Homeowners and landlords alike should not put off cleaning chimneys, fireplaces, and other areas in the home. It’s easy to neglect this and end up with a major problem over time. If you have a fireplace that you are using on a regular basis, or you are planning on burning wood or even synthetic logs within your home, it’s very important that you hire a good chimney sweep from time to time. Not only that, you should only hire someone that has very distinct elements. Do not just hire any person you find online, and don’t try to do it yourself based on those DIY videos you’ve seen. Instead, look for a chimney sweep using the following criteria:

Certifications: The first thing that you should look for is simple, certifications. The chimney sweep that you hire has to not only come through with certifications, they have to be licensed, bonded, and ready to show you that they are registered with their state, county and more. Some of the certifications the company you hire should have include memberships with CSIA, FIRE, NFIC, IAFCI, C-DET, and more. These are the basics that will make the person you hire certified and set apart from others. You may find other sweeps, but none of them will be worth hiring if they aren’t members in these, and licensed within your state.

Highly Reviewed: Look for reviews within consumer based websites like Angie’s List. You’re going to find that the best in the business are going to be mentioned on this site, and others. The reviews should paint a picture as to whether or not they are going to help you get the right elements in place for your home. It’s imperative that you don’t allow yourself to be misled here, make sure that you read through the options and hire companies that are getting positive reviews here. Angie’s List and other sites have testimonials from real individuals like you, so you can trust them.

Proven Track Record: The last thing that you need to look into is the track record of the chimney sweep that you want to hire. The aforementioned are crucial, but you will want to look at when the company was established, and call them to find out more about the work that they do. This may be found online through their website. Make sure that you confirm the information that you receive, and when in doubt, look to see if they are registered with the Better Business Bureau. This will tell you whether or not the company is a trusted resource to help you with your needs. Do not hire anyone that isn’t registered here and doesn’t have a proven track record for helping the community out.

Why Are These Important?

The above are just three distinctive things that you have to take into consideration when you’re hiring a sweep for your chimney. If you do not hire someone to help you with this, you could end up having poisonous fumes come back into your home, or deal with a house fire. The inside layers of your fireplace build up a lot of debris, and components that could very well cause you a great deal of property damage. In the worst case scenario, you could start a fire and your home could become engulfed in flames. Don’t let that happen, hire Lou Curley’s Chimney Service from time to time and get us to come out and fix issues with your home’s fireplace, or at least maintain it so that you keep you and your family safe from harm, whether it is fire or it is inhalation of fumes.