DIY Fireplace Flue Cleaners

Clean your fireplace flue using household products and chimney tools.

Although several ready-made fireplace flue cleaners are on the market, you can also create your own for removing soot buildup in the chimney without spending a small fortune on cleaning supplies. Creosote builds up inside the chimney and affects the smoke's ability to move through the flue and out of the home. Over time, excessive buildup traps smoke that spreads throughout your home when the fireplace is lit. To prevent creosote buildup, it is important to brush your chimney's flue on a monthly basis or biweekly, depending on how often the fireplace is used.

Things You'll Need

• Plastic tarp
• Protective gloves
• Protective goggles
• Shop vacuum cleaner
• Bucket
• Chimney brush
• Brush rod
• Dishwashing liquid soap
• Paper towel

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Instructions

1. Cover the area surrounding the fireplace with a plastic tarp to prevent soot staining and put on protective gloves to cover your hands while cleaning the fireplace flue.

2. Take off the fireplace's door and vacuum up soot and ashes in the fireplace.

3. Fill a bucket with 1 gallon of warm water and mix in 1 tbsp. of dishwashing liquid.

4. Put on protective goggles and dip a chimney brush in the bucket.

5. Scrub the flue liner inside the chimney to clean the flue and re-dip the brush in the solution to re-wet the cleaning tool.

6. Rinse off the chimney brush, and wipe down the flue liner with a paper towel or cleaning cloth to remove loose soot.

References

• Good Housekeeping; How to Clean a Fireplace; Heloise
• Northline Express: How to Clean Your Fireplace Chimney