Fireplace Cleaning Tips To Prepare Your Home For Winter
As the weather gets cold outside, it can only mean one thing Its time to build your first fire of the year to welcome the chilly winter season!
The Importance of Regularly Cleaning Your Fireplace
If you havent touched your fireplace since last winter, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise. A household fireplace requires regular maintenance and care to ensure that a fire burns safely and with a moderate amount of smoke.
Not only will a clean fireplace create a better impression of your home, but it will also protect your family and your property from potential damage. A clean fireplace will encourage proper wood burning and will rid the inside of your chimney of any flammable residue that could cause a more serious fire.
Chimney cleaning should be performed yearly to make sure that your fireplace stays in the best condition. When it comes to fireplace cleaning, you have two options available: hire a professional chimneysweep to clean your fireplace or do the job yourself.
Helpful Tips for DIY Fireplace Cleaning
While the task of chimney cleaning can easily become complicated and in depth, you can use the following tips to quickly clean your fireplace to prepare it for the winter:
Dust and vacuum the hearth regularly to prevent soot buildup. Make sure not to vacuum or sweep until all embers have gone out for at least 12 hours.
Regularly inspect the flue, firebox, and chimney for creosote accumulation.
Burn seasoned wood to minimize the buildup of creosote.
Dont ever use water to put out a fire, unless its an emergency; this will turn ashes into paste, making them difficult to clean.
Dont use an abrasive household cleaner inside the fireplace, which could cause a fire hazard.
Use a natural remedy of sprinkling damp, used coffee grounds over cooled fireplace ashes to make removal easier.
Clean Alternatives to a Traditional Fireplace
If youre fed up with cleaning your fireplace year after year or paying for a chimneysweep to do it for you, it may be time to turn to a cleaner indoor fire alternative. A contemporary gel fuel fireplace will provide the ambience and warmth of fire using real flame pourable gel fuel instead of firewood.
Even better, many indoor gel fireplaces are entirely portable, meaning that you can move them from room to room to your liking. If you want to use a gel fireplace in the living room for the evening and then transfer it into your bedroom at night, transportation is easy and incredibly safe.
Compared to the cost of burning wood and the emissions released into the environment, a gel fireplace is an affordable, clean, and eco-friendly alternative. This is also an ideal fireplace solution for any homes that were built without a traditional fireplace or an apartment or condo in a crowded urban area.
Homeowners that are sick of worrying about and maintaining a large wood-burning fireplace will appreciate the comfort and ease of using a gel fireplace instead. An indoor gel fireplace is traditional and elegant. Better yet, it doesnt require hours of cleaning to keep it running!
by: Jessica Brylan
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