Cleaning all the small areas of a home is essential for your safety and health. Your fireplace and chimney are some important areas that need to be cleaned consistently if you want to lower fire risk and bad-quality air. But when is the best time to have your chimney swept? Understanding when to clean your chimney or how often it needs to be cleaned will help you achieve the highest quality result.
How Often Should A Chimney Be Cleaned?
Similar to other exterior areas of a home, you should have your chimney swept once a year. Cleaning annually helps you to avoid odors coming from your chimney, without the need to stress about constantly cleaning it.
If you start to notice foul smells, mildew in your fireplace, smoke fills the room, the fireplace damper is black, or debris in the fireplace, schedule a cleaning appointment sooner rather than later. It has been a while since your last cleaning, you should work to get an appointment as soon as possible to keep your home safe.
Chimney Cleaning In The Spring
The transitional seasons of fall and spring are good times for exterior home cleaning. They provide the mildest temperatures and cleaners can remove debris that comes from the past seasons (leaves and twigs from fall) during this time.
While your chimney has a cover, some small debris can still become trapped inside. However, chimney cleaning after winter can help remove mold or mildew growth that occurred because of excess moisture.
Chimney Sweep Services In The Fall
Chimney cleaning is most often performed in the early fall months. Cleaning a chimney and fireplace during the fall will prepare your home to be heated properly through the winter. Removing extra soot and creosote before the winter will help keep the air in your home clean without you needing to air out the home during freezing temperatures.
As temperatures start to drop, animals and critters may seek refuge in your chimney. Cleaning in the fall will help remove them safely and any debris they have dragged in be removed without burning it when you light a fire.
Why Timing Matters
Cleaning your chimney may not seem like a task that needs to be completed at a specific time, but depending on where you live, others may also want their chimney’s cleaned around the same time. It is also important to remove soot buildup if you want to avoid fires inside your home.
Availability
Fall is a popular time for chimney cleaning and other home maintenance tasks. This means that cleaning companies may be completely booked if you wait too long to schedule. It can be a race to get a spot on a cleaning company’s schedule or you could be put on a waiting list. Don’t let the frustration of a full schedule be something you have to deal with, schedule early.
Safety For Chimney Sweeps
Colder months can lead to dew and frost on a roof which makes it slippery to walk on. The colder temperatures are also not ideal to work in and can cause frostbite or hypothermia. Hiring a chimney cleaner in the winter can put them at risk for injury but it can also damage the tools that are used during a chimney sweep service. This may mean that you will be charged for the damaged equipment or the cleaning takes longer.
Save Money
Waiting until later in the year to schedule a cleaning might mean you pay more. Customers who book early don’t have to wait in line and some who are not willing to wait in line may pay an extra fee for the rush of service. While the savings may not be drastic, the small savings and unrushed service will be worth it.
Chimney Sweeps From Sierra Vista Maintenance
Our technicians at Sierra Vista Maintenance will protect the area around your fireplace and your roof while we perform a cleaning. Using protective tarps, quality equipment, and providing timely services is what we pride ourselves on. We double-check that all debris is removed from your home before we leave the residence.
Sierra Vista cleans your chimney flue, chase covers, crown, throat damper, and more. This will ensure that no lingering odors are in your chimney and you can safely heat your home.