Get Your Fireplace Ready For The Upcoming Holiday Season

The first task to get your fireplace ready for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the entire Holiday Season just ahead is to schedule a chimney inspection and cleaning with a qualified chimney sweep company. By Halloween, many—if not most—chimney sweeps are booked into December. It’s important to know the condition of your chimney before starting the season’s first fire. Once you have experts to provide important chimney services to keep your home and family safe, consider the following fireplace tips for the holiday season.

Put Away Décor Before Chimney Cleaning

Even without a fire glowing in the hearth, a fireplace is the ideal showcase for displaying décor in fall shades, such as pumpkins, in November and the seasonal décor of your choice in December. Before your chimney sweep expert arrives, prepare by clearing décor off of the mantel and from around the hearth. In addition to preventing anything from breaking, you may also be helping to prevent sooty deposits from soiling your favorite Christmas decorations.

Push furniture at least several feet away from the fireplace area. For added protection, you can toss blankets over your furniture, just in case something other than the normal cleaning experience happens. With the sophisticated equipment and procedures chimney sweeps used today, you can expect that virtually all the mess involved with cleaning a dirty chimney stays contained within the chimney and hearth area and does not enter your home.

Tips for Fireplace Safety During the Holidays

The holidays can truly be magical, whether because it’s the season of giving or because of Christmas-themed Hallmark movies, snowscapes, cozy moments by the fire, or the joy of making treasured memories with loved ones. Many of the activities we commonly involve ourselves in at home can be potentially hazardous. The following are tips and insights on fireplace safety and engaging safely in other activities around the fireplace:

• If you are buying an artificial tree, look for one that specifies that it is fire-resistant. This can be crucial since Christmas lights and their wires have been known to spark.
• If you are getting a fresh tree, ensure that the tree is fresh and green, and keep it well-watered throughout the season.
• Place your tree away from fireplaces and other heat sources. Trees dry out rapidly in rooms with a heat source, and a dried-out Christmas tree is a serious fire hazard.
• Never place paper decorations near an open flame or near electrical connections.
• Do not burn any type of paper in the fireplace. Wrapping paper, in particular, can create intense flash fires.
• Be sure that wrapping paper is kept a safe distance away from the fireplace, particularly during the excitement when presents are being opened.
• Keep burning candles, lighters, and matches out of the reach of children.
• Never burn candles near evergreens, such as Christmas trees.
• Make safety a priority this holiday season. Stay alert to possible danger areas near your fireplace, near candles, and electrical connections.

At Chimney Specialists, Inc., we’ve provided reliable chimney sweep services for decades, and we have many loyal customers who know how quickly we get booked up starting in the fall. Be sure to schedule your chimney inspection and cleaning as soon as possible and have a safe and joyous holiday season.