have a second person helping, have them shine a light upward from inside the fireplace, so you can check the cleanliness of the flue from the roof. If the creosote layer is equal to or thicker than an eighth of an inch, you need to keep scrubbing.
If you find any particularly dirty spots, insert your chimney brush once again and scrub those areas clean. Repeat this process until the inside walls are bare.
Replace the Chimney Cap
Photo: ronstik / iStock / Getty Images Plus / Getty ImagesAfter scrubbing, slowly pull the extension rods and brush out of the flue. Place your chimney cap back in place, and use the screws to reattach it. Bring your tools down the ladder, and then disconnect your harness and head inside.
Clean Out the Fireplace
Photo: Bill Oxford / iStock / Getty Images Plus / Getty ImagesThe brushing action will knock debris from the flue downward into the fireplace. This is the goal of cleaning the chimney, but it does require a bit of cleanup afterward. It’s a good idea to wait about a half hour before you start the interior clean-up. Doing so will allow any airborne debris to settle.
Remove the plastic used to seal the fireplace and vents. Use a broom or vacuum to remove any loose debris, just like you’d do to clean any ash out of the fireplace. Remember to wear safety equipment for this portion of the work as well.
Reattach the damper and close the chimney flue again. Creosote may require special disposal steps because of its flammability, such as taking it to a hazardous waste facility. Rules vary significantly from area to area, so check with your local health department for advice.
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro
Cleaning a chimney isn’t a terribly complicated process in theory, but doing it properly requires a ton of safety precautions and really demands some experience. Since mistakes during the process can lead to severe personal injury, and failing to get the chimney properly cleaned can still leave you at risk of dangerous indoor air quality and fires, we recommend contacting and hiring a chimney sweep to do the work.
Should you need chimney maintenance, a repair for a cracked flue, or a full inspection at the same time as the cleaning, find a local chimney sweep who can do the entire job to save some money. If you tackle this as a DIY job, you may not understand what to look for during an inspection, which could indicate a severe problem. The chimney sweep often can do it all for you.
Plus, a professional will be able to check for damage and let you know when you need to replace the chimney liner or carry out repairs for safety and proper functionality.
How Much Does a Chimney Sweep Cost?
On average, the cost for a chimney sweep is $255, but it depends on whether you need extra services. If you need an inspection with the cleaning, for example, the average cost is $450. Repairs will cost even more. The total can also depend on the size of your chimney and how accessible your roof is. Roofs with severe pitches may require specialty safety equipment, which puts chimney sweeps at greater risk of injury, so prices will tend to be higher.
Frequently Asked Questions
You should get your chimney cleaned around once per year, but you might want to opt for bi-annual cleanings if you use your fireplace often. Remember, your boiler likely vents into your chimney as well, so cleaning is required even if you don’t use your fireplace. It’s a good idea to clean your chimney during the summer so that it’s ready to use when you want a worry-free cozy fire on that first crisp autumn night of the season.
No, a hot fire won’t burn off creosote that’s already built up. While the warmth of a fire can loosen caked-on creosote, you run the risk of causing a chimney fire. The best way to clean off old creosote is to have your chimney cleaned by a professional chimney sweep.
It’s possible to clean your chimney by accessing it from the opening above your fireplace, but be aware that this method is messier because you will be pulling loose buildup of soot, ash, and creosote into your fireplace instead of up, out, and onto the roof. While the bottom-up method can cause more of a mess, it’s a good option if you’re not comfortable getting on the roof.