Are you motivated to clean your chimney today but do not have a brush? Worry not! You still can do this with a little bit of creativity.
You do not need to call chimney cleaning services every time your chimney needs a sweep. Knowing how to clean your chimney DIY is essential to ensure that your home is safe and it also saves you time and money.
But what if you do not have the special brush used to clean a chimney? Continue reading to find other creative ways you can get your chimney clean even without the brush.
Why Do Chimneys News Regular Cleaning?
A chimney that is not regularly cleaned is hazardous and can potentially cause harm to the house and the residents’ health. Every time you light a fire in your fireplace, the smoke forms into tiny balls of soot called creosote.
The creosote forms inside the chimney in three phases; In the first stage, tiny dust-like particles can easily be blown out using a vacuum cleaner. If these flake-like substances are not cleaned at this stage, they harden to form black and more refined debris.
At this stage, the creosote will need a gentle push with a brush to get it out. The last stage is more stubborn. The substance from stage two slowly hardens to form a shiny tar-like substance that is gooey and extremely hard to remove.
If your chimney is at the last stage, it is advisable to call in a professional chimney cleaning service. Attempting to clean out the chimney DIY yourself at this stage is not only hard but might also lead to damages to your chimney.
If not often cleared, The creosote can lead to chimney fires or block the chimney leading to smoke buildup inside the house. This smoke can easily cause serious problems like fatal suffocation.
This is why according to National Fire Protection Association, chimneys should be cleaned regularly and inspected at least once a year for soundness and correct tuning.
DIY Chimney Sweep Without a Brush
Removing chimney soot is easy – especially the first two stages. But you will need some sort of a tool that will go inside the chimney, clearing the soot on its path. This tool does not have to be a store-bought brush. You can make a DIY brush from a plastic bottle or just improvise with any device you feel will get the job done.
How to clean the chimney
There are various ways to clean a chimney. But the two most straightforward ways are;
Top-down
After you have already made your homemade brush, climb to the top of the roof and find a stable balance next to the chimney. Then you need to unscrew and remove the chimney cap.
With your brush secure fastened on a rob or a sinker, steadily lower the brush into the chimney and sweep inside in circular motions to ensure you get all the corners. Keep going down until you reach the lower end of the duct.
This method is the most common because it is the easiest and leaves the least mess. It allows you to seal off your fireplace to prevent soot from spreading around your living area.
Bottom-up
This method is suitable for people who are not good with heights. However, it also leaves the most mess as you are not able to seal off the fireplace. The best you can do is cover your furniture to prevent soot from spreading on them.
However, the cleaning process is the same as top-down, except you are now pushing your brush up the flue. After cleaning, you can use a flashlight to check if you got all the corners. Repeat the process until you are satisfied that the chimney is clean.
Conclusion
Cleaning a chimney that has a first or second stage of creosote build-up is pretty straightforward – and you do not need professional equipment to get the job done. With a simple homemade brush, you can get the chimney squeaky clean in just a few minutes.
However, call a chimney sweep services Ellicott City professional because the chimney has gone without cleaning and has accumulated stage 3 creosote. It is a lot harder to clean at this level and might need professional equipment to get the job done.
