How to Clean the Chimney in a 12/12 Pitch Roof

Remove any portable items from the fireplace and the surrounding areas. Cover any fixed pieces or large furniture items that you cannot remove with thick drop cloths.

Lay plastic tarps over the floors around the fireplace. Unroll a layer of resin paper over the tarps; this paper has a slightly sticky surface that will hold particles and make cleanup easier. Protect vertical surfaces with plastic sheeting hung using painter’s tape.

Attach a chimney brush to a flexible chimney cleaning rod, following the directions for your particular products. Some pieces are meant to go together and provide a threaded screw-on system, while others require that you secure the brush to the rod with duct tape.

Look up into the chimney from the fireplace. If it is too dark to see, shine a flashlight to illuminate the area. Ensure that the fireplace damper is open.

Thread the flexible rod, brush-end first, up past the damper and into the chimney. Continue pushing the rod until the brush reaches the top of the chimney. Pull the rod to bring the brush all the way down into the fireplace again.

Repeat the previous step three to four times until the chimney is clean. Use your firebox tools to clean up the interior of your fireplace. Fold in the edges of the resin paper and discard it, and then clean up the room and return any items you removed.