Chimney Cleaning
The yearly sweep that keeps your fire where it belongs
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4.9 · 1,665 Google reviews
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CSIA certified
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No-mess guarantee
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Price confirmed before work
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Santa’s favorite chimney crew
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Cleared for reindeer landing
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No soot on Santa’s boots
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Cookies for Santa, carrots for the reindeer
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Stockings hung, flues swept
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Merry Christmas & happy hearth-days
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Jingle all the way up the chimney
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Warm fires, cozy nights
●
Santa’s favorite chimney crew
●
Cleared for reindeer landing
●
No soot on Santa’s boots
●
Cookies for Santa, carrots for the reindeer
●
Stockings hung, flues swept
●
Merry Christmas & happy hearth-days
●
Jingle all the way up the chimney
●
Warm fires, cozy nights
●
Santa’s favorite chimney crew
●
Cleared for reindeer landing
●
No soot on Santa’s boots
●
Cookies for Santa, carrots for the reindeer
●
Stockings hung, flues swept
●
Merry Christmas & happy hearth-days
●
Jingle all the way up the chimney
●
Warm fires, cozy nights
●
Santa’s favorite chimney crew
●
Cleared for reindeer landing
●
No soot on Santa’s boots
●
Cookies for Santa, carrots for the reindeer
●
Stockings hung, flues swept
●
Merry Christmas & happy hearth-days
●
Jingle all the way up the chimney
●
Warm fires, cozy nights
Pricing, before you commit
Our prices are published, not hidden
Want to know the cost before anyone visits? Our chimney cleaning pricing page lists every option and works out an estimate for your home. No email, no callback.
The craft, done properly
WHAT A CHIMNEY CLEANING IS
A professional chimney cleaning removes the layer of creosote, soot, and debris that builds up inside your flue every burn season. Creosote is the tar-like residue left behind when wood smoke cools against the chimney wall — and once it reaches roughly 1/8 of an inch, it becomes the single most common cause of chimney fires in North American homes. It doesn't wash away, it doesn't burn off, and it doesn't stop accumulating on its own. The only thing that removes it is a mechanical sweep.
A standard Brown Chimney cleaning takes 60–90 minutes and is performed by a CSIA-certified technician. You get a full flue sweep from base to cap, smoke chamber and firebox cleaning, HEPA vacuum protection throughout, and a visual check of what we can see while working. You can see exactly where your home lands with our chimney cleaning cost calculator before you book. The price reflects the job's difficulty, never the level of care.
Full sweep and creosote removal
The Work
What a chimney cleaning actually does.
Beyond fire risk, a clogged flue restricts draft. That's what causes smoke to spill back into the room, fires that struggle to stay lit, and that sharp campfire smell that lingers long after the fire is out. Brushing the flue back to bare masonry restores the airflow the system was designed for.
Every cleaning starts with drop cloths and a HEPA vacuum running before a single brush touches the flue — the mess stays in the chimney, not your living room. The tech brushes the full flue from base to cap, cleans the smoke chamber and shelf, vacuums the firebox, and finishes with a visual check of the damper, liner, and crown. If we spot anything that needs attention — a failing cap, early crown wear, or creosote too glazed to brush — we show you before we leave and quote it separately. Nothing gets fixed without your approval.
Related reading: what really happens during a chimney cleaning — every step, photographed inside a real home. And if you're not sure you're due yet, here's how often a chimney actually needs cleaning.
When to book
What are the signs you need a chimney cleaning?
These are the symptoms our crews hear about most. Each one usually means creosote or debris is interfering with how your chimney breathes. If two or more sound familiar, it's time to book a sweep. Not sure whether it's buildup or something else? A chimney inspection settles it before you spend anything on the wrong fix.
You've burned more than one cord of wood since the last sweep
A sharp, smoky odor from the fireplace — even with no fire burning
Smoke drifts back into the room when you light a fire
Fires are harder to start and struggle to stay lit
Black, flaky deposits visible inside the firebox or on the damper
It's been more than 12 months since your last cleaning
If the deposits turn out to be heavy, glazed Stage 3 creosote, standard brushing won't remove it — the technician documents it with photos and quotes the chemical treatment in writing before anything else happens.
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A chimney isn't clean because it looks clean. It's clean when the flue shows bare masonry — and we photograph it to prove it.
Brown Chimney
The Brown Chimney Standard
The visit your neighbors already recommend.
No-mess guarantee
Drop cloths down and a HEPA vacuum running from start to finish — the soot stays in the chimney, not on your floor or furniture.
Proven, not promised
Findings shown to you on site, and anything extra documented with photos before we touch it — every result you can verify yourself.
Same crew, every visit
You get a W-2 technician you'll recognize next year — not a rotating cast of subcontractors.
Price confirmed before we start
The price is confirmed with you before any work begins. Anything extra we find is shown to you with photos and needs your approval first.
What to expect
What happens during a chimney cleaning?
A typical visit runs 60–90 minutes from door to door. Here is every step, in order — the same sequence we follow on every job, simple or difficult. The price reflects the job's difficulty, never the level of care.
01
Arrival & protection
Drop cloths go down first, shoe covers on, and the HEPA vacuum starts running before any tool touches the flue. The mess stays in the chimney, not your living room.
02
Visual assessment
The tech checks the firebox, damper, and flue base to gauge the creosote stage — Stage 1 dust, Stage 2 flakes, or Stage 3 glaze — before choosing brushes.
03
Mechanical sweep
Rotary poly or steel brushes sized to your exact flue, worked from bottom to top. Smoke shelf, damper, and firebox cleaned by hand.
04
HEPA extraction
Every trace of dislodged soot and ash is vacuumed from the firebox and smoke chamber through dual-stage HEPA filtration — nothing ends up in your room.
05
Final check & walkthrough
A second look up the flue confirms bare masonry. You get a plain-English walkthrough of anything we spotted, and a room left cleaner than we found it.
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For transparency
What this visit doesn't cover.
Crown repair or masonry work (spotted during the sweep, shown to you and quoted separately)
Stage 3 glazed creosote removal — hard, tar-like buildup needs PCR chemical treatment over two visits, always quoted in writing first
Animal or nest removal beyond loose debris (quoted on-site before any work)
FAQs
Common questions about chimney cleaning
How often should a chimney be cleaned?
The CSIA recommends an inspection every year, and a cleaning once creosote builds up to about 1/8 inch. For most homes that means an annual sweep — sooner if you burn more than a cord of wood a season, burn unseasoned wood, or notice odors and slow-drafting fires.
How long does a professional chimney cleaning take?
A standard Brown Chimney cleaning takes 60–90 minutes from arrival to walkthrough. Heavy buildup, difficult roof access, or multi-story homes can extend that. The technician confirms the expected time on arrival, before any work begins.
What happens during a chimney cleaning?
The technician lays drop cloths, runs a HEPA vacuum throughout, brushes the full flue from base to cap, cleans the smoke chamber and firebox, and finishes with a visual check of what can be seen while working. Anything that needs attention is shown to you before we leave.
Can I clean my chimney myself?
You can brush light soot with the right rods, but DIY sweeps routinely miss the smoke shelf and chamber — where most buildup hides — and can't assess liner or crown condition. Brown Chimney's CSIA-certified sweep covers the full system, and its price is on our cleaning pricing page.
How do I know if my chimney needs cleaning?
Look for smoke entering the room, a sharp odor when the fireplace is idle, weak fires, or visible black deposits in the firebox. If it's been over 12 months or a full cord of wood since the last sweep, book a cleaning — or start with an inspection to confirm what's needed.
Related Services
Often paired with chimney cleaning.
A safer hearth — for 2026
A clean flue, and a clean room.
Every Brown Chimney cleaning is performed by a CSIA-certified technician — with drop cloths down, a HEPA vacuum running, and anything worth your attention shown to you before we leave. Book online or call, and burn this season with nothing in the flue but draft.
