How to Clean a Chimney and When to Call in a Pro

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

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The 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

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The 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

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After 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

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The 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.