Chimney Cleaning Equipment

Those people whose houses contain chimneys need to invest in good chimney cleaning equipment. It is always important to make sure that your chimneys are kept clean and serviceable, even during the months that they are not being used frequently or at all. 

A list of equipment for keeping chimneys clean can of course vary, but it must include a chimney brush that is of the correct size, as chimneys can and do vary in size and a wrongly sized brush would make cleaning one’s chimney hard or impossible; a cover for the fireplace, to prevent dust, ash and debris from escaping the chimney and causing a mess in one’s house; a dustpan, shovel, broom, and a large bucket for collecting debris that may escape, and/or a vacuum cleaner for faster clean-ups; some sort of covering to protect the contents of one’s living room just in case the debris does get out; and a flashlight to help one check if the chimney has really been cleaned adequately. 

Additional items for this cleaning equipment list will depend on the cleaning method of choice. Those who wish to use flexible rods will have to add them to the list. Flexible rods can be used either from the top down, for those who wish to clean from their roofs, or from the bottom up, for those who would rather do so from within their houses. Those wishing to use the latter method need to realize that if so, it would be impossible to seal off the bottom of the chimney, which would constitute a risk of the debris fouling one’s living room. 

One may also consider the use of a weighted brush and a pull ring. This would involve the cleaner working from the roof, attaching a compact weight and brush to the end of a rope, and then lowering it into the chimney and moving it around until the chimney is clean. Another advantage of this method is that the fireplace itself can be sealed off to prevent debris from escaping. 

Lastly, if there are two cleaners, one can climb on the roof while the other stays inside the house. They can attach two ropes to either end of a brush, and then pull the ropes up and down until the chimney is clean. Similarly to some of the other methods presented, it is impossible to block of the fireplace when employing such a method.

A final note. Whatever method is used to clean one’s chimney and whatever chimney cleaning equipment one buys for this purpose, one has to make sure that one does clean one’s chimney frequently - even during months during which the chimney is not being used. Debris can accumulate significantly inside chimneys even though they are not being used, and one might receive a bad surprise during the autumn or winter if one has not been keeping one’s chimney clean during the months leading up to that time.