Okay, our fireplace hasn`t been used in years and has gone without cleaning longer. We pretty much think that if we start a fire in it, the build up on the walls of the chimney will catch fire and bad things will happen.
Whats the best way to clean the chimney yourself? If a chimney sweep is the best option, were do i get one cheap?

http://www.ehow.com/how_11052_clean-fireplace-chimney.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/35831/how_to_clean_a_chimney.html

Some websites on it.

Home depot sells wire brushes with a very long pole attached made just for cleaning chimneys, i use one every fall on my chimney :)Or if you don't want to do it look in the yellow pages for a chimney sweep.

The Home Depot brushes are good for yearly cleaning but if you have neglected to clean the chimney for a long time the buildup is probably too heavy to be removed with a cheap brush. In this case its better and safer to call a professional chimney sweep company to do the job.

Trust me, you don't want a chimney fire.

They also make special fake log things that chemically break up the soot when you ignite them.

If your chimney is straight up occluded, I'd probably get a professional.

Chimney sweeping is a great way to get cancer.

They also make special fake log things that chemically break up the soot when you ignite them.

If your chimney is straight up occluded, I'd probably get a professional.

Chimney sweeping is a great way to get cancer.


Those logs are meant as preventative maintenance, not as a solution to a very dirty chimney. Chances are if the chimney is thickly coated then the fire from that cleaning log could actually ignite the coating instead of removing it.

Cleaning a chimney on a fireplace is also messy as there is no woodstove at the bottom to catch all the dust and crap being scraped off the walls of the chimney. if you dont plug up the bottom of the chimney you can expect a billowing cloud of black dust that is the consistency of talcum powder and will coat and stain everything it touches.