The profession known as "chimney sweeping" really took off in England in the 17th and 18th centuries. During this time, the fireplace was catching on as a great way to keep homes heated in cold temperatures. In fact, the English were such big fans of fireplaces that they started having them installed in every room of the home for optimal heating. The multiple fireplaces often connected via a maze of pipes to one chimney, and these pipes became dirty and clogged with soot very quickly.
Thus, the chimney cleaning industry was born.
Chimney sweeps initially swept chimneys at no cost to the homeowner. Instead, the chimney sweep sold the soot from the cleaning to farmers as fertilizer, and profited that way. When chemical fertilizers started to become popular, chimney sweeps were forced to begin charging for their services. They did quite well, too -- it's said that over 1,000 chimney sweeps served Victorian London.
Times are obviously a bit different now. We have multiple sources of heat, such as gas and electricity, that are more popular, but the chimney sweep trade still survives, and keeping your chimney clean is just as important in 2012 as it was in the 1700s. If you're interested in having your chimney inspected and cleaned, be sure to contact Guardian Chimney today at 1-888-688-1388.
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