Things You'll Need:
- Ladder
- Measuring tape
- Chimney brush and chimney rods
- Drop cloths or old sheets
- Duct tape or masking tape
- Old clothes
- Goggles
- Breathing mask
- Flashlight
- Small mirror
- Sweeping brush and pan or vacuum
- Weather-resistant mortar
- Caulk
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Step 1
Make sure any fires in your chimney have long burned out.
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Step 2
Determine the proper brush size for your chimney. Use a ladder to climb up on the roof. If you have a metal or prefabricated chimney, take off the chimney cap and use a measuring tape to measure across the interior diameter. If you have a masonry chimney, measure the length and width of the flue liner. Get a chimney brush that will fill the interior, without being too tight. A brush that is too small will not clean your chimney completely, and brush that is too large will be hard to move around inside the chimney.
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Step 3
Buy a stiff-bristled chimney brush and rods. You can get these at hardware or homestores or from a chimney sweep supplier. Sometimes fire departments have chimney brushes and rods which they'll let people borrow.
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Step 4
Open the fireplace damper. Use duct tape or masking tape to tape a drop cloth or sheet around the opening of the fireplace to keep ash and soot from escaping into the room. Place drop cloths on the floor around the fireplace and also on nearby furniture, just in case any ash or soot escapes.
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Step 5
Put on your old clothes. Climb onto the roof with your chimney rods, brush and a flashlight. Put on your eye gear and your breathing mask.
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Step 6
Take off the chimney cap, if your chimney has one. Clean it with the brush.
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Step 7
Add some rods to your brush. Don't add all the rods at one time. Lower the brush into the chimney. Attach more rods until you reach the bottom of the flue. You will know when you are there when you hit the damper assembly.
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Step 8
Move the brush up and down, scrubbing the walls of the chimney. You want to remove all the creosote, which will be present either as soot, as a black, crunchy substance or a hardened, shiny, black glaze.
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Step 9
Check your work with a flashlight. You will probably find the most creosote in the upper one third of the chimney, but it's important to scrub the full length.
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Step 10
When the chimney looks clean from above, climb down from the roof and go inside to your fireplace. Make sure there's a drop cloth next to the fireplace and on the floor where you'll be working. Remove the cloth that you taped to the fireplace opening. Use the brush to scrub the damper assembly and the sides of the fireplace.
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Step 11
Check your work from below with a flashlight. Use a small mirror to check up into the chimney to see if it is clean.
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Step 12
Sweep or vacuum up any ashes or creosote that has come out of the fireplace into your home. Pick up drop cloths and throw away dirty, ash-coated ones. Clean your equipment to remove creosote and store it for the next time you clean your chimney. Put away your ladder and your eye and breathing gear.
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Step 13
If you noticed any damage to your chimney while cleaning it, decide if you can make minor repairs or if you need to call a professional.
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Step 14
To repair mortar around bricks, remove the old mortar. Pack the cracks with new mortar. Use dry, ready-mixed mortar that is weather resistant.
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Step 15
Fix flashing seals by chipping out old mortar. Caulk along the edges of the flashing. Caulk the joints between the flashing and the chimney.
